Woodland Kids - Sustainable Education

WHO IS BEHIND?
Joana is the Main Dreamer of Woodland Kids, Education lover, nutrition enthusiast and always searching how to construct a better world. The Team is made by Educators, Teachers,
Assistants and some collaborations with
Psychologists, Physiotherapists and Nutritionists. The Woodland Kids project born to respond to families, who like Joana, seek a different education, based on the respect and autonomy of the child and the environment that needs to be protected.
With your help, we will open doors to the most ecological school in Portugal! A modern building with the best energetic efficiency, wooden toys and a fantastic team to guide our children in their development.


YOUR HELP
Our project is ambitious but highly sustainable.
Funds will be used to support Joana and Woodland Kids dream School.
If you can not contribute, you can help sharing the project! If you are passionate about education and the environment like us, share this Crowdfunding with your contacts!



THE BUILDING
To be able to ensure the most energetic efficiency, we will build our Centre by modules and we will apply onto it specific Passive House principles. This approach will permit to have, inside the House, a very comfortable environment, without requiring Air Conditioning or another heating system.
Our classrooms are wide, bright and with direct access to the garden.

WOOD, CORK & DAYLIGHT
We will prioritize materials as wood and cork, creating a confortable space but also thinking in natural ways of minimize the sound.



ECO RESOURCES
Since we live in a Mediterranean country, with one of the warmest weathers of the occidental Europe, we believe that solar panels are essential. On the same hand, we have rain through winter, November till April, perfect to collect water, to be used in the warmest months.
Additionally, our garden and our vegetable garden, that will provide biologic fruits and vegetables, will be fertilized by the compost resultant from the food waste.

WATER, SUN & WIND
Aveiro is such a windy city, with at least 6 months of high wind velocities, 10km/h, this resource needs to be used to produce energy.



THE TOYS
Our classrooms follow Montessori and Emmi Pikler pedagogies, therefore, plastic toys are replaced by wooden and other organic materials. An accurate choice of toys allows children to develop their psychological, social, cognitive, emotional and motor skills, while exploring freely the space.

NATURAL MATERIALS & DYES
We commit to an ecologic education, consequently, the use of natural and sustainable toys, paints, papers, and others, are an asset.



HYGIENE
Did you know that a baby uses from 800 kg to one tone of diapers during his life? And, that each diaper takes 500 years to decompose?
Woodland Kids, encourages the use of reusable diapers or, as an alternative, we will provide, included in our tuition, ecological diapers.

ORGANIC, ECOLOGIC & VEGAN
We will use organic hygienic products only. By collaborating with companies that assume the use of renewable biological resources only, we are also protecting the environment. Additionally, this products will helps us to have a drastic decrease of undifferentiated waste and finally, by using such products we are promoting a healthy skincare for our children.



THE GARDEN
With rain or sun, the outside garden, is going to be, surely, the place more explored in the Centre. The contact with nature is essential to children's development, By respecting all the natural elements: the grass, the sand and earth, the flowers and the trees we are promoting, together, a safe and interesting natural environment for children.

TREES, VEGETABLES & FRUITS
Besides all the proposed activities inside, children develop and learn playing and exploring outside. It is very important that children have a bond with nature, not only from a pedagogic point of view but also because this will help them to be conscientious and respectful citizens.



THE TEAM
One of the most important and complex processes was to choose the team. We wanted to be sure the Educators working with us genuinely believe in the same educational ideas. This is the reason why we created online challenges for 120 Educators, without adding much about Woodland kids. These questions were about the pedagogical practice and their personal opinion about the educational environment.

RESPECT, PLEASURE & LOVE
It was difficult but we believe we were able to gather the best team, they all share the will to be different and better, and all are loving and respectful persons.



THE METHOD
Children have the instinct to learn, they are curious and intrinsically ready to learn. We provide the space and the materials for children to develop their motor, cognitive, psychological, emotional and social skills fully.

MOVEMENT, CHOICE & MINDFULNESS
Did you know that…?
Great personalities such as: Larry Page and Sergei Brin, the google founders; Jefrey Bezos, from Amazon; the Prince William and the Prince Harry; the Singer Beyoncé or the Writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, amongst many others, were raised in a Montessori School.



HEALTH
Nowadays, it needs to be a priority to educate children to eat healthy. Our society, and also our children, is dealing with many related problems such as obesity, diabetes or others connected for instance, with the lack of vitamins. The Woodland Kids assumes the healthy eating habits as the way to prevent diseases but also a way to reinforce and build a healthy body.

DELICIOUS, COLORFUL & FULL OF VITAMINS
Our menu is vegan and is done by a specialized nutritionist. Consequently, at the table we will always have interesting and healthy foods: vegetables, whole grain cereals, fruits and beans.
When children start to grow with healthy eating habits they will, certainly, grow as conscientious adults.



HOW TO HELP
There are a few ways of helping to build this project. One is participating in our Crowdfunding with your free donation!
Even the smaller help is welcome, we also encourage you to share this project, and this is the best way to reach more people.

COMMUNITY, HELP & SHARE
Other form of helping us is to buy some of our products. The majority are pedagogical materials. These are surely very interesting for children and they will respect the environment and tolerance for others.