A new colour every day, every child at their own pace.

A two-storey school with a garden in Kadıköy. Children aged 2–6 learn through play here, get their hands in the soil and make their own pictures.

Come and see the school Our age groups

At most 14 children per class, two teachers in every class and our kitchen is inside the school.

Everyone holds their own brush — Art time

Art timeEveryone holds their own brushStars class, Tuesday morningSee the programme

What’s happening at school today?

Our day, from the morning welcome to the evening pick-up. As the clock moves on, the current activity is highlighted; tap a time to open that moment.

**Welcome and free play**A teacher welcomes each child at the door; the child picks the first corner of the day.

**Breakfast**All together at the long table. Everyone carries their own plate.

**Main activity**Art, project or science, in small groups by age.

**Outdoors**Garden, sandpit and vegetable bed. In rain boots when it rains.

**Music and movement**Real instruments, dance and rhythm games.

**Lunch**Cooked that morning in the school kitchen.

**Nap and rest**Each class has its own nap room; non-sleepers rest in a quiet corner.

**Story circle**Books and storytelling on the rug.

**Afternoon snack**Fruit, home-made cookies, ayran or milk.

**Garden time**The second outdoor time of the day.

**Workshops and pick-up**Small workshops; parents get the day’s note at pick-up.

As they grow taller, their programme grows too

Four age groups standing in front of the height chart on our wall. Each group’s rhythm, class size and learning fit the needs of that age.

ages 2–3

Little OnesA gentle first step away from home: sensory play, music, plenty of cuddles and respect for the sleep routine at home.Up to 10 children · 2 teachersOpen programme ages 3–4

StarsWaiting your turn, sharing, saying “I can do it”. The class of blocks, paints and first friendships.Up to 12 children · 2 teachersOpen programme ages 4–5

A moment in the Rainbow (ages 4–5) class

RainbowThe age of curiosity: planting seeds, asking, trying. Garden projects, playing with numbers and long stories.Up to 14 children · 2 teachersOpen programme ages 5–6

A moment in the Wise Owls (ages 5–6) class

Wise OwlsGetting ready for primary school, but not at a desk: science experiments, sounds and letters, responsibility and confid…Up to 14 children · 2 teachersOpen programme

What are we eating this week?

Week of 2–6 November

Our dietitian plans the menu and our cook makes it fresh every morning in the school kitchen. A child with an allergy gets a separately prepared plate.

School dietitian Seda Karaca next to fresh vegetables in the school kitchen

Seda Karaca, RDSchool dietitian

Full week and past menus

A child’s plate with cheese, olives, tomato, cucumber, boiled egg and whole-grain bread

Breakfast 09:00

White cheese
olives
tomato
cucumber
whole-grain bread
milk

Lunch of lentil soup, chicken with vegetables, rice and yoghurt

Lunch 12:00

Lentil soup
chicken with vegetables
bulgur pilaf
yoghurt

Apple slices, strawberries, an oat cookie and ayran

Afternoon snack 15:00

Apple
oat cookie
ayran

Coming up next

All events

The big day of the yearFarm trip12 November 2026 · Thursday · 09:00Feeding goats, collecting eggs and baking bread on a small farm on the Şile road.

21NovArtFamily art workshopSaturday · 10:30–12:00 · Art room 30DecCelebrationNew Year partyWednesday · 15:00–17:00 · School hall and garden 14JanScienceScience dayThursday · 10:00–12:00 · Wise Owls classroom 22JanParents’ meetingEnd-of-term parent meetingsFriday · 13:00–18:00 · Classrooms

The art wall: by our children’s hands

Go to the gallery

Rainbow and sunMira, 5

Tuesday morning art time

With the goats at the farm

We asked the children about their teachers

The note next to each teacher is a sentence from a child in their class. We only wrote it down.

Miss Elif taught us the frog song and I taught it to my mum.
Defne, 3

Elif Aydın

Class teacher · Stars

She enters the class with a song every morning and leads the art sessions; she has even kept her own childhood drawings.

Marmara University, Early Childhood Education · Teaching for 8 years

We planted tomatoes with Miss Zeynep. Mine got the biggest.
Can, 4

Zeynep Kaya

Class teacher, education coordinator · Rainbow

One of the school’s founders. She started the garden projects and the vegetable bed; children call her the “seed teacher”.

Hacettepe University, Child Development · Teaching for 14 years

Mr Mert’s drum is very loud but I’m not scared.
Ali, 5

Mert Yılmaz

Music and movement teacher

Drums, ukulele and lots of dancing. He visits every class twice a week and choreographs the 23 April show.

Istanbul University State Conservatory · Teaching for 6 years

From our parents’ home–school notebook

My daughter cried the first week; by the second she was waving goodbye at the door. Being able to sit in class during settling-in week meant a lot to us.

Burcu T.Little Ones parent

Thanks to the photo note every evening we now know the answer to “what did you do today”. We see the menu in advance too, so we don’t cook the same meal at home.

Kerem A.Stars parent

Our son never wants to leave the garden. Going outside even in winter and having no screens were our reasons for choosing the school.

Selin ve Murat D.Rainbow parent

A reading corner for parents

All articles

A teacher welcoming a child at the school door in the morning

October 30, 2026

Join us for breakfast one morning

Tour the school, see the classrooms and the garden, meet the teachers. Visits are on weekdays at 10:00 or 15:30 and take about 45 minutes.

Plan a visit 0216 345 18 18