Expect a mess every time and please do not send your child in a beloved outfit. For children to fully enjoy our outdoor environment, it is essential they are appropriately dressed.

• Consider picking a few “play school” outfits to dress your kids in each week. So they know these are their messy play clothes.

  Fall and Spring

  • Layers. Long pants with a short sleeve T and a long sleeve shirt over that is great for spring so kids can take a layer off if they get warm as the day warms up. No cotton as it doesn’t dry when it gets wet.

  • Shoes! Comfortable shoes that can get muddy. Rain boots, Bogs boots, closed toed sandals like Keens or costco often has knock off versions of these, or even sneakers that can get wet/muddy. 

  • Wool socks. Wool socks will keep feet warm and comfortable if they get wet. Check out kids Smartwool selections at REI or LL Bean. Consider buying a size up as my children haven’t minded wearing slightly bigger socks and then they last longer. 

  • Rain gear. You know your child best! My kids always were fine with a rain jacket. We have several friends who love rain suits, and we have found that the rain suits with overalls instead of full body suits tend to give the most flexibility for playing. 

  • Hats! We like Sunday Morning hats at REI or Amazon. Baseball hats are also a great option for kids who do not like big hats. Some kids will not tolerate hats at all, and that is ok. 

  Winter

  • Baselayers- Cotton holds moisture to the skin and does not wick and can cause hypothermia when wet.  Wool and silk are typically the choice for forest schools, but for our conditions here, polyester is absolutely fine and has come a long way in comfort and performance in the last decade. It’s what we dress our kids in.  Old Navy, Target, Kohls and often Costco will sell dry tek performance T shirts and pants for typically under $15. Walmart often has a good selection of fleece pants and shorts.

  • Snowpants will keep kids warm when worn over a base layer. Snowpants should have functioning buckles so we can help them toilet or change diapers without removing their winter coats. Lands End and LL Bean make snowpants with functioning buckles. Once Upon a Child is a great place to buy a second hand pair of snowpants that can get dirty at playschool. 

  • Winter boots must be insulated and waterproof. Both Lands End and Bogs make these.

  • Wool socks! Wool socks will keep feet warm and comfortable if they get wet. Check out kids smartwool selections at REI or LL Bean. Consider buying a size up as my children haven’t minded wearing slightly bigger socks and then they last longer. Any time kids are in boots, they should be in wool socks. 

  • Gloves/mittens- No child’s winter mitten is really waterproof. Snowstoppers stay on little hands because of the long cuffs. Some kids prefer the thin gloves so they have more dexterity. Send a spare pair so they have a dry pair to change into.

  • Hats- some kids like them, some kids just like to use their hoods. Gators work to keep necks warm. Turtle Fur makes affordable gators.

• Please reach out directly if you’d like to discuss this further!