Yellow Poppies
Banff National Park, AB
Testimonials 2016/2017
I could tell from the first meeting with Liz when she welcomed us to visit Monkey Tree that it would be a place I'd be happy to have my son spending time. I immediately found her engaging, creative, knowledgeable and passionate about early childhood education and our Mother Earth! My son asks excitedly in the morning 'is it preschool day?!' - it makes me so happy to know how much he is enjoying the program. The smaller group and outdoor focused setting works very well for my son and were features I was looking for in a preschool. As a parent, I am grateful for the shared communication from Liz- it's always a pleasure to see a new email with photos of their adventures, details about their experiences, or information about events, resources and activities that are available in the Comox Valley for young children and their families. We are so happy to be part of the Monkey Tree Family!
Kelly, Chickadee Parent (2016/2017)
Monkey Tree has been such a perfect preschool for our son. His confidence has grown as well as his comfort in groups and changing environments. The small class size and nature based orientation are ideal. Liz truly cares about each child and is a committed and talented educator. The parent engagement and consistent updates and photos are an added bonus to this wonderful program.
Kris, Chickadee Parent (2016/2017)
I happened across a post for Monkey Tree on a mom's group on FaceBook last year and it completely changed our family's lives! We met with Liz in her home (the Monkey Tree home base) and my daughter was instantly at ease; something i'd not seen my shy kid experience very often before! She began attending the Monkey Tree program 2 mornings per week shortly after that initial visit in March of 2016 and continues to attend (now 3 days per week) to this present day (Nov 2016). I can't stress enough how welcoming Liz is with both parents and children, how open and inviting her home is, how thankful i am that we found the Monkey Tree program! At first i was tentative with the idea of a nature based program. Not because i didn't want my little one learning about nature but because i myself have come to realize im a "fair weather" nature fan and thought "oh my goodness, i can't imagine her out there in the rain and mud!" As i learned quite quickly, that is definitely MY issue, not my daughter's. At Monkey Tree she is exposed to the very best nature has to offer, bugs, birds, trees, leaves and yes......rain and mud. Ha! She LOVES each and every day spent with Liz and her Monkey Tree friends. Whether it's a walk in the woods, a field trip to a nature park or gardening in the dirt in the backyard my daughter doesn't quibble at all when heading out the door and in fact often rushes ME in the mornings. She's come out of her shell completely and isn't hesitant at all in chatting with both adults and peers. She's been known to tell fellow hikers we've met on trails which are salmon berries and which are not (a skill she definitely learned from Liz!) Want to know about Caterpillars, Chrysalis' and Butterflies? She'll tell you all about it! She's even discovered a new best friend; Liz' dog Bella. Before meeting Bella she was terrified of dogs so this alone is a huge step for her. My husband and i are constantly amazed at how far she's come in such a short time. I feel like my little girl has grown up so very much in so many ways this past year.......but she's done that growing in a safe and fantastic learning and caring environment with a person i trust implicitly with my only child. Liz takes the time with each child to work through any situations that may arise, she continues learning herself by taking courses and constantly updating her knowledge, she is a true teacher of nature, life and play each and every day. Thank you Liz (and family...i hear lots about Chuck, Erik, Sophie and Bella too! :) )
Aimee, Robin Parent 2016/2017
These testimonials are from the Alberta program 2010-2013.
My 3 year old daughter has really enjoyed being at Monkey Tree Playschool. She loves to learn, and enjoys all the new experiences. We will be back next year when she is 4. She has learned a lot more, and I have found that the learning she does at Playschool enforces the day to day learning she does at home with us. Our daughter is our only child so far, so I was not sure what to expect with a playschool, so far I have enjoyed having her at Monkey Tree, and she loves it! I believe that since it is in a home environment it was easier for her to adapt than going to an institution type of pre-school. I have constantly raved about this playschool to other parents, and will continue to do so.
Amanda, Parent of a Chickadee
All it took was one call. My son had been enrolled in a different Airdrie preschool and over the summer I decided it wasn't right for him. I thought we would never find another preschool since registration for most schools had been in the spring. Upon returning from summer vacation I opened the Airdrie Echo and saw an ad for a playschool called "Monkey Tree" and it was "inspired by nature" (or something to that effect)! So I called and after speaking to Liz I registered my son immediately. Liz described her playschool and it was everything I was looking for. Liz, herself, was everything I was looking for! So informative, great sense of humor and appreciative of the world around us.Sadly, we had to move but my son did get to enjoy 4 wonderful months of learning, playing, laughing and enjoying nature at Monkey Tree. My son is now enrolled in a good playschool in our new city however, he complains that it is "too long". It is in fact 2 hours shorter than Monkey Tree which tells me that my son had so much fun at Monkey Tree that 4 hours flew by and he was never bored, not once! I can't say enough about Liz and Monkey Tree Playschool. Enroll your kids, it will be one of the best things you ever did for them.
Lisa, Parent of a Robin
After a grandmother/retired school teacher to a Robin student read one of the newsletters from playschool,
she wrote this back to her daughter (mother to Robin):
This woman is absolutely amazing! She is such a rich source for these little people to learn about the world they live in. Doesn't she just make you want to take in every breath and every sight and sound in this wonderful world of ours? I think my granddaughter is one lucky little girl to be a part of Monkey Tree Playschool.
Grandparent of a Robin
We just want to say THANK YOU, Liz, for the amazing experience both of our daughters have had at Monkey Tree Playschool. Your ability to develop and inspire our daughters’ creativity is truly evident. At Monkey Tree, our children have gained an appreciation for nature and their environment. They have developed a keen interest in exploring through the use of their senses, and been awakened to the beauty around them! Thank you so much for invoking the curiosity in our children to discover the beauty in everyday things!
