LIFE AT FROGSONG
A rhythm that
feels right
Every day moves between work and play, making and thinking, quiet and lively. Children know what to expect — and that predictability gives them the freedom to go deep.
The daily rhythm
A predictable, unhurried structure — where children always know where they are in the day.
WHAT CHILDREN LEARN
The subjects — and why they matter
Each discipline is taught because it builds something real: in the child's hands, their mind, or their character.
Farm & Nature
The farm is not a backdrop — it is a classroom. Children care for animals, tend gardens, harvest food, and participate in the seasonal rhythms of a working farm as a genuine part of their education. These experiences build responsibility, patience, and a profound sense of connection to the natural world. There is something a conventional school cannot easily replicate: a child who knows where food comes from, who has held a newborn animal, who has planted a seed and waited. That knowledge lives in the body, and it shapes who they become.
Literacy & Storytelling
Reading and writing are introduced through story, image, and meaning — not drills and worksheets. Children encounter language through rich oral storytelling, poetry, and narrative before moving into formal reading and writing skills. Concepts are taught in blocks, giving children time to live with an idea before moving on. Handmade books, illustrated writing projects, and spoken word are regular parts of literacy life here — and children come to see themselves as authors and storytellers from the very beginning.
Mathematics
Maths at Frogsong is hands-on, visual, and rooted in real-world meaning — taught through story, seasonal contexts, and physical materials before moving into abstraction. Children work with rhythm, pattern, and number in ways that make sense to their bodies and imaginations first. Our students meet grade-level outcomes and are well-prepared for secondary school — not in spite of this approach, but because of it. When children understand why maths works, not just how to execute it, the foundation holds.
Visual Arts
Drawing, painting, sculpture, bookbinding, printmaking, and more are woven throughout the week — not as a break from learning, but as a primary way of knowing and expressing. Children work with real materials and develop real skills, building a relationship with craft and making that grows with them over the years. These are not craft-table activities, but genuine artistic work made by children who have been given time, guidance, and trust.
Music
Music is part of the daily rhythm at Frogsong — not a once-a-week special, but a living thread through the day. Children sing together, learn instruments as a group, and develop an understanding of rhythm, melody, and harmony through participation rather than performance. Music instruction is led by Annie McAndrew, whose warmth and musical depth make every child feel they belong in the circle.
Handwork
Knitting, sewing, weaving, woodwork, and fibre arts are a beloved and central part of life at Frogsong. There is something quietly profound about a child making something with their own hands — the focus it requires, the patience it builds, the pride it produces. Handwork develops fine motor skills, concentration, and a deep sense of capability that carries into every other area of learning. Many children discover here that they are makers — and that stays with them.
Movement & Physical Life
Physical life at Frogsong isn't confined to a gym class — it's woven through the whole day. Morning farm chores, outdoor breaks, games, nature walks, and the physical work of tending the land all contribute to strong, capable bodies and grounded, focused minds. Children move because movement matters — for learning, for emotional regulation, and for the simple joy of being alive in a body.
A moment from the classroom
It began in autumn with stories — myths and legends told aloud, without books, the way stories were always meant to travel. The children listened, drew, and slowly began to make the stories their own. They wrote in their journals, illustrated characters, and retold favourite moments to each other around the table. Reading and writing weren't practiced in isolation — they were always in service of something meaningful, something that mattered to the children themselves.
As winter moved into spring, the stories deepened. Children began stepping inside them — inhabiting characters, exploring how a hero moves, how a trickster speaks, what a journey feels like from the inside. Writing became more alive. Voices got stronger. Something was being built.
The year-end gathering is where all of that comes together — not as a performance to be watched, but as a living expression of what the children have grown into. Parents will see their child stand in front of a community and bring a story to life. But what they're really witnessing is a full year of reading, writing, listening, imagining, and becoming.
The performance is one afternoon. The learning is everything that made it possible.
What about academics?
Frogsong students meet core academic learning outcomes across literacy, mathematics, sciences, and the arts. The curriculum is rigorous, it simply doesn't look like a conventional classroom. The rigor here doesn't create pressure inside a child's nervous system. A child who feels safe, known, and genuinely settled has access to their full thinking mind; to creativity, comprehension, and real problem-solving.
And yes, moving into high school will be an adjustment. What we can say is that the teachers and mentors here care about the whole arc of your child's life, not just their years at Frogsong. Our graduates consistently tell us they felt well-prepared, not just academically, but as people.
Frogsong students arrive at that transition knowing how to learn. They're self-directed, curious, and comfortable with challenge. A child who still loves learning when they leave us — whose curiosity hasn't been worn down — carries something real and durable into whatever comes next.
Head
Literacy, maths, science, critical thinking — taught through story and genuine inquiry.
Heart
Music, arts, community, emotional intelligence — the qualities that make a full human being.
Hands
Handwork, farming, building, making — skills that connect learning to the real world.
Come experience a day at Frogsong
We'd love to meet you! There's no better way to feel what Frogsong is than to visit. Get in touch — we'll find a time, and your children are always welcome to come along.