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Deeply Rooted Nature School was born out of a vision to provide a holistic, loving and Biblically-based environment for students to learn, thrive, grow and serve. We desire to create a school that helps children not only excel academically, but also foster character traits such as creativity, grit, courage, selflessness, and humility. In the most viewed TED Talk of all time, Sir Ken Robinson says, “Creativity is as important now in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.” We strive to provide an environment where students can use their creativity every day in meaningful ways in these formative years of their lives. What better way to do that than outdoors in the gift of God’s creation?
Ever since becoming a parent back in 2015, I have thought about what the education of my children would look like. Having completed a bachelor’s in Art Education, I already knew the importance of hands-on learning for optimal brain development. I have always envisioned an environment where they could experience simple joys that connected them to Jesus and made their relationship with Him tangible. And I believe that nature, second to the Bible, is where we really get an up-close and personal look at who God is. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1). The simple pleasure of observing the intricacies of the smallest flower, or the work of the spider spinning its web, helps us think beyond ourselves to the One who made them.
When I learned about the nature school movement throughout Europe and North America, I immediately saw its potential to make education more effective and enjoyable. What could I do to bring this form of education to not only my own kids, but to our local community? After thoroughly researching the philosophy and best practices for outdoor learning, I experimented by starting a mini nature school with 4-7 kids utilizing my own backyard and the nearby beach. The results amazed me! The kids had so much fun with the interactive nature activities that they didn’t even realize they were learning and retaining subjects traditionally taught on paper.
We began prayerfully pursuing the founding of Deeply Rooted Nature School. God opened the way to partner with the Adventist education support system and LifeBridge Church, bring together a talented team of leaders on the school board, hire an incredibly dynamic lead teacher, and passionate teaching team, and create a program where your child can flourish.
We are excited to have your family become part of the Deeply Rooted Nature School community!
-Caitlin
We are offering Forest Transitional Kindergarten (age 4-5) and Forest Kindergarten (age 5-6) programs for the 2024-2025.
Discovering the Creator through nature
A school community of thriving kids and engaged families deeply rooted in their Creator’s love through connection with nature, healthy relationships, biblical wisdom, and impactful service
We plan to expand to offer a lower elementary multi-grade nature school experience in 2025-2026! More information to come!
Our goal is to ultimately expand to provide transitional Kindergarten through 8th grade nature school education!
Come meet the team, and see what school is like, and get your questions answered!
Christ-centered – Jesus is the Source of peace, love, and joy. We are committed to following the selfless example of Jesus in how we think, what we say, and what we do. A child’s spiritual development is the only thing science has shown to predict success and thriving and it protects against later depression and substance abuse.1
Character – Who we are is more important than what we know. Our Bible-based teaching is intentionally designed to help kids build character, integrity, and leadership qualities that positively impact their lives and the lives of those around them.
Creativity – Creativity is one of the greatest predictors of lifetime achievement.2 Student creativity is cultivated and affirmed through child-directed play, discovery, hands-on problem solving, and artistic expression.
Curiosity – Curiosity is the root of self-directed learning. Teacher’s guide students to develop a love of learning from observing, questioning, and interacting with their environment.
Community – Growth happens best within a healthy community. We foster a community of belonging, encouragement, affirmation, and accountability. Family involvement in school activities and journeying together as families outside of school is encouraged.
Connection – Connection is one of the greatest determinants of quality of life.3 Kids learn to connect emotionally in healthy relationships by respecting boundaries, giving attention, building trust, developing emotional vocabulary, reconciling conflict, extending forgiveness, showing kindness, and expressing appreciation.
Collaboration – Collaboration is more valuable for success in today’s world than competition. Instead of competing as opponents for the highest scores, students learn to collaborate with each other as a team to negotiate rules, solve problems, make decisions, recognize potential in others, and rely on each other’s strengths.
Comprehension – Comprehension is more useful than rote information. Connecting student learning to tangible objects and real-life situations in their environment provides for a deeper comprehension of “how” and “why” things are as they are. Strong academic outcomes become the byproduct of cultivating comprehension rather than an end in themselves.4
Coordination – Healthy bodies contribute to healthy brains. Students develop coordination, fitness, stamina, strength, balance, and body awareness through natural movement outdoors. Physical activity can prevent childhood obesity and other negative health outcomes later in life.5
Contribution – Purpose comes through service. In a tech-addicted culture that trains kids to become self-focused consumers, we invite them to become others-centered contributors. As kids experience the blessings of meeting needs, helping others, and serving like Jesus, they begin to find their place and purpose in the world.
Courage – Courage, not comfort, is the key to overcoming challenges in life. We allow kids to make choices, take manageable physical risks, overcome fear, develop grit and resilience in difficult conditions, build trust in Jesus, and learn to live with courage in an anxious world.
Care – Humans are stewards of God’s creation.6 Through connecting with nature, we seek to help kids develop compassion for life and care for the land. Our 7:1 student to teacher ratio provides for quality care, supervision, safety, and individualized instruction for students throughout their learning journey.
David Sobel, Patti Ensel Bailie, Ken Finch, Erin Kenny, and Anne Stires, Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens: The Handbook for Outdoor Learning (St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 2016), p. 144-145
David Sobel, Patti Ensel Bailie, Ken Finch, Erin Kenny, and Anne Stires, Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens: The Handbook for Outdoor Learning (St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 2016), p. 143-144
Angela Hanscom, Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children (Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, 2016), p. 124 Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder (Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books, 2008), p. 47-49
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it,” (Genesis 2:15), Holy Bible, New International Version.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church operates one of the largest Christian education systems in the world!
Adventist education has been affirmed for its high level of effectiveness in academic outcomes (https://v1.adventisteducation.org/cg2.html) as well as its holistic approach to helping kids grow in mind, body, and spirit (https://www.7advantages.org). Many from diverse ethnic, socio-economic, and religious backgrounds respect, value, and benefit from the Adventist education system locally and around the world.
Deeply Rooted Nature School teaches the Seventh-day Adventist understanding of the Bible.
Our passion for facilitating kids’ learning and development in nature while fostering loving interpersonal relationships with healthy boundaries flows from our biblical core values.
God created humankind “in His image” to reflect His love to one another, to all creation, and to the Creator (Genesis 1:26-27). The first humans, Adam and Eve, lived in peace, joy and love with God in the Garden of Eden, where they could learn, nurture relationships, express creativity, and take care of what God had made (Genesis 1-2). Unfortunately, humanity chose to trust Satan instead of God by eating fruit from the forbidden tree, ushering in sin, selfishness, suffering and death (Genesis 3). Jesus came to show humans what God’s self-sacrificing love and forgiveness is like (John 3:16) and make a way for us to ultimately return back to our Garden paradise with God in the end (Revelation 21-22).
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