Creative Nature Academy

05/15/2026

Does your child love catching frogs, exploring creeks, identifying plants, building forts, journaling in nature, or sharing their excitement about the natural world with others?

Our Nature Mentor Program is designed for curious 9–13 year olds who are ready to deepen their connection with nature while growing leadership, creativity, and confidence through hands-on adventures in the woods.

For our younger explorers, Young Naturalists (ages 4–7) nurtures wonder through play, storytelling, exploration, art, and seasonal discoveries.

Fall Enrollment Now Open
📍Grand Rapids, Michigan

Learn more and register:
creativenatureacademy.org

See you in the woods!

05/15/2026

At our West Michigan Forest School, learning unfolds through a playful pilgrimage of curiosity and wonder.

Students wander Michigan marsh ecosystems listening to red-winged blackbirds, searching for tadpoles along the water’s edge, spotting turtle tracks pressed into the mud, and uncovering hidden worlds woven between the cattails.

Through muddy boots, wild exploration, and hands-on learning, children build connection not only with nature — but with themselves and the world around them.

Because some of the greatest classrooms of childhood were never built with walls.

Now enrolling for the 2026/27 school year at Creative Nature Academy.

Visit creativenatureacademy.org

NatureBasedLearning OutdoorEducation WestMichiganFamilies GrandRapidsHomeschool HomeschoolMichigan NatureConnection PlaceBasedEducation ChildLedLearning OutdoorClassroom ExperientialLearning HandsOnLearning WildLearning NatureMentoring MichiganWetlands WonderAndCuriosity

05/02/2026

A Typical Day in the Woods — Every Day Is Its Own Unique Adventure

Now enrolling for 2026–2027.
Visit creativenatureacademy.org to learn more about our forest school—where children belong in nature.
Embarking on a playful pilgrimage of curiosity and wonder, gently to our own unique North Star through the gentle guidance of nature.

10/17/2025

Crisp mornings, golden leaves, and the laughter of children learning in the woods—it’s fall at Creative Nature Academy! Each week, our classes blend exploration, play, and hands-on learning to help children connect deeply with the natural world. From forest games and nature art to observing seasonal changes and building friendships under the canopy, every day is an adventure.

At CNA, we believe education is more than worksheets and screens. It’s a journey—a playful pilgrimage of curiosity and wonder—where each child is gently guided toward their own unique North Star. 🌟

Reach out to learn more about how your child can join us in the woods!

10/16/2025

Today the Young Naturalists explored how warm-blooded animals prepare for winter!

From fur growing thicker to storing food, our students learned how creatures adapt to the changing seasons. We talked about the ways squirrels, deer, and even the birds at Blandford get ready for the colder months ahead.

At Creative Nature Academy, we see each lesson as a playful pilgrimage—guiding children to connect with nature’s rhythms while nurturing their curiosity, creativity, and wonder. These moments outdoors help every child discover their own unique North Star. 🌟

What signs of animals preparing for winter have you noticed in your own neighborhood?

06/10/2025

Our first day of summer camp was full of wonder!
Whittling hiking sticks, learning forest safety, and laughing through wild games—it was everything summer should be: free, playful, and deeply connected to nature.

At Creative Nature Academy, we keep our class sizes small so we can truly get to know each child—nurturing their curiosity with gentle guidance and inviting them into hands-on, heart-centered learning. Our days feel like a joyful pilgrimage through the woods, where every camper’s story matters.

✨ Scholarships still available—apply soon!

Next week?
🌀 Creek Quest (Ages 4–7 | June 17–19 | Half-day)
Let your little one splash, explore, and follow the current of their curiosity. Perfect for kids who love water, mud, and racing tiny stick boats downstream.

🌿 Have an older child who’s always blending, mixing, or asking about wild plants?
Herbology & Potion Quest (Ages 8–12 | July 8–10 | Full-day)
A magical, hands-on adventure in wildcrafting and potion-making—led by experienced nature educators.