Chrissy, Parent of a Robin
I could tell from the first meeting with Liz when she welcomed us to visit Monkey Tree that it would be a place I'd be happy to have my son spending time. I immediately found her engaging, creative, knowledgeable and passionate about early childhood education and our Mother Earth! My son asks excitedly in the morning 'is it preschool day?!' - it makes me so happy to know how much he is enjoying the program. The smaller group and outdoor focused setting works very well for my son and were features I was looking for in a preschool. As a parent, I am grateful for the shared communication from Liz- it's always a pleasure to see a new email with photos of their adventures, details about their experiences, or information about events, resources and activities that are available in the Comox Valley for young children and their families. We are so happy to be part of the Monkey Tree Family!
Kelly, Chickadee Parent (2016/2017)
Monkey Tree has been such a perfect preschool for our son. His confidence has grown as well as his comfort in groups and changing environments. The small class size and nature based orientation are ideal. Liz truly cares about each child and is a committed and talented educator. The parent engagement and consistent updates and photos are an added bonus to this wonderful program.
Kris, Chickadee Parent (2016/2017)
I happened across a post for Monkey Tree on a mom's group on FaceBook last year and it completely changed our family's lives! We met with Liz in her home (the Monkey Tree home base) and my daughter was instantly at ease; something i'd not seen my shy kid experience very often before! She began attending the Monkey Tree program 2 mornings per week shortly after that initial visit in March of 2016 and continues to attend (now 3 days per week) to this present day (Nov 2016). I can't stress enough how welcoming Liz is with both parents and children, how open and inviting her home is, how thankful i am that we found the Monkey Tree program! At first i was tentative with the idea of a nature based program. Not because i didn't want my little one learning about nature but because i myself have come to realize im a "fair weather" nature fan and thought "oh my goodness, i can't imagine her out there in the rain and mud!" As i learned quite quickly, that is definitely MY issue, not my daughter's. At Monkey Tree she is exposed to the very best nature has to offer, bugs, birds, trees, leaves and yes......rain and mud. Ha! She LOVES each and every day spent with Liz and her Monkey Tree friends. Whether it's a walk in the woods, a field trip to a nature park or gardening in the dirt in the backyard my daughter doesn't quibble at all when heading out the door and in fact often rushes ME in the mornings. She's come out of her shell completely and isn't hesitant at all in chatting with both adults and peers. She's been known to tell fellow hikers we've met on trails which are salmon berries and which are not (a skill she definitely learned from Liz!) Want to know about Caterpillars, Chrysalis' and Butterflies? She'll tell you all about it! She's even discovered a new best friend; Liz' dog Bella. Before meeting Bella she was terrified of dogs so this alone is a huge step for her. My husband and i are constantly amazed at how far she's come in such a short time. I feel like my little girl has grown up so very much in so many ways this past year.......but she's done that growing in a safe and fantastic learning and caring environment with a person i trust implicitly with my only child. Liz takes the time with each child to work through any situations that may arise, she continues learning herself by taking courses and constantly updating her knowledge, she is a true teacher of nature, life and play each and every day. Thank you Liz (and family...i hear lots about Chuck, Erik, Sophie and Bella too! :) )
Aimee, Robin Parent 2016/2017
These testimonials are from the Alberta program 2010-2013.
My 3 year old daughter has really enjoyed being at Monkey Tree Playschool. She loves to learn, and enjoys all the new experiences. We will be back next year when she is 4. She has learned a lot more, and I have found that the learning she does at Playschool enforces the day to day learning she does at home with us. Our daughter is our only child so far, so I was not sure what to expect with a playschool, so far I have enjoyed having her at Monkey Tree, and she loves it! I believe that since it is in a home environment it was easier for her to adapt than going to an institution type of pre-school. I have constantly raved about this playschool to other parents, and will continue to do so.
Amanda, Parent of a Chickadee
All it took was one call. My son had been enrolled in a different Airdrie preschool and over the summer I decided it wasn't right for him. I thought we would never find another preschool since registration for most schools had been in the spring. Upon returning from summer vacation I opened the Airdrie Echo and saw an ad for a playschool called "Monkey Tree" and it was "inspired by nature" (or something to that effect)! So I called and after speaking to Liz I registered my son immediately. Liz described her playschool and it was everything I was looking for. Liz, herself, was everything I was looking for! So informative, great sense of humor and appreciative of the world around us.Sadly, we had to move but my son did get to enjoy 4 wonderful months of learning, playing, laughing and enjoying nature at Monkey Tree. My son is now enrolled in a good playschool in our new city however, he complains that it is "too long". It is in fact 2 hours shorter than Monkey Tree which tells me that my son had so much fun at Monkey Tree that 4 hours flew by and he was never bored, not once! I can't say enough about Liz and Monkey Tree Playschool. Enroll your kids, it will be one of the best things you ever did for them.
Lisa, Parent of a Robin
After a grandmother/retired school teacher to a Robin student read one of the newsletters from playschool,
she wrote this back to her daughter (mother to Robin):
This woman is absolutely amazing! She is such a rich source for these little people to learn about the world they live in. Doesn't she just make you want to take in every breath and every sight and sound in this wonderful world of ours? I think my granddaughter is one lucky little girl to be a part of Monkey Tree Playschool.
Grandparent of a Robin
We just want to say THANK YOU, Liz, for the amazing experience both of our daughters have had at Monkey Tree Playschool. Your ability to develop and inspire our daughters’ creativity is truly evident. At Monkey Tree, our children have gained an appreciation for nature and their environment. They have developed a keen interest in exploring through the use of their senses, and been awakened to the beauty around them! Thank you so much for invoking the curiosity in our children to discover the beauty in everyday things!
Chrissy, Parent of a Robin