Children have a natural curiosity about the world. Our role is to nurture that spark—protect concentration, design environments rich in possibility, and honor their natural rhythms.

Children learn through play, projects, exploration, and spontaneous discovery.

We believe the state known as flow (being "in the zone") is at the heart of genuine learning. It's also essential for happiness and well-being! It's vital for children to discover and build upon their own interests - for their present and future.

We foster this state by creating an environment rich with possibility, by offering well-thought, open-ended activities, and by trying not to interrupt children who are in that sweet spot of deep focus - whether lost in play, using their ingenuity to create and collaborate, or some other incredible moment. 

Learning is about internal motivation, not memorization.

More on our educational philosophy can be found on the Philosophy and Elements pages.

• Children and families arrive.
• Unstructured play while teachers welcome and connect.

• Children reunite with friends, play freely, move their bodies, and engage their senses, in preparation for our group circle time. 

• Songs, movement games, and noticing our surroundings (i.e. weather, season)
• Sharing of intentions for the day (child-led).

Activities rotate but stay child-led:

• Creek & water play
• Mud kitchen cooking
• Shelter building
• Nature journaling or sketching
• Seasonal foraging + observation
• Hiking & tracking animals
• Building with logs, crates, ropes
• Science invitations (magnets, balancing, ramps)

Seasonal & Year-Round Themes include:

• Fire & Heat: sunlight, cooking, warmth, safety
• Water: streams, puddles, ice, rain cycles
• Earth: soil, gardening, decomposers
• Air: wind, feathers, bubbles, seeds
• Animals: foxes, birds, bugs, animal tracks
• Forest Care: stewardship, sustainability, chores

*More info on Flow can be found here. 

• Picnic-style meal.
• Children participate in setup/cleanup.

ALT for 3hr-day students: 11:30 - 12:00 | Parent pick-up for 3hr-day students

• Lunch/snack & Closing Circle: Reflections on the day & closing song
• Parent pick-up 12 noon

Intentional Stations are choice play centers, or rotating invitations, such as:

Nature Arts

• Watercolor
• Clay
• Leaf pressing
• Weaving with sticks + yarn

Practical Skills

• Hammering nails into stumps
• Sanding wood
• Pouring, transferring, sorting
• Whittling (older 5–6s with supervision)

STEM Invitations

• Ramps & rolling
• Balancing scales
• Measuring sticks
• Nature puzzles

• Reflection on the day (what they saw, made, or felt).
• Gratitude practice or song.

• Parents pick up.

Quick note: We value communication and want to make sure your child's needs - as well as your family's needs - are being met. Please always feel free to message, call, or email, and we can also coordinate conference days for more thorough and personal check-ins.

• Rhythm is more important than rigid timing—flex with weather, group energy, and seasonal changes.
• Snack/lunch/rest times anchor the day, but much is child-led and outdoors.
• Daily rituals (greetings, songs, closing reflections) provide security and structure.