OUR PHILOSOPHY
At Nature Explorers School, we believe that every child is unique with their own gifts. As such the approach to teaching them also has to be tailored. Our coaches who understand the need to give children space, will engage them in a scaffolding method to facilitate their learning. We allow children to trust and hone their instincts, to take calculated risks, while observing them with a watchful eye. We let children take the lead in overcoming nature-based challenges and ask open-ended questions to encourage them to find their own answers. By igniting their curiosity and playing to their strengths, children gain confidence and develop an overall positive outlook of life.
Please give me time to experience my world. Let me smell the rain, touch a tree, hear the birds and see the sunset. So that when I read and write about those words, I will truly understand what they mean.
Nature Explorer School adopts a holistic teaching approach, imparting knowledge of flora, fauna, survival skills, science of how things work, history and geography of the land, improving their emotional intelligence, understanding their emotions, as well as developing musical and linguistic skills. We are able to achieve this because nature provides endless scenarios that could never be planned for in a normal classroom. There are really no two classes that are the same as children will always find different ways to play or go deeper and get better and doing what they do.
In today’s fast pace world, children have less time to absorb and digest information. A minimum period of 2.5 hours a week is recommended for children to find themselves, recollect their thoughts and engage in activities they are keen on. Our sessions factor sufficient time for children to settle in, discuss the day's activities before the fun learning and magic begins. There is a sequence in how each session unfolds and children are calm as they know they have ample time.
SAFETY
Safety is at the core of Nature Explorers School. As experienced coaches, we know that children learn best when they feel safe, they can then begin to explore freely without too much adult intervention. Being outdoors implies that risks cannot be removed totally; therefore we perform safety assessments to minimise known risk. Our coaches are first aid certified and must comply with stringent Health and Safety guidelines, which includes medical, equipment and incident procedures.
Children are also involved in safety assessments so that they learn how to take responsibility for their safety and that of their friends. Nature Explorers School has undertaken insurance policies that cover children attending our sessions.
There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing
OUR TEAM
Founder Jenson Ong
(Certified Level 3 Forest School Leader)
I have been passionate about nature and the outdoors since my youth, cultivating these interest through my stints as a Scout and an Infantry Officer. To pursue my passion, I attended jungle survival trips and discovered the Forest School philosophy. I attended the Forest School Leader training provided by Forest School Learning Initiative, based in England. It was a revelatory experience and I soaked up the information and training provided. Being a parent of three young children, it was a lot more impactful as I reflected on my own parenting approach. Its ethos made complete sense and moved me so much that I decided to start Nature Explorers School (NES) as I was convinced of the benefits of a child-led approach to learning.
Building on my customer-centric approach from my previous career in travel and tourism industries which included overseas stints in India and Australia, I have always derived joy from simply helping others. I aim to touch the lives of children and help them realise their potential.
Coach Chia Jiabao
I have been passionate about nature ever since my secondary school days where I was the eco school club president. During this time I was selected to go on a study trip to London with the help of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to learn about different eco and nature related activities from different schools. To pursue this passion of mine I have actively volunteered my time with Ground-Up Initiative (GUI) on a couple of projects. During my free time I also like to explore different areas and parks like the botanical gardens. I have always felt that I can learn a lot from the environment around us by being outdoors.
Through Nature Explorers School, I aim to ensure that kids are not just having fun but also building their character such as confidence, compassion and their love for nature.
Coach Lehana Guo
It is fascinating to watch a child grow from one that is fearful of the scary outdoors into one that embraces all aspects of it, from playing in muddy puddles, catching tadpoles, to studying creepy crawlies in earnest.
The role as a Nature Explorers School Coach has pushed me/us to devise creative ‘building’ and playing methods as we explores mud-painting, den building, obstacles forming and many more. I believe that each session that we conduct goes beyond just the transferring of knowledge but also builds up a child’s confidence, collaboration ability and creativity. Although I am a coach, what the child glean from a session, I glean too.
Currently, I am also a freelance Landscape Architect and a part-time lecturer in Landscape Architecture.