Forest Campus Preschool adventure
A day in Forest PRESCHOOL
You are your child’s first teacher, nature is the second teacher.
overview
Age ranges from 3 to 5 years old
Tuesdays & Thursdays, you may choose:
One day
Two days
Hours
9am to 2pm
this experience is 100% outdoors year round.
Bring your naturalist home to the arboretum
for those of us who can’t get enough nature
This Program invites young adventurers to explore the wonders of nature, build social connections, and develop curiosity about the living world through hands-on experiences. Rooted in child-led discovery, this program blends science, movement, and creative expression in a supportive, outdoor-centered environment.
Ecology of childhood: Relationship Building
The energy of the outdoors fuels playful interactions in our Campsite Kitchen.
Every voice counts: Our morning meeting helps us plan the day.
Social interactions are scaffolded to build positive relationships with peers and adults. We love to play collaborative games that build teamwork and self-awareness.
Outdoors we are on the move
It’s all about walking along the creek, hiking the trails, running in the fields, climbing on fallen trees, and balancing on rocks.
Sometimes we stand still like trees.
observing
The children marvel at the wildlife they encounter leading to several studies:
Birdsongs and nesting activities.
Seasonal changes and weather patterns.
Diversity of life at the Arboretum.
Growth and life cycles of plants and animals.
Animal behavior
experimenting
Making simple machines we build boats and shelters to test the laws of physics.
We make mathematical encounters of the wild kind. Counting, ordering, measuring, estimating, making equations happens every time.
We map our spaces to find our way as we forage. Collecting honeysuckle we explore woodworking, sculpting, and installations.
caretaking
After lunch, we tend the earth and care for the garden—a gentle rhythm that grounds our day. It’s a time to marvel at tiny seeds full of promise, to feel the calming movement of the soil in our hands, and to slow down in nature’s quiet company. This peaceful routine not only nurtures our garden, but also helps children relax, reflect, and reconnect.
Reflecting
This connection with invites us to slow down and simply be. We become authors, telling the stories of our adventures and discoveries.
Children are encouraged to stage their stories and draw in their nature journals—capturing moments of wonder in their own words and images.
Through shared reflection and imagination, we’re not just learning in the forest—we're forming friendships and memories that last a lifetime.
Nurtured
As the afternoon winds down, the children come together one last time in a circle, sharing their accomplishments and insights from the day.
With the afternoon setting on another adventure-filled day, they leave with a sense of fulfillment, having deepened their self-confidence, empathy, and connection with each other through nature.