Wild Roots Forest School - Santa Barbara
An Experiential Forest School for Young Children Where Wonder, Love and Wisdom Grow
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Wild Roots offers a curriculum rich in direct experience with Nature that nurtures a sense of community and belonging among children, families and the land. Drawing on a deep understanding and continuous exploration of child development, our small class size, high adult/child ratios, and the curriculum provide a foundation of respect for the developmental process and the unique unfolding of each child.
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Wild Roots meets in local, natural spaces. The sky is our ceiling, the trees are our walls, and the floor is the living Earth. Our students learn to identify local flora and fauna, recognize patterns in nature, build physical prowess, agility, and confidence, and develop a solid foundation for lifelong learning. Our classes are busy foraging, recognizing plants that can heal or harm us, tracking and observing animals, observing changes on the land, painting, drawing, crafting, and playing in nature’s playground. Using wild harvested materials in our play and work helps us to experience our interdependence through all of our senses.
With a strong daily rhythm, our classes are infused with songs, games, poetry, storytelling, and plays. This creative work develops, among a wide array of skills and qualities, a keen memory, a rich vocabulary, the firm foundation for future literacy, and a strong sense of rhythm. Our imagination acts as a bond between ourselves and nature, helping us to develop reverence, understanding, and compassion. Daily, the land offers a host of new adventures to spark the natural curiosity and imagination of each child.
What we love, we are likely to protect, and to love something we must know it. Natural settings afford the children direct experience with a world not made by humans where we can feel ourselves a part of a larger community of life.
With a strong daily rhythm, our classes are infused with songs, games, poetry, storytelling, and plays. This creative work develops, among a wide array of skills and qualities, a keen memory, a rich vocabulary, the firm foundation for future literacy, and a strong sense of rhythm. Our imagination acts as a bond between ourselves and nature, helping us to develop reverence, understanding, and compassion. Daily, the land offers a host of new adventures to spark the natural curiosity and imagination of each child.
What we love, we are likely to protect, and to love something we must know it. Natural settings afford the children direct experience with a world not made by humans where we can feel ourselves a part of a larger community of life.