Our nature immersion program is rooted in the Forest School traditions of North Europe with a focus on experiential learning that will help build students' reverence for the natural world and create future stewards of the earth. With a holistic, learner-centered focus, our foresters will become invested in their education and foster a lifelong relationship with the land, their teachers and classmates, and the community.
Our weekly class will take place in local forested parks and will be led by trained and experienced outdoor educator Michelle Carter, whose bio you can read on the Meet Our Teachers page.
The Jacksonville area has many parks available to explore such as unspoiled Florida scrub hammock, forest, wetlands, marshes, dunes, and beach to foster nature education and connection. The long-term benefits of learning outside in nature are well researched and documented and are the perfect complement to any homeschool program.
During our time in the forest, exploration of the natural world around us will be the basis for our curriculum. The students will learn through direct discovery in firsthand experiences that engage the five senses. Observing, collecting and categorizing natural objects, and other hands-on activities, will help acquaint students with the natural world in general – and with our local landscapes in particular. We will study Physical Geography such as weather and seasons, plant and animal identification, eco-studies, trail reading and etiquette, and navigation.
Our foresters will follow a predictable rhythm which will include circle time, nature hike/exploration, silent snack time to foster quiet observation, nature journaling with study observations, outdoor artistic or skill work activity, lunch and nature-infused story time.
Spring River
Forest School
9:00- 9:30
9:30-10:45
10:45-11:00
11:00-12:00
12:00-12:30
12:30-1:00
Gather and Morning Circle
Hike & Explore (including snack)
Return to pick up location
Nature Journaling, study observations, or craft and skill work
Lunch
Nature Story/Close
Forest Rhythm
Nature Journaling
FAQ's:
-
Forest School is a homeschool enrichment class for grades 1-5 that meets on Wednesdays.
-
The Class hours are 9 am - 1 pm
-
The Cost of the class is $210 per session, which includes craft supplies and nature journal
-
Each session is for 8 weeks, and there will be 4 sessions per school year.
-
The group will be visiting a minimum of one park each 8-week class period.
-
Children should bring their own water bottle, backpack, hat, snack and lunch.
-
Each parent will be expected to volunteer one full day of the 8-week session.
-
Any child attending will need to be mature enough to carry their own backpack and belongings
-
Any child attending will need to be mature enough to stay with the group and listen to the teacher.
The Playgarden Community has a long and rich history of supporting outdoor education.
Our Forest School continues the early childhood programing into the grades, and our mission is to instill in our students a love and reverence of our local parks and natural wonders. After all, our children are the future stewards of our beautiful earth.
