Teaching & Learning

Instruction at Silverwood is organized into five multi-age learning communities that foster collaboration, leadership, and connection. Each community has its own classroom, name, and mascot:

  • Barn Owls (K–1)

  • Treehouse Squirrels (1–2)

  • Lodge East River Otters (3–4)

  • Lodge West Sea Otters (4–5)

  • Farmhouse Ravens (6–8)

Learning communities in grades K–3 are supported by full-time Teaching Assistants, maintaining an average adult-to-child ratio of 1:10. All students also benefit from Specialist classes in visual and performing arts, outdoor learning, and Physical Education, along with the invaluable support of parent volunteers. Together, these adults create a rich, well-rounded learning environment where every child is seen, known, and supported.

Learning at Silverwood extends far beyond classroom walls. Our 17-acre wooded campus serves as part laboratory, part playground—and always a classroom. Here, students engage in multi-disciplinary, peer-to-peer, and teacher-guided learning across a variety of spaces and media, connecting ideas to the natural world and to one another in meaningful ways.

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Teaching & Learning at Silverwood is:

Interdisciplinary

Whenever possible, we integrate subjects and related activities to create meaningful, connected learning experiences. For example, students studying ancient China might explore paper cutting in art, map the region’s land features in geography, and read Chinese folk tales or learn basic Chinese characters in literacy, weaving together knowledge across disciplines.

Project-Based

At Silverwood, project-based learning (PBL) is a cornerstone of our educational approach. Students engage in real-world, hands-on projects that integrate multiple subjects, allowing them to explore questions and ideas deeply. Projects often begin with a meaningful question or challenge, inspiring students to research, experiment, and collaborate while developing critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills.

Through PBL, students take ownership of their learning. They plan, create, and present their work, whether it’s building a model, conducting a science investigation, crafting an original story, or designing a community project. Along the way, teachers act as guides and facilitators, supporting exploration while encouraging students to follow their curiosity and pursue their own interests.

This approach not only strengthens academic skills but also nurtures collaboration, communication, and confidence, preparing students to tackle complex challenges inside the classroom and beyond.

Discovery

We believe in giving students hands-on opportunities to explore and then apply what they’ve learned. For example, first graders might begin by discovering the concept of measurement in the classroom and then take that learning outside—measuring the circumference of trees, each other’s height, or even the length of their shoes.

Peer Learning & Mentorship

At Silverwood, students are encouraged to teach, mentor, and learn from one another. We intentionally foster mixed-age collaboration, whether it’s solving a math story problem together, discussing books in a literacy group, or older students visiting younger classrooms to read side by side. Students also create projects and share their work, presenting their learning to peers and the broader community—building confidence while inspiring curiosity and discovery in others.

Hands On

We believe in learning by doing. In science, students might plant beans in our greenhouses for experiments or collect pond water to examine under microscopes. Studying Native American cultures and history, they may visit museums, create traditional artifacts, play children’s games, or participate in a Story Path, stepping into the roles of community members. Outdoors, students learn to identify conifers and deciduous trees, then survey and categorize the trees across our 17-acre campus. As Aristotle said, “For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.”

Outdoor-Focused

Our 17-acre campus is our “Outdoor Classroom,” a space where students of all ages and teachers of all disciplines come together for discovery, observation, hands-on learning, and application—as well as for playful exploration through tag, hide-and-seek, and fort-building. Here, students learn through play, connecting curiosity and creativity to real-world experiences in nature.

Teacher-Guided

We believe teachers serve not only as instructors but also as guides and facilitators. Alongside direct teaching, they act as “guides on the side,” supporting independent and small-group learning and following students’ interests whenever appropriate, helping each child explore and discover in meaningful ways.

Multi-Age

A multi-age classroom is an educational setting where students of different ages and grade levels learn together in the same classroom. Rather than grouping children strictly by age, students are placed according to developmental readiness, interests, and learning needs.

Key features include:

  • Peer learning: Older students mentor younger ones, helping both develop academic skills and leadership abilities.

  • Personalized learning: Teachers can tailor instruction to individual strengths, allowing students to progress at their own pace.

  • Collaboration: Students work in mixed-age groups, fostering teamwork, empathy, and communication skills.

  • Flexible curriculum: Lessons are designed to accommodate a range of abilities and learning styles, often incorporating project-based or hands-on activities.

  • Social-emotional growth: Children learn to interact with peers of different ages, building confidence, responsibility, and community awareness.

In short, multi-age classrooms create a dynamic, supportive environment that emphasizes both academic and personal development, encouraging students to learn from each other as well as from their teachers.