Our Mission:

Forest Friends Nature School seeks to honor the natural rhythms and curiosity of early childhood by fostering a relationship between children and nature.

Our Vision:

At Forest Friends Nature School we believe children are intelligent, capable and autonomous beings, and believe in their ability to be the experts of their own learning journey.

We believe in a play-based, experiential approach to education that allows each child to unfold naturally, and promotes learning mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

We believe that learning through the lens of nature is the best path toward establishing a foundation of lifelong learning and curiosity that will carry each child forward with resilience and wonder.

Group of children gathered around a container with water and tadpoles, some holding magnifying glasses, outdoors on the ground.

Our Approach

  • Play is the work of children - and it is crucial to their development. We are not afraid to get dirty at Forest Friends Nature School. We play in the creeks, balance on logs, and work in the school garden. We use natural objects to create stick people, moss houses and shelters to encourage imagination, collaboration, language, awareness, physicality and so much more.

  • Inspired by Waldorf educational values, we place great emphasis on natural rhythms of life and the seasonal rhythms of nature. We maintain a regular schedule for the children as we observe changes in weather, plants, and animals in our “classroom.”

    Daily we record the weather, the birds, and plants we see in our nature journals. Monthly we observe and record seasonal changes in our class tree.

  • Community is at the core of Forest Friends. Our own little community begins with our school and the families who journey alongside us, and ripples out into the world at large as the children find their sense of self and place within it.

    At the marker of the beginning of each season our school will have a family day where we gather as a community and honor the season and the growth of the children.

  • Our school has a small class size of twelve children. This allows the children and educators the opportunity to dive deeply into the day’s engagements or change course when the children express interest in another topic. The children’s curiosity leads the way in what we play and study as a group.

  • Children can gain a sense of connection by being in the same natural place all year long with the same people. Our commitment to honoring the rhythms of nature and play create opportunities of connection.

    Through gentle guidance, growth mindset language, and positive discipline we aim to grow the children’s connection with the world around them, their classmates and themselves.

Children playing in a puddle with adults watching in a forested area, autumn leaves scattered on the ground, trees in the background.
Three children crouching at the base of a large tree trunk in a forest, surrounded by fallen leaves.
Three children climbing a wooden playground wall with colorful rock climbing holds in a wooded area.
Three children and an adult engaging in outdoor activity near a fire pit, surrounded by trees and a pile of wood, with a wooden playground in the background.
Group flying a colorful kite with rainbow tails in a clearing surrounded by trees, three children watching.
Children sitting on blankets outdoors, listening to a person read a book, surrounded by trees in a wooded area.
Children playing in a large puddle in a forest setting, with adults supervising.
Children playing outdoors in a park; a few playing on a geodesic climbing dome, others flying a kite. Trees and play equipment visible in the background. Sunny day.
Three children crouched around a tree trunk in a forest, surrounded by fallen leaves and grass. One child is wearing a tie-dye shirt and the others have casual clothing.
A group of children and adults sitting on the ground in a forest surrounded by trees with autumn leaves. They appear to be in a circle, engaged in outdoor activities amid fallen leaves.
A group of children and an adult are gathered in a forest clearing surrounded by fallen autumn leaves. The adult, wearing glasses and a black top, is kneeling and interacting with the children, who wear casual clothes and seem engaged. The background
Children climbing a wooden playground wall with colorful holds in a forest setting.
An adult and a child sitting on a tarp in a forest, surrounded by autumn leaves and pinecones, reading a picture book together.
A group of children and an adult walking in a park during autumn, surrounded by trees.
Three children and an adult sitting by a fire pit with logs in a wooded area, next to a wooden play structure.
Group of children kneeling on a picnic blanket with one child stirring a bowl of ingredients outdoors.
Children gathered around a container filled with soil, some holding small pots, likely involved in a gardening activity or planting seeds.
A group of three children and one adult flying a colorful kite in a grassy area with bare trees in the background.
Children gathered around a plastic container with water and tadpoles, observing with magnifying glasses.
Children examining frog eggs in a plastic container filled with water and frog eggs outdoors.
Children examining a container of water with frog eggs and leaves using a magnifying glass.
A woman sitting outdoors on a picnic blanket with a group of children, reading a book to them. In the background, a wooden treehouse and playground are visible among tall trees.
Children gathered around a table looking at a plastic container with small objects inside, possibly bugs or nature items. The table is covered in colorful paint stains.
Children observing a small container with foliage on a table outdoors.
A group of children and an adult crouching on the ground in a forested area, exploring leaves and soil together.