| In the summer of 1969 Barbara Buchan (then a graduate
student at the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study,
Tufts University) and Sally Mlavsky decided to start a
nursery school for their daughters. The school would be
based on the idea that a child should be actively involved
in making decisions about his or her day’s activities rather than passively responding to the teacher’s
notions about what he or she would be interested in. This
idea appealed to many other parents, and with a great deal
of work The Barn Nursery School opened on Winter Street
in Lincoln.
The first year program consisted of one class of fifteen children and one teacher, Noreen Nolan. At the end of the first year the school settled into more permanent quarters at the Concord Scout House, which, incidentally, contains the beams of an old barn in the large first-floor room.
We continue to adapt the space in the school to our
educational philosophy. In the fall of 1970, Dr.
Anita Olds, a faculty member of the Eliot-Pearson Child
Study Department, was invited to visit our school. She
helped us design an environment that encourages maximum
involvement of the children and offers opportunities
for self-initiated creative play. Then, a major renovation
to the entire inside space (play area, office, and bathroom)
took place during the summer of 1988. The construction
added a functional kitchen area, increased bathroom facilities,
staff office, and a significant upgrade in appearance
and space utilization. More recently, we have modified
our playground environment (introducing new structures,
changing existing ones, and creating new areas) to better
meet the needs of our school and our physical and educational
goals for that space.
The existing school is a reminder of the enormous commitment of the parents and staff to creating an exciting environment in which the child is free to follow his or her curiosity. The Barn continues to explore new possibilities and incorporate new talents and ideas into the flexible structure that is a cooperative. |
