Children are not empty vessels waiting to be filled with knowledge by a teacher. Instead they are able to construct their own knowledge and bring their own experiences to the learning process.
Children discover so much more when they are left to learn independently. At Happy Teepee, all classess were designed to keep in mind the child’s freedom and agency. The projects are open-ended and are highly conducive for independent thought and reflection. Such formats allow for opportunities for decision making and individual expressions to emerge.

Children will express themselves in many different ways. In a traditional school setting, students are expected to share their knowledge through mandated forms of communication, such as language and literacy. This limited form of expression stifles their creativity and boxes them in. The RE philosophy advocates the ‘hundred languages’ as the variety of modes of expressions for a child to display their knowledge and ideas. Providing such freedom and access to a multitude of ‘languages’, the child finds more accesses or points of entry to learning. Through drawing, sculpting, painting, and music, students find ways to express themselves as authentically as possible.

The learning space is set up to be inviting and spark a student’s interest and natural curiosity. The environment should be constructed in such a way that social interaction is encouraged, students are safe to explore freely, and there is an abundance of materials neatly displayed at their level so that they can work with a multitude of media. Our Atelier was designed to keep accessibility and inspiration in mind. The variety of art resources laid out, abundance of natural light, cozy color palate, hidden nooks and corners all contribute to encourage children to explore, discover and learn

Since our focus is on organic children creativity and exploration, there is definitely little room for things that are synthetic and artificial. At Happy Teepee, children have the opportunity to work with natural materials to experience, first-hand the wonders offered by their environment. Children will also find that used items can be recycled, or upcycled to create something beautiful. What this means: premium, nature-based, safe and non-toxic materials over the plastic and chemical-laden ones.

At Happy Teepee we aim to create a world of possibilities. Loose parts play is an important component of our typical activities. Loose parts are materials that have open-ended properties. They have no predetermined use. Recycled (plastic lids or cardboard) and natural (leaves, sticks and stones) loose parts have the potential to elicit creativity and self-expression. We provide children with a wide variety of materials to tinker with during their explorations or incorporate into their creations.