A NEW program for children ages 3-5 and their caregivers. Fall sessions start soon!!
New Fall Sessions
Session 1: Saturday, September 27th, 12-1:30 pm – Autumn’s Embrace: A Harvest Gathering
Session 2: Saturday, October 18th, 12-1:30 pm– The Grove of Nature Spirits: Discover your inner magic
Session 3: Saturday, November 9th, 12-1:30 pm – Nature Dens: Preparing for Winter’s sleep
Session 4: Saturday, December 7th, 12-1:30 pm – Welcoming Winter: Forest Crafts and Light Exploration
Cost: $25 per guided nature-based immersion and sensory play session (or $90 for all 4 sessions)
Cost is per family – More than 1 caregiver and child can be included in a family.
Location: The location may vary for each session date, but will be held at either one of our Forest School locations in south Gainesville. Details and directions to location will be provided a few days before the session date.
Session Details
Session 1: Autumn’s Embrace: A Harvest Gathering
In this 90-minute outdoor session, children will explore the gifts of the harvest season through vegetable stamping, stirring autumn leaf “mud soup,” painting with plants, and listening to a heartfelt story that celebrates gratitude and gathering. As little hands collect acorns, leaves, and seed pods, young hearts learn to appreciate the rhythms of the earth and the joy found in the changing season. Parents can also relax in a calm and supportive community surrounded by the gentle beauty of fall. Join us to nurture thankfulness and wonder as we welcome autumn together in nature’s embrace.
Session 2: The Grove of Nature Spirits: Discover Your Inner Magic
Step into a magical forest adventure created for curious preschool explorers. Guided by gentle “nature spirits,” children will discover qualities like courage, kindness, curiosity, patience, and joy. Each virtue is brought to life with flowers, leaves, colorful ribbons, mirrors for exploring facial expressions and emotions, and other natural treasures to touch, see, and explore. During this 90-minute outdoor session, children will visit different nature stations and discover how these qualities live within themselves as they balance, create, search, and play. Parents can also relax and connect in a calm and supportive community surrounded by the beauty of the forest school. Join us to nurture your child’s inner strengths and spark a lifelong connection with nature’s magic!
Session 3: Nature Dens: Preparing for Winter’s Sleep
As the forest quiets and leaves drift softly to the ground, we gather to honor the gentle pause before winter’s rest. In this 90-minute outdoor session, children will explore the rhythms of the woods as they prepare for the coming season of sleep and renewal. Children can enjoy crafting nature suncatchers with contact paper, craft a “den” from forest treasures, and enjoy a nature-themed story time. These activities invite children to notice the beauty in stillness and the wisdom of slowing down. Together, we’ll also learn in simple ways about hibernation and how animals in Florida prepare for their winter rest. Come join us to nurture calm, wonder, and connection as we listen to the whispers of the winter woods.
Session 4: Welcoming Winter: Forest Crafts and Light Exploration
Join us for a cozy morning in the forest. In this 90-minute outdoor session, preschool-aged children will enjoy festive activities that spark creativity and wonder: decorating allergen-free gingerbread cookies, crafting unique snowflakes, and exploring the magic of light and dark with a hands-on light exploration bin. This joyful gathering invites children to imagine, create, and play while caregivers share in the season’s magic. Parents are welcome to relax and connect in a calm and supportive space as children explore with natural and seasonal materials. Come celebrate winter’s wonder with us through creativity, connection, and discovery. Note: allergen-free gingerbread cookies will be vegan and gluten-free.
To register, please follow these steps:
1. Click on the green “Registration Payment” button below to pay and choose which session you’d like to attend.
2. Fill out registration form below.
