Silver Peak Press

The Gazebo Learning Project

A Legacy of Experiential and Experimental Early Childhood Education at Esalen

What if children learned through experience - pure play and awareness through deep nature connection and emotional literacy - not tests, worksheets, and outcome-based projects? For forty years, a quiet school on the Big Sur coast showed us how.

$21.95
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Paperback · 366 pages · ISBN 978-1734651904 · Published June 2020

"This book provides an important lesson into how our modern culture needs to bring play, the natural world, and imagination fully back into our children's experiences." — Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., New York Times bestselling author of Aware

The Gazebo Learning Project book cover

About the Book

A new paradigm for how children learn

The Gazebo Learning Project shares the history and philosophy of Esalen Institute's former early childhood program, Gazebo Park School, a forty-year experiment in Big Sur that reimagined what education could be.

Gazebo philosophy is not Montessori, not Waldorf, not Reggio Emilia. It grew from the Human Potential Movement at Esalen and developed its own deeply rooted pedagogy: one centered on the child's relationship with nature, with each other, and with their inner emotional lives.

This book is accessible to educators, parents, and curious seekers who sense that something is missing from modern childhood and want a living example of what's possible.

What you'll discover

The unique view of the child and the teacher's role at the heart of Gazebo pedagogy

A model for nature and outdoor education rooted in forty years of lived practice

How Gestalt practice with children fosters emotional literacy and conflict resolution

The power of pure play, and why it matters more than ever in today's world

Praise for the Book

What experts are saying

"

Horan offers educators and parents an intriguing account of how children grow within their relationships — with nature, with each other, and with their inner lives. This book provides an important lesson into how our modern culture needs to bring play, the natural world, and imagination fully back into our children's experiences.

Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. New York Times Bestselling Author, Aware and The Developing Mind
"

Each person's deep dive into the Gazebo Experience profoundly affected them, empowered them, and deepened their awareness of authentic relationships within a connected community.

Lia Thompson-Clark Director, Children's School at Sonoma State University & Former Director of Gazebo Park School
"

A fascinating, heart-full and well-crafted book. As a father, teacher, student and psychologist, I highly recommend it.

Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D Psychologist, Gerontologist, CEO of Age Wave; Author of Bodymind
"

Jasmine Horan has brought us all a special gift. Educators and parents alike will find here many stories and ideas to inspire and inform them.

Richard Tarnas Author of The Passion of the Western Mind; Professor of Philosophy & Psychology, CIIS
"

I recommend this valuable reading — it is the seed of human potential.

LaVerne McLeod Author of Corn Hollow; Founder of Bridge Building to Equity Workshops
Jasmine Star Horan

About the Author

Jasmine Star Horan

Jasmine Star Horan holds a BA in English (Writing) from Southern Oregon University and an M.A.T. from Oregon State University. As a poet, her love for writing began early, attending writer's conferences as a youth, studying with Ellen Bass in Santa Cruz, and producing a spoken word album, Rhyme, Rhythm and Revolution.

After completing her Master's program, she returned to Big Sur to teach at Gazebo Park School, the very school where she grew up. Seeing her own childhood through adult eyes as both a writer and educator sparked the idea for this book. Horan recognized how unique the Gazebo experience was, and felt called to document it for the world.

Horan founded Silver Peak Press in January 2020. Her work is drawn toward alternative education curriculum and the cultural preservation of Big Sur's undocumented legacies.

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Media & Writing

Conversations & Essays

Hear Jasmine discuss Gazebo philosophy, early childhood education, and the intersection of nature, learning, and community.

Podcast

Voices of Esalen

Jasmine in conversation about experimental early childhood education at Esalen Institute.

Listen → Newsletter & Blog

Bookends: Wonder & Wisdom

Monthly essays and poems on education, ecology, spirituality, life, death, childhood, aging, and nature.

Subscribe → Podcast

How Are You Doing, Really?

An honest conversation about life and the writing of The Gazebo Learning Project.

Listen → Published Essay

Big Sur Historical Society

Jasmine's recent essay featured in Recipes for Surviving in Big Sur, a celebration of Big Sur's living cultural history.

Read →

Ready to read something that will change how you see childhood?

Join educators, parents, and curious minds who've discovered the Gazebo way.

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$21.95 · Paperback · Ships worldwide