Curriculum
At the Natural Learning Center, we meet 3 days per week for a total of 15 hours. Parents are always welcome. We value parent involvement and believe it is crucial to our community's success.
Our school embraces mixed-age groups, reflecting a natural learning environment where children of different ages interact and learn from each other. This approach helps students develop strong social skills, such as communication, cooperation, and conflict resolution, preparing them for various real-world situations.
The monthly program is shaped by the children’s interests and the changing seasons. Key areas of focus include nature exploration, arts and crafts, cultural activities and outings, and physical activities.
The center is currently run from our home in the Blixembosch neighborhood. Our area is rich with natural spaces, including parks and forest walks, which we incorporate into our program for exploration and play. We are also grateful to be in Eindhoven, which offers broad and diverse range of resources, culture and activities to further enrich the learning experience.
Our Approach
Our program is influenced by nature-based play, child-led interests, learning through play, and place-based education, which focuses on understanding and connecting with our natural community. We are inspired by a variety of educational philosophies and experts in early childhood development:
Natural learning: John Holt and Peter Gray, Ph.D. emphasize trust in children’s innate ability to learn..
Aware Parenting: Aletha Solter, Ph.D. advocates for discipline without punishment, secure attachment, and viewing crying and tantrums as natural stress-release mechanisms. Read the Aware Parenting Principles of Learning here.
Unconditional parenting: Alfie Kohn promotes a non-punitive approach to discipline focused on unconditional support and understanding.
Self-directed education: Jürgen Peeters highlights the power of self-directed learning in “Children Are Not Puppies: The Power of Self-Direction in Education.”
Play and outdoor learning: The work of Angela J. Hanscom and Richard Louv emphasizes the benefits of unstructured outdoor play for children’s development and well-being.
Secure attachment: Dr. Gordon Neufeld and Dr. Gabor Maté stress the importance of maintaining strong bonds with children in “Hold On to Your Kids.”
Monthly Contribution
Natural Learning Center Eindhoven is a B3 school. This means we are not government-funded but are officially recognized by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. B3 schools are not part of the standard public education system, but they are required to meet certain quality standards and are inspected periodically by the education inspectorate.
The monthly contribution per child is €375 (for 12 months per year). Families with more than one child enrolled receive a 10% discount for each additional child. This rate will remain fixed for the years 2024 and 2025. Starting January 1, 2026, the contribution will be adjusted annually according to the Dutch consumer price index (CPI).
This fee includes all costs, although an extra contribution may occasionally be requested for special excursions or activities.
The first month's fee is prorated based on your child's start date. For example, if your child begins on September 15, you will pay 50% of the monthly contribution for that month.
Contact Us
Ready to learn more? Would you like to visit our school? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly.
“Our challenge isn’t so much to teach children about the natural world, but to find ways to sustain the instinctive connections they already carry.”
Terry Krautwurst