Out Back Learning LLC

🍎 Snack Time: Fan Favorite 🍎

This fan-favorite snack for the Out Backers is called Apple Nachos, and let me tell you—it is a very simple recipe!

🍎 1 Apple, thinly sliced
🥥 Coconut Flakes
🍫 Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips (yes, they exist 😋)
🌰 Almond Butter

The best part? The Out Backers love helping prepare this healthy and delicious snack.

A big thank you to Mrs. Emily for introducing the Out Backers to this amazing recipe! It has quickly become a favorite around Out Back Learning LLC.

Join me each week for the Out Back Learning Snack Time & Baking Edition, where I'll share some of the simple recipes and food experiences our Out Backers enjoy.

Parents, if you're interested in learning more about our nature-based program, tours are available this Friday from 11:30 AM–1:30 PM.

You can also join us for our Open House & International MUD DAY Celebration on Friday, June 13th from 10:00 AM–12:00 PM! 🌿🤎

Send us a message or comment below to schedule a tour. We'd love to show you what makes Out Back Learning such a special place for young children to learn, explore, and grow.

🐔 Scoop, Pour, Repeat = 🐔Feeding Time

Feeding the City Chicks is one of the Out Backers' favorite activities! Whether it's their favorite snacks or daily feed, the Out Backers take turns scooping and pouring into the feeding bowl.

What may look like a simple chore is actually an important learning opportunity. This type of movement helps strengthen fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and the same motions children use when feeding themselves, serving food, or pouring their own drinks.

As an educator, I love watching children build independence through real-life experiences. At Out Back Learning, we believe meaningful learning happens when children are actively engaged in caring for living things and participating in everyday responsibilities. 🌱

Parent/guardian permission was provided for this Out Backer to be filmed and shared as part of showcasing their experience in the program and what nature-based learning can look like at Out Back Learning.

🌿 Join us for our Open House & International MUD DAY Celebration on June 13th from 10:00 AM–12:00 PM!

Send a message or comment below to schedule a tour. We'd love to show you what learning looks like Out Back Learning LLC ! 🌻🐥🌱

🌿🎉 Join Us for Our Open House & International MUD DAY Celebration! 🎉🌿

Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 13th from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM and come experience what makes Out Back Learning such a special place for young children to learn, play, and grow.
Get ready for muddy fun, outdoor exploration, nature-based learning, and a chance to tour our unique home-based program. Whether you're currently enrolled, considering enrollment, or simply curious about what we do, we'd love to meet you!

📅 Saturday, June 13th ⏰ 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Send us a message or comment below to schedule a tour.

You don't want to miss this event! We will be debuting something very special that day, and we can't wait to share it with our Out Back families and community. 🌱✨

Who's ready to celebrate International MUD DAY with us? 🤎🌿

🌱 The Garden Is More Than Just Gardening 🌱
This week, the Out Backers spent extra time preparing our garden beds for summer planting. On the surface, it may look like children are simply digging in the dirt, watering plants, and getting messy. But as an early childhood educator, I see so much more happening.

As we prepared the soil, the children learned a seven-step process:

🌻 Pull old plants
🌻 Chop the soil
🌻 Turn the soil over
🌻 Add new soil
🌻 Spread the soil
🌻 Water
🌻 Till again

What we're really working on is sequencing.

When children learn concepts like first, next, then, and afterwards, they are developing skills that support problem-solving, following directions, literacy, and kindergarten readiness. The garden also provides opportunities to build vocabulary through meaningful experiences. Words like soil, roots, compost, seedling, basil, and mint become part of a child's working vocabulary because they are actively engaged in the process.

Many people think academics happen at a table with a worksheet. At Out Back Learning, academics happen while caring for a garden, feeding chickens, exploring nature, and solving real-life problems.

For my fellow educators and families who love understanding the "why" behind our activities, this experience aligns with several Teaching Strategies GOLD® objectives:

🌱 Objective 8: Listens to and understands increasingly complex language as children follow multi-step directions.

🌱 Objective 9: Uses an expanding expressive vocabulary through gardening terms and sequencing language.

🌱 Objective 11: Demonstrates positive approaches to learning through curiosity, persistence, engagement, and problem-solving.

🌱 Objective 12: Remembers and connects experiences by recalling garden routines and sequencing steps.

🌱 Objective 14: Uses planning and sequencing skills to complete a process from beginning to end.

I like to call these life skills because they are the true foundation of kindergarten readiness. Every time you see an Out Backer watering a plant, harvesting herbs, feeding chickens, or helping prepare a garden bed, know that there is intentional learning taking place beneath the surface.

The best part? The children think they're just having fun. 🌵🌻🦋

🌱 Chick Snacks from the Garden = Brussels Sprouts! 🐥

Each day when the Out Backers arrive, we begin our morning with City Chick activities. Today, this Out Backer harvested Brussels sprouts from the garden and delivered them to the chicks for a special snack. 🌱🐥

Although I didn't grow up with chickens, I was raised to understand responsibility by my parents, and of course, those lessons were reinforced by my grandparents.

