Past Programs

Nature Buddies- Fall & Spring

Southern New Milford 11:30 am

Making Connections For: all ages along with their caregiver (not a drop off program)

Participants in this program partake in outdoor experiential learning opportunities with a balanced mix of guided lessons and open exploration. Caregivers stay on the premises and engage with their child and other grownups to build a community of like-minded nature-loving families.

The goal of these classes, aside from cultivating a love of the great outdoors, is to help children build social emotional resiliency, social skills, group bonding, emotional regulation and self confidence through a mix of organized collaborative learning and unstructured exploration and play. These are far from a “sit and listen” type of class; families can feel free to participate in whatever way works best for them to get the most benefit of our time together. Caregivers should plan to learn and play alongside their child while experiencing all the benefits nature has to offer. 

The benefits of multi-age socialization are plentiful. The seasoned explorers tend to be leaders for the younger ones, giving them confidence and a sense of responsibility, and it helps the younger children to experience the lessons naturally illuminated by their older peers. I’ve observed great self-confidence and positivity in children who play and explore alongside one another in a mixed-age group.