Forest School & Homeschool

Forest School & Homeschool
Nature-Based Learning through Exploration & Experience

Forest School – Tender Roots

Tender Roots – Sprouts & Saplings

Tender Roots Sprouts	Tender Roots Saplings
Ages 3-4.5	Ages 4.5-6
M, T, W, Th (each day is separate) 9am-1pm September-June	M-W: 3 Day Option Th-F: 2 or 1 Day Option 9am-3pm September-June
Forest School program using song, story and experience through nature play.	Forest School program using song, story and experience through nature play.

Children, age 3-6, are invited to enroll in the play-based Tender Roots forest school program – Sprouts (ages 3-4) & Saplings (ages 4.5-6). Daily, the children are given time to explore, discover and play – with the forest as muse. Each teacher, as nature guide, creates a flow using songs, stories, and exploration, guiding and following the children as they discover the wonders of nature, of themselves, and of each other. Each day the Tender Roots have time for deep play – using the natural materials of the outdoor environment as their toys and tools, thus, sparking their imagination.

The Tender Roots Sprouts, ages 3-4, meet from 9am-1pm M, T, W, Th. Each day is a separate program, allowing the family to choose the schedule right for them.

The Tender Roots Saplings, ages 4.5-6, can choose the 3 Day Option, M-W, OR the 2 or 1 Day Option Th/F, 9am-3pm.

Forest School – Homeschool: Kinder, Adventure & Wild Roots

Kinder, Adventure & Wild Roots	Kinder, Adventure & Wild Roots
Ages 6-12+	Ages 6-12+
M-W: 3 Day Option 9am-3pm September-June	Th-F: 2 or 1 Day Options 9am-3pm September-June
Integration of language arts, cultural studies and history, science and mathematics into the students’ discoveries in the forest as they cycle through the seasons.	Integration of place-based ecology and stewardship, seasonal awareness and the rhythms of cultural traditions and celebrations into the students’ discoveries in the forest.

For the forest school year (September-June) families choose to register their homeschoolers, ages 6-12, for one or two weekly options: the 3 Day Program (Monday-Wednesday) and/or the 1-2 Day Program (Thursday/Friday), 9am-3pm.

Take Root Forest School uses an ALL-OUTSIDE, PLACE-BASED approach to learning – focusing on exploration, play and discovery. Using holistic methodologies, the teachers and guides combine language arts, cultural studies and history, science and mathematics, place-based ecology and stewardship with a forest school approach based on the rhythm of the seasons, sensory awareness and the students’ discoveries in the forest. This model allows for development of the whole child…Head (through transformative experience and reflection), Heart (through relating) & Hands (through engagement).

Read more about how we connect through curriculum.

Take Root Forest School is a homeschool learning community, an education enrichment program and does not act as a “school”. Just before age 6, each child needs to be registered as a homeschooler. As homeschoolers, the family is responsible for record keeping and registering – registered with an umbrella school or with the county in which you reside. Take Root Forest School may provide support, guidance and resources, but does not offer umbrella school or evaluation services. The Take Root team works alongside the families to provide a network of communication. Each teacher makes observations on a regular basis of their students and shares with the directors and families. Each group’s curriculum is unique and emerges from the children, their interests and their experiences. Take Root Forest School follows the rhythms of the seasons. The seasonal, place-based program takes into consideration the child development domains, state and national standards and methodologies from various holistic pedagogies like Forest School, Waldorf, Montessori and Reggio Emilia.

Forest Homeschool Groups

Kinder Roots

Nature-Based Learning through Play & Discovery

The Kinder Roots are provided time to explore, learn and play – with the forest as their muse. Each teacher, as nature guide, creates a flow within the day that encourages the children to discover the wonders of nature, of themselves and of each other. Each day the Kinder Roots head out through the woods to explore, learn and play in the forest…following the path to discovery. Take Root directors and teachers take into consideration both the age and the social and emotional development of each child when determining their group placement.

Adventure Roots

Nature-Based Learning through Play, Discovery & Exploration

As the Adventure Roots explore the forest – the wonders of nature and the science of what is going on around them causes them to become curious, to ask questions and to want to learn more. Through inquiry and experimenting, the children learn and come to conclusions. The teachers provides resources that expand on those interests – creating a curriculum that emerges from the curiosity of the children. Take Root directors and teachers take into consideration both the age and the social and emotional development of each child when determining their group placement.

Wild Roots

Nature-Based Learning through Exploration & Experience & Action

The Wild Roots are inspired and guided to learn about the workings of the natural world and the role of humans within that natural world. Every day the Wild Roots kids explore the outdoor environment – in the forest or at the edge of the sea. Nature provides the poetry, the stories, the lab, the classroom, the think-tank…in which the kids observe, collect data, hypothesize, experiment, create, make, listen and do. The students work together in a collaborative effort, with the environment, themselves and each other. Take Root directors and teachers take into consideration both the age and the social and emotional development of each child when determining their group placement.