🎶 For the music-makers, fort-builders, and forest daydreamers:
Forest & Music Quest (Ages 6–10 | July 15–17 | Half-day)
Campers will build natural instruments and forts, learn woodland rhythms, and dive into imaginative forest games that spark creativity and connection.

Every child has their own rhythm, curiosity, and path—our camps are designed to meet them right where they are, and walk alongside them into something unforgettable.

👉 Learn more and register at: www.creativenatureacademy.org

https://www.creativenatureacademy.org/summercamp

Which quest will your child take this summer?

06/04/2025

Looking for a summer camp in Grand Rapids that goes beyond worksheets and Wi-Fi? Step into the woods with us.

At Creative Nature Academy, we believe learning should be wild, joyful, and steeped in nature. Our nature-based summer camps offer kids hands-on experiences in foraging, fire-tending, creek exploration, whittling, nature art, survival skills, and forest music.

✨ And thanks to a generous CNA family, we now have a few WILD PASS scholarships available—covering up to 50% off the total camp fee.

Swipe to explore our 2025 Summer Camps:

Survival Quest (Ages 8–12) | June 10–12 | 9:30–2:30
Creek Quest (Ages 5–8) | June 17–19 | 9:30–12:30
Herbology & Potion Quest (Ages 8–12) | July 8–10 | 9:30–2:30
Forest & Music Quest (Ages 5–8) | July 15–17 | 9:30–12:30

Our small group sizes allow for individualized attention, deep nature connection, and plenty of muddy, joy-filled memories.

👉 Ready to register or apply for a scholarship?
Send us a message with the words “Wild Pass” and the camp you're interested in.

Let’s make this the summer your child finds their rhythm in the forest.

05/14/2025

Raising kids who know how to tend a fire—
not just in the woods, but in their friendships, focus, and purpose.

Today, our survival students learned to spark a flame the old-school way—bow drills, hand drills, flint & steel, ferro rods… no lighters, no shortcuts. Just patience and perseverance.

This summer, your child can join us for an unforgettable adventure at Creative Nature Academy’s Survival Quest Camp—where they’ll build shelters, forage wild edibles, and yes—learn to make fire from scratch.

3-Day Full Day Camp
Ages 8–14
Fire tending, shelter challenges, herbology, team games, and wild food feasts.

Space is limited.
Let’s fan the flame of confidence, capability, and connection.

https://www.creativenatureacademy.org/summercamp

Embarking on a playful pilgrimage of curiosity and wonder—gently to our own unique North Star through the gentle guidance of nature.

Check out Creative Nature Academy’s video.

03/30/2025

Spaces are still available for our three day summer camps in West Michigan for June and July. Both full day and half day options available.

Visit https://www.creativenatureacademy.org/ for more info.

03/28/2025

"Digging the earth” and “tending the soil” are metaphors for what so many of us are longing for: a slower pace, a deeper breath, a grounded sense of purpose.

Time in nature helps us remember how to feel connected—
To the land.
To our community.
To ourselves - the deep parts of ourselves.

Time in nature helps us come back to what matters because it reawakens the senses. We're able to escape our thoughts a bit and there’s no pressure to perform or produce—just space to notice, to listen, to feel. The wind doesn’t care about your inbox. The pinecone doesn’t need a checkbox when it's job is complete. Nature accepts us exactly as we are.

For our neurodivergent thinkers, our deep feelers, and our overbooked, overtired grown-ups—this kind of unconditional welcome can be life-giving.

In forest school, kids move freely, wonder deeply, and feel like they belong.
And the truth is, we do too.

A simple walk.
A quiet sit.
A thank-you whispered to the tree that held your gaze.

These are the small acts that help us tend our inner soil.

You don’t have to name every tree. You just have to show up—muddy boots, open heart… and maybe a snack or two.

Embark on a playful pilgrimage of curiosity and wonder—gently guided by nature toward your own unique North Star.