Help Us Make a Difference!
We're stewarding the health of our community by fostering life-long relationships with the natural world!
PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS Ages 3-5
If you believe that children belong outside, and that the tools of imagination are what build a happy childhood, then welcome to our wooded world. Spontaneous play, exploration, cooperative problem solving, and moments of wonder are what we witness each day in our all-outdoor year-round nature immersion programs for our youngest participants.
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Forest PreschoolChildren nurture the seeds of nature connection every day in our all-outdoor, year-round program. -
School Break DaysWhen school is out, we are in the woods. School break days are a great way to get a taste of our program. -
Summer CampThe very best introduction to summer exploration! Just how it should be, full of adventure, activities, curiosity and all-outdoor fun.
"Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books." John Lubbock
Why We Teach Young Children:
When Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, spoke in Ithaca
some years ago, he said he had concluded that unstructured time in
nature is the most important thing for kids’ development and
nature-connectedness. But, he said, “
I just don’t know how you do that in a program.”
Well, we do.
We provide plenty of time for kids to follow their own curiosity, their
own agendas, and preserve for them a sense of timelessness while we as
skilled mentors gently steer them where we need them to go, keeping them
safe and weaving in learning, social skills development, and community
building.
Children can develop a naturalist intelligence early on in life.
Researchers have studied the amazing ability American preschoolers have
shown for identifying corporate logos. Our preschool programs offer an
opportunity for our pre-literate children to recognize instead the
patterns of deer tracks, maple leaves, and robin song.
Featured Staff
"My son was enrolled in the Forest Preschool and eagerly anticipated his days at forest school. He spent time in traditional pre-kindergarten programs as well as this special outdoor school. The difference with forest school is the palpable engagement of my child's senses. He came home grinning, muddy, smelling of wood smoke and eager to tell me about the blue jay he heard, the creek he discovered, and the "mountain" he climbed. The sense of aliveness and wonder was all right there on his face! I highly recommend this program for all kids of any age!" T.O., Forest Preschool
