Our Outdoor Learning Environment

Our outdoor learning environment is an extension of the classroom, thoughtfully designed for exploration in every season. Children garden, observe wildlife, build strength through gross motor play, and engage deeply with the natural world year-round—whether tending soil in spring, splashing through summer water play, noticing autumn changes, or embracing winter’s quiet beauty. Through all seasons, outdoor learning fosters curiosity, resilience, and a meaningful connection to nature.

A Natural Playground for Real Discovery

Our outdoor play space is intentionally simple, beautiful, and responsive to children’s needs. Rather than overwhelming structures, the environment features natural materials, open-ended elements, and space to run, climb, dig, imagine, and create. Children are invited to follow their curiosity—balancing on logs, building with branches, watching insects at work, and experiencing the changing seasons firsthand.

A Living Community Garden

Just steps from the classrooms, the community garden is a place of collaboration and care. Children plant seeds, tend raised beds, harvest vegetables and herbs, and help nurture the flowers that attract pollinators. The garden becomes a living laboratory, offering concrete lessons in botany, responsibility, and the interconnectedness of all life.

We are recent recipients of the "Gardening for All" grant through Urban Roots. An old community garden on the property is being revitalized and an outdoor gardening classroom space will make it possible to expand our mission to connect children with nature and the food they eaat.

Indoor/Outdoor Classrooms

Both of our classrooms open directly onto the outdoor environment, allowing for a seamless flow between inside and out. Children move between carefully prepared indoor spaces and rich outdoor learning areas, choosing where their work, interests, and bodies lead them. This flexibility supports independence, concentration, and a deep sense of comfort and belonging. By offering nearly uninterrupted access to the outdoors, we honor the innate drive children have to explore and to be in relationship with the natural world.