The Nest

From Wonder to Wisdom

The Hatchlings (Age 3-Pre-Kindergarten) - Play-based and child-centered

At Savannah River Academy, our Hatchlings program provides a play-based, child-centered environment where young learners explore, create, and grow. Designed for children ages three through Pre-Kindergarten, this nurturing space allows students to embrace their natural curiosity and develop a strong foundation for lifelong learning.
 

Research shows that 80% of brain development occurs before age five, and we take this responsibility to heart. Through play, hands-on discovery, and meaningful interactions, we help children develop critical early learning skills in a joyful and engaging setting. Our approach includes Heggerty Phonemic Awareness, a research-based program that strengthens essential pre-reading skills, helps children recognize sounds, develops phonemic awareness, and builds confidence in language. Additionally, we integrate play-based phonics activities that make early literacy development both fun and effective.
 

Outdoor exploration is essential to our program, as nature is a powerful teacher. Our young learners engage in loose-parts play, sensory experiences, and imaginative outdoor learning, sparking creativity and problem-solving skills.
 

Creativity flourishes in The Hatchlings, where open-ended art experiences encourage self-expression and confidence. Students engage in activities that develop fine motor skills, early literacy, and number sense, all within a developmentally appropriate, engaging environment that meets each child where they are.
 

Above all, we strive to build independence, collaboration, and problem-solving skills in a nurturing space where every child feels safe, valued, and excited to learn.

Little Hawks (Kindergarten & 1st Grade) - Where curiosity takes flight

As children transition from preschool to early elementary, our Little Hawks program provides a bridge between play-based learning and foundational academic growth. In kindergarten and 1st grade, we continue to foster creativity, curiosity, and hands-on exploration while introducing structured literacy, math, and problem-solving skills in a developmentally appropriate way.

Our literacy instruction follows an Orton-Gillingham-based approach, providing explicit, systematic phonics instruction to help students develop strong decoding and early reading skills. Heggerty Phonemic Awareness is incorporated into daily instruction to strengthen phonological and phonemic awareness, key components of fluent reading. Read-alouds, shared reading, and engaging stories introduce students to the joy of books and storytelling, while early writing activities build confidence in expressing ideas.

Math instruction through Singapore Math focuses on number sense, counting, patterns, and basic operations, using hands-on materials and games to make learning interactive and meaningful. Science and social studies are introduced through theme-based, experiential learning, allowing students to explore the world around them in an engaging way. Students are encouraged to work ahead as they are ready and often end the year above grade level.

Outdoor learning continues to be an essential part of the student experience, supporting physical, social, and cognitive development, but the academic focus broadens to include enrichment classes such as art, music, physical education, Spanish, and STEM activities.
 

With a balance of structured instruction and playful exploration, Little Hawks develop confidence, curiosity, and essential foundational skills—preparing them to take flight as engaged, eager readers and learners.

 

Testimonials 

We are so thrilled with the specials in Nest this year. My younger son’s favorite is music. He loves it so much! And Spanish is one of the highlights of my older son's week. Every day after school, we work on a few school skills to give him a little extra one-on-one practice, and today, while we are working on math, he asked if he could count in Spanish as well. I actually think he counts in Spanish better than English. I had to look up the numbers to check if he was correct because I only knew from 1-10 but he kept going.

I’m thrilled that at four years old my child can do basic addition using manipulatives and answer in two languages! We are so blessed to have such high-quality teachers as their main teachers and also in specials this year!