Children come to school as learners full of wonder and curiosity, which fuels their love for learning. Keeping wonder and curiosity in learning is important to us. Ample opportunities for students to interact with real objects or artifacts, through a variety of learning modalities such as touch, sight, hearing, and movement, help to cultivate their enjoyment of learning. Experiencing authentic activities provides a deeper understanding of the subject at hand. Each year students go on field trips, listen to guest speakers, and dress in character and re-enact historical time periods on special event days. These experiences impart a rich interweaving of ideas and knowledge which allows students to make connections and discover new insights themselves. Trinity’s small class sizes are conducive to this kind of learning.

Observing and reflecting are learning skills that have a different type of rhythm, but they are ever so important. Trinity’s Charlotte Mason–inspired nature studies and picture studies develop students’ observation skills and attention to detail while increasing their appreciation for the beauty in art and in nature. After observing, students describe a classic work of art or recreate natural artifacts by painting. This process engages students’ minds
and hearts in a profound way. Time is provided – a quiet pause – for students to reflect on their learning activities. Reflecting pushes learning deeper and makes it meaningful and personal. Daily outdoor play and dedicated recess times offer our Lower School students the freedom to explore plants and insects in Trinity’s Hundred Acre Wood, to create new games with friends, or to simply enjoy running, swinging, and climbing.