Rooted and Free Nature School

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Rooted and Free Nature School Rooted in nature. Free to learn. At Rooted and Free Nature School, we foster a caring and positive atmosphere in which children can learn.

As we bridge the gap from home to school, we offer opportunities for children to connect with nature while developing the needs of the whole child. Through exploration and hands-on activities that are both child-centered and teacher-directed, we introduce social, emotional and physical skills as well as language and math competencies. Theme- related activities emphasize the process rather than the product and foster a sense of accomplishment. Based on the belief that children learn through play, classroom routines encourage active involvement, meaningful experimentation, and reinforcement through repetition. Schedules are designed to balance structure and free choice as well as active and quiet times. We recognize that children advance through developmental stages and we treat each student as an individual who works through each stage at their own pace. Through the love of learning, we allow children to experience their own stage of development and help them to feel success without pressure. We value the involvement and support of our families in the program. The connections that we make with each family member are important links in creating shared experiences which ultimately foster the development of our school community. By respecting the individuality of the students and their families and by celebrating diversity, we develop a nurturing community which thrives on its successes and contributes to the development of the whole child.

We continued to learn about spiders today at nature preschool! Our class spotted a number of different spider webs as we...
10/15/2026

We continued to learn about spiders today at nature preschool! Our class spotted a number of different spider webs as we traveled today, and then we worked on making webs of our own using yarn and sticks. Many students made tangle webs, one of the types of webs that we learned about together! We also celebrated a birthday, spotted a box turtle, and enjoyed some play together to finish up our morning of fun.

So many wonderful moments with our preschool today! Someone experienced the joy of climbing the log for the first time a...
10/08/2026

So many wonderful moments with our preschool today! Someone experienced the joy of climbing the log for the first time all by themselves. Others spotted interesting mushrooms and then shared them with classmates. Everyone enjoyed our hunt to find 4 different kinds of spider webs! And we noticed a Wishing Tree changing its color for fall!

Our Nature Enrichment crew took a closer look at leaves today, noticing their details and patterns before turning our ob...
10/08/2026

Our Nature Enrichment crew took a closer look at leaves today, noticing their details and patterns before turning our observations into art! 🎨 The kids worked through a multi-step printmaking process using real ink and artist tools to explore how nature can inspire creativity.

We navigated to the field for some Gaga Ball fun, followed by plenty of time for exploring, discovering, and enjoying the autumn morning.

10/08/2026
Our Thursday Explore Together class read The Leaf Thief and talked about the beautiful changes happening to the leaves a...
10/08/2026

Our Thursday Explore Together class read The Leaf Thief and talked about the beautiful changes happening to the leaves all around us. Each child chose a felt leaf and shared its color and other special characteristics with the group. Then we headed out on a nature walk to become “leaf detectives!” We searched for red, gold, orange, yellow, green, and brown leaves, carefully observing the different colors and shapes we found. Back at camp, we sorted and categorized our leaf collections. To finish our morning, each child chose a favorite leaf and created a beautiful leaf rubbing to take home. The kids loved exploring, observing, and sharing, and they constantly amaze me with their keen observations and creative play in nature!

On Wednesday our preschool class continued to learn about spiders. We learned about how they use their spider silk in so...
10/08/2026

On Wednesday our preschool class continued to learn about spiders. We learned about how they use their spider silk in so many different ways and can make webs in different shapes! Then we went on a hunt for spider webs to see what kinds we could identify. Along the way we celebrated a birthday, climbed on the rocks, and enjoyed some time in the playspace, too!

It was a beautiful morning at Wednesday Explore Together! We read "Fry Bread" by Kevin Noble Maillard before checking on...
10/07/2026

It was a beautiful morning at Wednesday Explore Together! We read "Fry Bread" by Kevin Noble Maillard before checking on our tree. We noticed that the green leaves are turning yellow AND brown! We also took a moment to see just how tall our tree is and that it has many branches on it. Taking inspiration from Indigenous communities, we used dried flowers, beans, seeds and cornmeal to create art. Some explorers also found some interesting caterpillars while they played!

Our Tuesday explore together class talked about everything that can happen with an acorn! We used a parachute which was ...
10/07/2026

Our Tuesday explore together class talked about everything that can happen with an acorn! We used a parachute which was VERY SILLY. We also hiked into the woods and planted a whole new forest! Some friends choose to make acorn paintings and count and trace lines with the acorns everyone collected. It was a wonderful day together!

Our PreK is trying to love SPIDERS! We are learning about their special features and body parts that help identify them,...
10/07/2026

Our PreK is trying to love SPIDERS! We are learning about their special features and body parts that help identify them, and we are noticing lots of daddy-long-legs (which we now know are NOT spiders) around camp! Our morning was full of reading, identification games, noticing fresh mushrooms, balancing on our rock line, and having fun with friends!

Today, Nature Enrichment class began talking more about the weather, noticing the cooler temperatures and beautiful clea...
10/06/2026

Today, Nature Enrichment class began talking more about the weather, noticing the cooler temperatures and beautiful clear sky. We warmed up by hitting the trails to practice navigation and observation skills, taking turns leading and navigating our hikes. We practiced reading map symbols and honed simple drawing skills. We finished with plenty of animal investigation and imaginative play together in the Hundred Acre Wood!

Address

1 Cut Off Road
Lebanon, PA
17042

Opening Hours

9am - 12pm

Telephone

+17175001930

Website

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