Our Story
My childhood memories consist of running around in the woods with the neighborhood children. One day, we decided to build “houses” among the trees and shrubs in my backyard. So became, “Kid Town.”
“Kid Town” became a neighborhood staple. Me, my brothers, cousin and neighbors spent countless hours trimming tree branches, building walls out of sticks, creating beds and just playing in nature. Thus grew my passion for nature. When I grew up and played outside less, I enjoyed watching my younger brother and younger neighbors continue the tradition of “Kid Town” until they too grew up.
Fast forward to college, where I attended Colby-Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire. I knew I wanted to work with kids; I loved babies and toddlers, and enjoyed “teaching” my younger brothers while they played school growing up. However, I wasn’t sure teaching in a classroom was for me. I wasn’t sure if the worksheets and tests were where I wanted to be. However, upon becoming involved in the Windy Hill School, Colby-Sawyer’s on-site laboratory school, I became aware of the Reggio Emilia theory of teaching, and I finally knew what I wanted to do.
The Reggio-inspired school opened a door for me. I found a passion for instilling a love of learning in children through play, the environment, and nature. I completed my senior capstone as a teaching intern at Windy Hill. My project was “Children in Nature” and explored how to incorporate nature in the classroom and use it as a way to teach to the different subjects such as literacy, math, social studies and science.
Upon graduating in 2009, I began teaching at Beginnings School in Weston. There I created the schools first ever outdoor classroom. Together with my co-teacher, we enlisted the help of our young preschool classroom to clear a space outside of the school. Using rakes, the children cleared the leaves and debris. They spent hours exploring the nature below a massive oak tree, looking for insects, inspecting plants, and investigating a stream. The children were invested in learning about everything that took place under that tree. Again, my passion for learning in nature continued.
The next step in my journey was a teaching position at Beacon Hill Nursery school. While this school stands in the heart of Boston, with little nature available, it was a beautiful example of a Reggio-inspired school. I learned under the tutelage of my experienced colleagues, and loved every second that I spent there.
After starting a family, I knew that traveling to Boston was out of the question. I really wanted my son to attend a Reggio-inspired school, but bringing him into the city to attend Beacon Hill Nursery was not going to work for our family. So, I decided that building my own school was the only thing that I could do.
I spent some time pondering the name for my school. I tossed around some ideas, knowing it needed to tie in my love for nature and incorporate the fantastic outdoor space I had planned. While out for a run with my son, I saw an awesome backyard that had a bunch of tress cut down. There were tree limbs for climbing and large wood chip piles for digging! There was also a swing-set, an obvious sign that children often played there. I thought, what a cool place to play. I remember playing in Kid Town…and thats when it hit me. This whole idea started with Kid Town, it only grew from there. So, hence the name Kid Town Nursery School.
I look forward to passing on my love of learning, the joy of being little, and a passion for the world in nature to your children.
-Kristen
Meet The Team
Miss Ashlyn
Float Teacher
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Hi! My name is Miss Ashlyn and I’m so excited to start working at Kid Town Nursery! I live in Mansfield, and I attend Bridgewater State University. I am working towards my bachelors degree in Special Education (Severe Disabilities), and a minor in Communication Disorders. In my free time I love spending time on the farm with horses, and spend time with family and friends. I also enjoy helping with Special Olympics Basketball in my town. I also work as a paraprofessional in Norton during the summer as well as running my own face painting business. I can’t wait to meet all of the kids and be a part of the team to make their learning experience memorable!