Forest Kindergarten Overview

Delight, discovery, and adventure fill the outdoor days of the Earthroots Forest Kindergarten. Forest Kindergarten is a nature immersion program for children ages 3-6 and their caregivers. Nature is the teacher in this child-driven program, where students learn through hands-on discovery and play. Earthroots classes cultivate compassion, gratitude, and reverence for the natural world. 

The day has a rhythmic flow that includes morning circle, songs, shared snack, journaling, quiet sit, storytime, a wander around Big Oak Canyon, and plenty of time for child-led play and exploration. Each day of Forest Kindergarten has a nature based theme that starts with a letter of the alphabet. The day’s story, journal, and activity connect to the theme and letter. 

New themes are introduced each week, but as children love rhythm and repetition, many songs, gratitude blessings, verses, and games are repeated throughout the year. Songs and verses are chosen to blend fun animal lessons, seasonal changes, earth connection, and a variety of languages. Hands-on activities bring the story of the land to life, nurturing a deep connection to the natural world. Children learn to identify plants, look for animal tracks and nests, notice the phases of the moon, grow food from seeds, and use what they find on the land to make useful tools and crafts. We support (and learn from) the Indigenous perspective that the Earth is not a resource, but rather a deeply respected relative who cares for us, and whom we care for in return. 

Earthroots Forest Kindergarten offers many correlations to Kindergarten California Common Core State Standards, and Earthroots is a state-approved vendor for many local charter schools. Safety and nature connection are Earthroots’ top priorities. Letters and numbers will be introduced through oral storytelling and practiced with full body and sensory activities.

Parent/Caregiver Participation

These parents express their time at Forest Kindergarten well, “It was wonderful, I also learned so much!” and“Big Oak always delivers! Peaceful, like a deep breath for my soul.“

Earthroots requires parents to attend Forest Kindergarten with their child. We offer the following guidelines for parent participants:

  • Please model exemplary attentive behavior and full engagement during circle and activity times.
  • We recommend parents to bring a personal handwork project and to practice being benign parental presences during wilderness exploration times.
  • Parents may drop off independent older children (older than 4 years 9 months) pending instructor approval. Parents must attend the first one or two classes with their child, after which the instructors will let you know if they may be dropped off for future classes. Instructors will be looking for readiness skills including but not limited to being able to follow directions, use the restroom independently, staying with the group, and carrying their own backpack. 

    We recommend parents read Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature by Jon Young and Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne to better understand Earthroots mentoring philosophies.

Session Information

Forest Kindergarten begins in September and ends in late May. Classes fill on a first come first served basis. While most families enroll for the full year to experience the changing seasons and growing friendships, we also offer the option to enroll in either Fall or Spring sessions when space is available*. Each session is 16 weeks long, similar to the semesters of the academic year. 

*Session rates (Fall or Spring) are slightly higher than paying for a full year.

Class Details

WHO: Children ages 3-6 with parent/caregiver. We strive to maintain a ratio of no more than 7 students to 1 Earthroots Mentor.

WHERE: Big Oak Canyon* (in Silverado Canyon) | *The first few fall classes are typically held at Moulton Meadows or other coastal locations for cooler weather during the hot months.

WHEN: Tuesdays | 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Spring 2025 Semester ONLY: January 21 – May 13, 2025 (16 classes)

HOW: Click the Register Now button on this page (once registration opens). We require a deposit of $250 or full payment to hold your spot.

Your deposit can either be refunded at the end of the term, rolled over to hold your spot in a future semester, or held on account for additional program or purchase (up to 18 months).

If your child is attending a charter school, visit our Charter School page for more information about paying with Charter Funds.

Sibling Policy

Siblings who are within the age range of class (3-6 years old) must be registered as a regular participant. Siblings outside the age range of class (age 2 or older than 6) are called ACORNS. We invite ACORNS to attend with their parents. There is a $35 fee per day for siblings ages 2 years old or older than 6. There is no additional charge for children younger than 2 years old. Payment for ACORNS must be received at least one week prior to the date of class.


Registration Information

Registration information and payment must be received by us prior to the first day of class. Your registration is complete only when we have received payment in our office. If space allows, we may accept late registration once the session has begun. Class fees will be pro-rated after the first month of the session and a $50 late fee will apply.

Review our registration and cancellation policies and procedures HERE.

2025 Pricing

TUESDAY – Forest Kindergarten Class

Private Payment Rate

Spring 2024 Session Only: January 21 – May 13, 2025 (16 classes)

$1385 for first child/$1335 per additional sibling

Please contact us at [email protected] about monthly installment rates.

Note: Students can enroll mid-year pending space availability. The class fee would be based on the number of classes remaining in the session/year.

Drop-In Rate
$90 per child per class
Drop-in classes are available for age-appropriate siblings of children currently enrolled in the class, when space is available. To schedule a drop-in date please contact us for availability [email protected]

Payments

Please note that processing fees will apply to online payments. In order for Earthroots to retain 100% of the price for this class, we kindly request that you check the box on the registration form to make an additional donation to cover the online processing fees (3.2% of the class total). Otherwise, to avoid the fees altogether, we invite you to make an offline payment via Zelle ([email protected]) OR by mailing in a check to:

Earthroots Field School
P.O. Box 504
Trabuco Canyon, CA 92678

Along with the check or in the Zelle comment box, please include the following information:

  • Student(s) Name
  • Parent/Guardian Name
  • Class you’re registering for (Class Name | Semester or Full Year)
  • Email
  • Phone number

Refer to class payment amounts above or simply send in the $250 deposit (per child) if you intend to make monthly payments.


Scholarships Available

Earthroots is committed to creating nature connection opportunities for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) participants and families in need.

For more information, email us at [email protected]