Year-Round · Ages 2¾–6
Preschool in Corte Madera
Our preschool program is the heart of Marin Mountain School. In our two classrooms, the Hummingbird Nest and the Chickadee Nest, children discover the joy of learning through living.
Small class sizes, long stretches of free play, and deeply experienced teachers create the conditions for children to flourish at their own perfect pace.
Ages
2 years 9 months to 6 years old
Hours
Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–1:00 PM
Location
50 El Camino Dr STE 6
Corte Madera, CA 94925
A Day in Our Classrooms
Morning Circle
Our mornings begin with a circle of joyful song and movement, fostering form, focus, and social cohesion.
Indoor Free Play
The children then transition to indoor free play. Activities draw on a child’s own imagination, such as dressing up, playing house, building structures, and role-playing using natural materials and wooden toys. Some days incorporate activities such as watercolor painting, drawing, beeswax modeling, baking, and cooking. As a natural part of their play, the children are learning how to negotiate and problem-solve with their peers.
Clean Up
Clean-up time follows, with everyone joining in. Practical tasks such as tidying the classroom and hand washing are fun when singing together in the nest.
Snack Time
At snack time, children and teachers gather around a large round table and share delicious homemade, wholesome, organic, and vegetarian snacks, often prepared with the children’s help.
Outdoor Play
Outdoor play is next, and the children are outside each day, rain or shine. Both classes enjoy an hour of being together, building, digging, swinging, and much more. Some days, the teachers take the children on a guided walk in the neighborhood, or hike, supporting the development of our connection to nature.
Story Time
Returning inside, the children enjoy storytime. Our teachers are master storytellers and, in the oral tradition, bring the stories from the world of fairytales and simple animal tales to life. In three-week cycles, the children hear the story being told by the teacher, see the story in a puppet show, and in the final week they perform a simple play of the story led by the teacher. This cycle of storytelling helps to develop a child’s inner-picturing skills and lays the foundation for reading comprehension.
Lunch
The children end their mornings together with a lunch brought from home, eaten together at a communal table, with a helping of conversation, and a show of gratitude through an opening mealtime verse.
Pick-Up or Aftercare
Our Afternoon Program is slower paced and includes rest time, snacks, indoor and outdoor play, and arts and crafts activities. Children may be picked up at 1pm or stay for our afternoon Owls’ Nest aftercare program, with the earliest pick-up at 3:30pm and the latest pick-up at 5:45pm.
What children experience
Watercolor Painting
Wet-on-wet technique using pure pigments on soft paper.
Beeswax Modeling
Warm, fragrant beeswax shaped by small hands into imaginative forms.
Garden Tending
Planting, watering, and harvesting in our outdoor garden space.
Bread Baking
Weekly bread baking teaches patience, care, and the joy of feeding others.
Song & Music
Pentatonic flutes, singing, and movement are woven throughout the day.
Storytelling
Rich oral storytelling and puppet shows nourish the imagination daily.
Ready to learn more?
Visit us to see the classrooms and meet the teachers in person.