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Interesting Reading

How About Better Parents?

Published: November 19, 2011
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Read an article about the importance of bedtime reading >>

All school, no play? Kids' learning suffers without recess, experts say - TODAY PARENTING - msnbc.com

8/142011, 12:15:58 PM pm
Article Written by Stephanie Pappas
Read a great article about The Power of the Playground >>

The Power of the Playground - Opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com

April 7, 2011, 8:15 pm
Article Written by DAVID BORNSTEIN
Read the article about "Stressed schools cutting recess, but at what harm to a child's growth?" >>

Village School Sees 25% Increase In Enrollment

9/14/2010
Article by Athol Daily News Special Contributor, Mary C. Barclay
Read the article >>

5 Best Toys of All Time - Wired.com

Article Written By Jonathan Liu
Read a great article from Wired.com about the 5 Best Toys of All Time >>

Playing to Learn - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Contributor - Susan Engel A View of How Education Could Be ... >>
(And a clear description of a clear description of How We Actually Teach at the Village School)

February 4th 2010

letters@nytimes.com

Dear Sir,

Susan Engel, in Playing to Learn (February 2, 2010), outlines an ideal curriculum in an imaginary classroom, where children would spend two hours a day in reading, hearing and discussing books, and having books read to them.

Her fortunate students would write pieces that have meaning for them; their math curriculum would require investigative, critical thinking, rather than rote learning of algorithms they don’t understand. Children would spend time outdoors in the natural world. They would even be allowed to play.

Such a classroom is not imaginary. At the Village School in Royalston , Massachusetts , and schools like ours around the country, our curriculum almost exactly fits Engel’s prescription, from preschool to 6th grade. The school is full of passionate, questioning learners, enthusiastic readers, excited mathematicians and thoughtful writers, all of whom get to play outdoors for an hour a day.

As Engel predicts, thanks to such a curriculum, our alumni have shown that they are indeed prepared to ‘learn almost anything in high school and college’.

Rise Richardson, Director

String Instrument Visit

Recently, local young musicians on college break visited the Village School, as part of the school’s study of the orchestra. This visit focused on string instruments. The Village School students explored cello, bass, violin, viola and piano. Discussions included how the size of the instrument influences tone, how string length is important, and similarities and differences between the instruments. The instruments were played in different styles, including jazz, blues and classical. At the end, all the musicians played together.