Greenwood Grove + Riverside Forest School

What does it mean to cultivate joy in our lives and the lives of our children? How do we help children continue to experience the joy that is so natural to them throughout their lives? We have a few ideas...

https://riversideforestschool.org/2025/09/08/the-first-days-of-forest-school-choosing-courage-cultivating-joy/

The First Days of Forest School: Choosing Courage, Cultivating Joy Our first week of Forest School is finished. I was scared. Truly. When my incredible child care licensor first visited my home over three years ago, she looked around and said, “You seem like you& #…

🚍💛 Meet Hermi — our cozy yellow classroom on wheels! 💛🚍

With our After-School Program launching Tuesday, we thought it was the perfect time to introduce one of our favorite team members. Hermi helps us bring joy, curiosity, and all our outdoor learning gear to Riverside State Park and beyond.

Why a school bus instead of a van? What makes Hermi so special?
Read the full story here 👉

🔗 https://riversideforestschool.org/2025/08/30/why-we-chose-a-school-bus-and-fell-in-love-with-hermi

If you see us at Bowl & Pitcher, give us a wave! 🌲

Why We Chose a School Bus (and Fell in Love With Hermi) If you’ve been part of our learning community for a while, you already know him. He’s big, yellow, and surprisingly comfy — for a bus! His name is Hermi — short for Hermiston, the city in Oregon wh…

🍇✨ Love huckleberries? Curious where and how to pick them around Spokane? ✨🍇

Huckleberry picking is one of my favorite outdoor traditions — it feels almost magical, and it’s even better when shared with friends and family. 🌿

I just wrote a blog to help demystify Spokane huckleberries — from how to spot them, when they’re ripe, to the best places to pick. Plus, I’m inviting you to join us for a FREE guided Huckleberry Day on Mount Spokane!

Ready to find those sweet berries? Check out the full post and register for the event here:
https://riversideforestschool.org/2025/08/12/demystifying-spokane-huckleberries/

Demystifying Spokane Huckleberries I absolutely love huckleberries. To me, picking them is almost a spiritual experience. Every year, my family heads out together, and I often bring along friends who haven’t picked huckleberries in …

5 minutes to easier transitions. How short meditations are helping our group.

It Only Takes 5 Minutes How 5-Minute Meditations Help with Transitions Transitions are known to be challenging for young children — but let’s be honest, they’re hard for everyone. I’ve noticed lately that we’ve been strug…

Learning in the forest? Yes, please! 🌲

Riverside Forest School is our after-school child care program rooted in social-emotional learning, mindfulness, and community connection. At the heart of everything we do is a deep commitment to helping children build a strong foundation for joyful, meaningful lives—and to embodying that joy ourselves.

Curious what Forest School means to us? I wrote a blog post to share our perspective. Check it out:
👉

What is Forest School, anyway? And is it right for your child? Forest School can look like a lot of different things. In our area, we have a wide range of outdoor learning opportunities  —  from homeschool partnerships…

For a long time, I dreamed of becoming a teacher. Later, I dreamed of creating a retreat center: somewhere far from the noise, a nourishing space where people could slow down and reconnect.

I still believe in the power of retreat. But my dream has shifted. I no longer want to leave the world behind. I want to build peace within it. Right here, in my neighborhood. Among grocery store runs, forest walks, and story times at the library.

I’ve realized that I am a teacher. Not in the traditional sense, but in the way I create safe, grounded spaces for children and families. In the way I teach mindfulness, connection, and self-acceptance. In the way I help build a sense of belonging that ripples beyond our classroom.

My newest dream, and one I now share with others, is Greenwood Grove + Riverside Forest School, and eventually Riverside Forest School alone: a nonprofit rooted in nature, community, and collaboration. It’s not just mine anymore. It’s ours.

So I’m opening up and trying to share more. Because I love what I do. And because in order for it to thrive, it needs to be seen.

Will you help make this dream real? Sign up for our email list. We promise it’s beautiful and not overwhelming. Share our work with your community. Let's grow this together.

https://riversideforestschool.org/2025/07/06/thank-you/

Thank you Holding hands as we cross the final street and the community garden comes into view, I feel little fingers begin to squirm, eager to break free. They were just here yesterday, yet they can hardly w…

Holding hands as we cross the final street, the community garden in sight, I feel little hands squirming to get free. They were just here yesterday, yet they can hardly wait to run to their garden beds. Every day, their garden has changed a little. Every day, they are bursting with joy and excitement to see their space. First they look at their own, then they look at the whole.
"A NEW FLOWER!!"
"MY WATERMELON IS GROWING!"
"A CUCUMBER!!"
They each have a space that feels like home. And together, they are a neighborhood. It is both their own and ours together. A tiny living community.

TL;DR: Greenwood Grove is partnering with our new nonprofit, Riverside Forest School! We're launching a fully outdoor After School Program this fall and enrollment is open now! 🌲💚

I haven’t had the capacity to share much about all the exciting things happening for Greenwood Grove and our new nonprofit after school program, Riverside Forest School, so here’s a quick recap:

🌿 Greenwood Grove is our cozy, licensed home-based preschool where we've been planting seeds of wonder, connection, and growth for the last few years.

🌲 Forest Friday helped us realize just how effective, essential, and transformative outdoor learning can be—for kids and grown-ups! Nature has become our classroom, our co-teacher, and our guide.

✨ This fall, we’re thrilled to announce the launch of our After School Program for the 2025–2026 school year! Greenwood Grove is partnering with Riverside Forest School to make this happen. Greenwood Grove remains fully licensed through the state, and Riverside Forest School is operating as a developing, nonprofit program as we work toward our Outdoor Nature-Based Program License through Washington State.

That license will eventually allow us to serve more children in our community, but for now our capacity will remain intentionally small—giving us space to ease into this next chapter with care, presence, and purpose.

📚 We are now enrolling for After School 2025–2026!
💸 We do accept Washington State Working Families subsidies.
📩 Reach out if you have any questions—I’m so excited to grow and learn with you!

https://riversideforestschool.org/2025/07/02/a-new-chapter-in-our-forest-learning-journey/

A New Chapter in Our Forest Learning Journey Exciting News for the 2025–2026 School Year We’re delighted to share that Greenwood Grove is partnering with Riverside Forest School to bring our shared vision of equitable, nature-based, whole-chi…

🌿 Nurturing a Love for Our Planet, One Nature Trip at a Time! 🌎💚

We're on a mission to inspire a deep love for our planet in the hearts of our little explorers! 🌿🌍

Every week, we hop on our trusty school bus, Hermi, and venture into the wonders of nature. 🚌🌳

Our goal is simple: to create memorable outdoor experiences that instill a lifelong appreciation for our beautiful Earth. 🌟🌼

🌿🚌🌏