Playgroup 101

We are so happy you're interested in joining us at playgroup! Here's what you can expect during your morning at Fish Hawk Friends.

We are an open-ended 100% outdoor playgroup for children aged 0-5. Reggio-inspired and guided by the changing seasons, we are educator-informed, child-focused, and process-driven.

 

We are set on a private 1-acre property perched by the Chesapeake Bay near Sandy Point SP. We meet on Monday mornings for two hours of play and activities.

 

We view parents and caregivers as an essential resource to their child's learning. You will be an active participant alongside your child as they play and learn.

Each week Mandy VR will offer a hands-on activity for parent and child, inspired by her love for the natural world and Waldorf education.

We encourage children's exploration and self-direction. We want them to have the autonomy to shape their play however their imagination sees fit. In our open-ended play environment their play will unfold as they investigate, experiment, talk to each other, make plans and solve problems.

In the Reggio Emilia approach, a play prompt, also known as a "provocation," is a thoughtfully arranged set of materials intended to spark curiosity, exploration, and engagement in children's play and learning. You will find these throughout our outdoor space.

Risk-taking is not something that we need to teach young children, it is something they are born with. They thrive on it. Our role at Fish Hawk Friends is to provide space, time and the right environment for children to play in the ways they developmentally need to help them learn to assess risk and safety, understand limits, develop self reliance, resilience, and confidence.

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Fish Hawk Friends will always be a loving and inclusive space where everyone feels welcome, heard, valued, and accepted no matter where they come from, what they believe, how they identify, who they love, or the color of their skin.