Fern Gully Forest School

08/19/2026

Is your child thriving in their school journey, or could your family use a little more support, connection, and community?

At Fern Gully Forest School, our flexible, drop-off enrichment program supports homeschooling families while giving children opportunities for hands-on learning, outdoor adventures, creative exploration, and meaningful friendships.

While children learn, grow, and build confidence in a supportive outdoor learning environment, parents gain dedicated time to focus on work, younger siblings, daily responsibilities, or simply a chance to recharge.

🌿If you've been searching for a homeschool program that supports both children and parents, has meaningful seasonal curriculum and family-friendly celebrations, we'd love to welcome you into our community.

Enrollment is now open, and spaces are limited! Learn more and apply at www.CommunityNature.org/enrichment.

08/18/2026

It's a little known fact that even in America, if your child is in public school, you can get them out one day a week for nature enrichment! 💛🌿

Message us today if you want this for your elementary aged kid!

Denmark has formalized outdoor learning as a core component of its national elementary school curriculum, requiring students to spend one full day every week learning outside, including in forests, parks, and natural environments. The initiative builds on Denmark's longstanding "friluftsliv" philosophy, a cultural commitment to outdoor life that has shaped Scandinavian education for generations. Teachers across participating schools report measurable improvements in physical activity levels, classroom focus, and emotional regulation in the days following outdoor sessions.

The Danish model goes beyond nature walks. Students conduct mathematics, language, and science lessons in outdoor settings, using the natural environment as a learning tool rather than simply a recreational break. Research from Aarhus University supports the approach, finding that children who regularly learn outdoors show reduced cortisol levels, stronger peer relationships, and improved attention spans compared to those in conventional classroom settings. Finland and Sweden have adopted similar frameworks, and education researchers in the UK, US, and Australia are increasingly citing Scandinavian outdoor learning as a model worth replicating.

Sources: Aarhus University, Danish Ministry of Education, The Guardian, World Economic Forum, various

08/14/2026

The creek and mudslide menagerie. 😂🙌💦

Some see kids just getting dirty. We see creativity, confidence, courage, determination, problem solving skills, great team work and a connection with nature that will last a lifetime.

08/12/2026

Time travelers of the land: learning about geology and the natural history of the PNW with hands on science experiments, volcano eruptions, making clay fossils, art, examining rocks and crystals, archaeological digs, treasure hunts, and of course it wouldn't be forest school without reading books and climbing trees 📚🌲💞

We're so proud of this group of amazing kids that have grown and learned so much this summer! It was super sweet to get our preschool class together with our naturewise older kids class for a fun activity and rare group photo! 😍

We have a few spaces left in our afterschool and NatureWise classes this coming school year!

Message us now to schedule a tour and see the magic for yourself 🧚🏽‍♂️✨🌿

08/10/2026

Summer has been full of fun with the wild ones of Fern Gully Forest! Some of our faves from last week: making friends and sharing our art and ❤️
🦊playing animal inspired games,
🌲gaining confidence climbing trees,
🪵creating with nature,
🪶finding treasures, and
💦 cooling off in the creek

07/14/2026

Summer is great, but they need this all year! We offer seasonal programs year-round for kids, because we know the science and benefits of nature connection and play-based learning.

If they can't listen and are bouncing off the walls, don't make them sit still or punish them, take away the walls and let them play!

07/12/2026

Creating Apple Stamps. Oh the wonder and joy of the kids discovering the secret star in the center ⭐️👏✨🌿🌸

07/09/2026

We're Myth Busting today! The adult Cabbage White butterflies (not moths) are highly active pollinators that emerge in early spring and are drawn to a wide array of blooming plants. 🌼💗🦋

However, the caterpillars have a ferocious craving for cabbage and broccoli. 🥦🐛

07/08/2026

Hand made mindful fidget toys from the forest 🤗💛🌿🧚🏼✨

07/04/2026

One of the kids fave things this week was the creation of Kevin, the sand man 😂

They worked so well together digging, building, and decorating his head with a beautiful flower crown 👑🌼🌸🌼🌸🌼

They also enjoyed making fairy houses and reading books by the fire 🔥