La granja escuela
Granite Bay Farm School
Welcome to the farmhouse preschool where children learn by doing! The only Spanish immersion preschool in Granite Bay where kids see goats, pigs, ducks and horses every day. 9145 Auburn Folsom Rd, near Beals Point.
Los animales
Meet the farm crew
Flip a card to learn their names (and their noises!) in Spanish.
Los cerdos
the pigs
Los cerdos · the pigs
¡Oinc, oinc!
Say it: los SEHR-dohs
Our pig Charlotte stars in the 3rd & 4th grade book club, Let’s Get Lost in a Book, where the class reads Charlotte’s Web.
Once the pigs got loose and wandered into the classroom… and ate an apple! (true story)
Las cabras
the goats
Las cabras · the goats
¡Beeee!
Say it: lahs KAH-brahs
Black-and-white and very curious: they poke their heads under the fence to see what the children are up to.
They like to join in, from climbing the garden steps to wandering through chalk-drawing time.
Las gallinas
the hens
Las gallinas · the hens
¡Co, co, co! (and the chicks say ¡pío, pío!)
Say it: lahs gah-YEE-nahs
Scooping feed and caring for the animals is part of Fine Motor Skills on the Farm: great for little fingers getting ready to write.
Los patos
the ducks
Los patos · the ducks
¡Cuac, cuac!
Say it: lohs PAH-tohs
At the Granite Bay Farm School, children see goats, pigs, ducks and horses every day.
Los caballos
the horses
Los caballos · the horses
¡Hiiiii!
Say it: lohs kah-BAH-yohs
Gentle giants in the paddock. Our farm-based program was Melissa’s big idea, and the horses are part of it.
Los perros
the dogs
Los perros · the dogs
¡Guau, guau!
Say it: lohs PEH-rrohs
School dogs have been part of the family for years. After checking with every parent, Melissa adopted Butter, who visits the classroom.
One parent wrote that her son was afraid of dogs, and now “likes dogs and knows how to keep himself, others and the dog safe.”
Un día en Paso a Paso
A day at the farm school
Drag the sun (or press play). Morning and afternoon classes both end with an hour outside with the animals and the garden.
Right now at Paso a Paso:
8:00–9:00
Free choice & art studio
Juego libre y arte
Children choose to be indoors or outdoors.
- Free choice & art studio · Juego libre y arte
- Circle time · La hora del círculo
- Learning centers · Centros de aprendizaje
- Spanish circle time · Círculo en español
- Snack time · La merienda
- Hands-on math · Matemáticas
- Writer’s workshop & fine motor workshop · Taller de escritura
- Outside, farm animal & garden time · Afuera: la granja y el jardín
- Lunch time · El almuerzo
- Good-bye time · ¡Adiós!
- Free choice · Juego libre
- Circle time · La hora del círculo
- Learning centers · Centros de aprendizaje
- Spanish circle time · Círculo en español
- Snack time · La merienda
- Writer’s workshop & fine motor workshop · Taller de escritura
- Outside, farm animal & garden time · Afuera: la granja y el jardín
- Good-bye time · ¡Adiós!
Aprender jugando
Learning through play
Play builds strong social and emotional skills, creativity, problem solving and the critical thinking it takes to ask questions and figure out how things work. We believe in letting children be children.
Our play-based curriculum is free play plus learning centers, where children explore through hands-on activities. Each center meets children where they are and focuses on:
- math
- writing
- memory development
- art
- manipulatives
- gross and fine motor skills
- critical thinking
At a center, children are free to do the activity their own way. Teachers are always there to guide and ask questions, but if a child discovers a different way, that’s fine with us: we never want to interrupt self-teaching.
Adentro y afuera
Inside our day
Free activity time
Juego libre
Children choose for themselves from a variety of activities.
Circle time
La hora del círculo
Being part of a community: greetings, creative movement, music, games, stories and language arts, adapted to each age group.
Math workshop
Matemáticas
Number recognition, one-to-one correspondence, estimation, patterns and spatial concepts, with a new math strand every two weeks.
Fine motor workshop
Manitas
For about 2.9 to 3-year-olds: letters, numbers, shapes and colors through a new theme each week, from the rainforest to outer space.
Writer’s workshop
Taller de escritura
For about 4 and 5-year-olds: letter sounds and letter writing, the first steps of reading, and a real love of books.
Story time
La hora del cuento
Imagination and literature, tied to our themes and the seasons. Children ask, answer and predict what happens next.
Outdoor time
Afuera
Pure play: getting messy, caring for the school animals and watching the garden grow. Our kids get messy and we’re OK with that!
Ven a visitarnos · come visit
Come say ¡hola!
Every family tours first, and children are welcome (and encouraged!) to come along. El Dorado Hills: Tuesdays at 11:00 am. Granite Bay Farm School: Wednesdays at 11:00 am.