Kimberly Sampson is the founder of Little House School on Abbie Lane in Damariscotta. (Maia Zewert photo)
Tucked into a wooded, 4-acre plot of land on Abbie Lane in Damariscotta, the nature-based play program at Little House School allows children ages 3-6 to learn about their environment.
Started in 2015 by Kimberly Sampson, Little House School allows students to learn through play, Sampson said. “Children have the biggest imaginations, and it’s important to keep that alive and encourage it in their early years,” Sampson said.
Sampson has more than 20 years experience in education, and has run small, home-based programs in Rockland and Rockport. Prior to founding Little House School, she worked at Juniper Hill School, a nature-based program in Alna.
Little House School on Abbie Lane in Damariscotta. Founder Kimberly Sampson’s partner, Adam Maltese, built the school. (Maia Zewert photo)
Sampson and her partner, Adam Maltese, have lived on the Abbie Lane property since 2011 in a house built by Maltese with help from family members. The couple operates a small farm with a garden, goats, chickens, ducks, and their most recent additions, a pony and a donkey.
Over time, the property became a perfect location for the school, which Maltese also built.
The school is modeled after forest kindergartens, a movement popularized in European countries, including Denmark, Germany, and Sweden, in the mid-20th century. At forest kindergartens and other nature-based programs, teaching and learning occurs primarily outside. The education model made its way to the U.S. in the 1990s.
Little House School relies on a rhythm, both in day-to-day activities and the seasonal schedule. During fall and spring, the students help out with chores around the farm, delivering water to the animals and picking up eggs from the chickens.
The class then moves into the woods, where students sit in a circle and engage in activities related to the weather or make notes about the nature they see around them.
After exploration of the property, which includes forest, a bog, and ponds, the group heads inside for a homemade lunch, a quick rest, and indoor play.
The winter rhythm varies slightly, with more time spent inside at the beginning of the day. No matter what, a portion of the day is spent outside.
“It really teaches the kids to be prepared, no matter what happens, and also instills a bit of resiliency in them,” Sampson said.
Luna Obregon (right) laughs while swinging alongside Meghan Arnold (left) and Allie Ferreira at Little House School on Abbie Lane in Damariscotta. (Maia Zewert photo)
The schedule may be altered, however, based on the “child-led direction of play,” Sampson said.
“If they want to spend half an hour talking about something or exploring the forest, then that’s what we’re going to do,” Sampson said. “So much of our lives now are go, go, go. I want it to feel like time slows down here, and that we can work at our own speed.”
Adam Maltese (left) holds Stuart the donkey as Wiscasset farrier P.J. Fairfield trims the donkey’s hooves at Little House School in Damariscotta. Students asked Fairfield questions about his work. (Maia Zewert photo)
Lessons can change based on the day’s visitors. One day, the students watched as Wiscasset farrier P.J. Fairfield trimmed the hooves of Stuart and Isabel, the donkey and pony. In response to questions from the children, Fairfield explained what a farrier does and talked about the tools he uses to trim animals’ hooves and the differences between donkey and pony hooves.
Experiences similar to Fairfield’s visit gives the school a bit of a “Mr. Rogers feeling,” giving the children an appreciation for the world around them, Sampson said.
An academic curriculum has been gently worked into the daily routine as well. In January, the students began learning the alphabet and using the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum, which is also taught at Great Salt Bay Community School in Damariscotta, Sampson said.
There are currently eight children ranging in age from 3-6 enrolled at Little House School, but occasionally parents, siblings, and friends take part in the day’s activities. At the end of March, families tasted “sap tea” boiled from sap students collected from nearby trees.
While the small class size allows Sampson to provide students with one-on-one encouragement and attention, she and Maltese hope to share the space with the wider community.
In the past, the property has been used as a pickup for local community-supported agriculture programs. Sampson and Maltese hope to build a sugar shack on the property in the near future.
“I just wish everyone could come into our little world,” Sampson said.
To learn more about Little House School, go to littlehouseschool.org or find the school on Instagram.