I remember the first time my grandmother trusted me with a special task. She said, "Diona, you can dress yourself and put on your shoes." Looking back, it seems like such a small moment, but what she was really saying was, "I trust you, and you can do this."

That lesson has stayed with me throughout my life.

At Out Back Learning, we want our Out Backers to know that we trust them, too. We believe children are capable of doing meaningful work, whether that's feeding the chicks, watering the garden, collecting eggs, caring for plants, or helping their friends. Sometimes the tasks are easy, and sometimes they're challenging, but each experience helps children build confidence, independence, and a sense of responsibility.

For families interested in the learning behind the experience, this activity aligns with Teaching Strategies GOLD® objectives:

🌻 Objective 1: Regulates own emotions and behaviors
Children learn responsibility by following routines, caring for living things, and completing important classroom jobs.

🌻 Objective 11: Demonstrates positive approaches to learning
Children show initiative, engagement, persistence, and confidence as they take ownership of meaningful tasks and contribute to our learning community.

What may look like feeding chickens is actually a powerful lesson in trust, responsibility, and independence. These are the life skills that become the foundation for kindergarten readiness and lifelong learning.

Parent/guardian permission was provided for this Out Backer to be filmed and shared to help showcase their experience in the program and what nature-based learning can look like at Out Back Learning. 🌱

📍 Interested in learning more?

🌵 Tours are available this Friday from 11:30 AM–1:30 PM.

Parent/guardian gave permission for this Out Backer to be filmed and shared to help showcase their experience in the program and what nature-based learning can look like at Out Back Learning 🌱for our Open House & International MUD DAY Celebration on June 13th from 10:00 AM–12:00 PM!

Send a message or comment below to schedule a tour. We'd love to show you what learning looks like Out Back! 🌻🐥🌱

Transparency & Perseverance

Becoming a licensed home-based provider is not for the faint-hearted. I can honestly say this journey has required a tremendous amount of patience, persistence, and faith in the process.

Ironically, in my full-time role as an Early Childhood Education Professor, I teach a 16-week college course on Nutrition, Health, and Safety. Yet, walking through the licensing process myself was humbling in ways I didn't expect.

A few things I learned along the way:

🌱 I completely understand why some providers choose not to become licensed.

🌱 The application process is not always user-friendly. I personally found myself stuck on Section 2 for months.

🌱 Arizona's system can be challenging to navigate with both DES and DHS requirements, which is not typical in many states.

I share this not to be negative, but to be honest. Entrepreneurship, becoming a childcare provider, and building something meaningful often come with frustrations, setbacks, and moments where you question whether it's worth continuing.

If you're a provider, entrepreneur, or anyone working toward a big goal, I hope this encourages you to keep going. The path isn't always straight, but progress is still progress.

I also want to express my gratitude to the ESBC team through Early Childhood Business Solutions Southwest Human Development for their FREE business coaching services. Many of our conversations were filled with encouragement and reminders that Cochise County is a childcare desert and families need quality care and educational opportunities.

At Out Back Learning LLC , our slogan is Nature • Home • Community. Looking back, I'm grateful I stayed the course, worked through the challenges, and didn't give up.

Sometimes perseverance isn't glamorous. Sometimes it's simply choosing to keep going one step at a time.

LicensedProvider Perseverance Transparency SmallBusinessOwner CochiseCounty

One of my favorite childhood memories was watching my Grandmother water her garden. There was something so peaceful and meaningful about caring for growing things together. 🌱💦

Now, in Out Back Learning LLC we get to pass those same traditions on to our Out Backers. Each session, children have opportunities to water garden plants, harvest what we’ve grown, and sow new seeds while learning patience, responsibility, and care for nature.
Sometimes the smallest moments become the biggest memories. 💚🪴

Parent/guardian gave permission for this Out Backer to be filmed and shared to help showcase their experience in the program and what nature-based learning can look like at Out Back Learning 🌱

Parents, if you’re interested in learning more, tours are available this Friday from 11:30a-1:30p, or join us for our Open House & International MUD DAY celebration on June 13th from 10a-12p! Send a message or comment belowto schedule a tour.

Happy Sunday, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

There's something special about seeing a community come together to support young children and families. ❤️

I truly enjoyed meeting so many wonderful families and connecting with local organizations and services throughout Sierra Vista. Events like these remind me how important it is for families to have access to resources, support, and meaningful connections within their community.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hello, share your stories, and learn more about Out Back Learning. It was a joy meeting each of you!

Were you at the event? Let me know your favorite part in the comments below! 🌿😊

🌿🐦 Join Out Back Learning at the Create & Connect Event! 🐦🌿

Looking for something fun to do with your little one this weekend? Stop by and visit Out Back Learning at the Create & Connect Event happening tomorrow from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM at the mall!

We'll be creating bird feeders with children and sharing a little bit about how hands-on nature experiences help children learn, explore, and connect with the world around them.

At Out Back Learning, we believe some of the best learning happens when children can create, discover, and get their hands a little messy in the process. 🌱

✨ Come say hello! ✨ Make a bird feeder to take home. ✨ Learn more about our nature-based learning programs. ✨ Meet other families in our community.

We can't wait to see you there! Let us know in the comments if you'll be stopping by. 🐦🌿💚