By supporting outdoor play we can raise a generation of kids who will love and take care of the earth, as well as be strong flexible thinkers able to creatively solve the problems they encounter in adulthood.
Our Philosophy
We believe in play:
Play is an essential aspect of human development. Play promotes physical and cognitive development as well as promoting a child’s sense of well being. Play is so critical to human development that it has been recognized by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights as a right of every child.
We believe in child-led play:
We meet children where they are. Kids are seen as individuals with their own unique strengths. We utilize an emergent curriculum and can tailor our group experiences to the interests of the children.
We believe in outdoor play:
Children today spend less time outside than any generation before them. In nature children develop fine and gross motor skills as well as resilience and risk assessment.
We believe in the value of social-emotional learning:
We believe that all children are good, and that difficult behaviors are an unmet need. We focus on helping children learn to regulate themselves by developing coping mechanisms to help deal with big feelings.
We believe in mixed-age play:
Every child benefits from being in a mixed age group. Older kids develop leadership skills and empathy, while younger kids learn through observing the older kids what is possible and challenging themselves.
We believe that children are capable:
We help kids to build confidence in themselves by believing that they are capable. We coach them through obstacles they will face in the forest, be it navigating over a log, up a hill, or packing up their lunches. Kids build self-determination and self-advocacy skills through repeated practice.