Forest Fridays!

(6 week sessions for K-6th grade)

2024/2025 School Year Registration Now Open

Forest Fridays! are designed to keep your child active, inquisitive, and engaged in learning about their world.  These screen-free mornings will provide a healthy dose of face-to-face peer interactions in a multi-sensory natural setting. Programming will focus on nature exploration, creative play, and problem solving, centered around our theme for that session.  These enrichment offerings build real world context for a wide range of science and STEM concepts that your child will utilize throughout their educational journey.

2024/2025 School Year:

Session ONE: September 20, September 27, October 4, October 11, October 18, October 25

Session TWO: November 8, November 15, November 22, (No Class Nov. 29), December 6, December 13, December 20

Session THREE: January 17, January 24, January 31, February 7, (No Class Feb. 14), February 21, February 28

Session FOUR: March 21, March 28, April 4, April 11, (No Class April 18), April 25, May 2

All sessions held from 9:00 AM- 12 Noon

$220 / 6 week session


Follow us on Instagram or Facebook to stay up to date and see pictures from previous sessions!

Sign up below or contact us to learn more!

 What to Expect

 

Schedule

9:00 AM  Check-in and Welcome

Theme of the Day Activities

Snack

Nature Exploration (hike, stream study, etc)

Noon - Sign out and Salutations

What to Bring

  • Clothing appropriate for current weather conditions 

  • Shoes that can get muddy 

  • Small, healthy snack

  • Water bottled labeled with child’s name

  • Rain boots optional (to be worn for stream exploration)

  • Change of clothes (just in case!)

  • Towel (used to dry off if wet and/or sit on)

What We Provide

  • Safe and nurturing environment where your child can take healthy risks while pursuing endless nature exploration and scientific inquiry

FAQ

 

Will each Forest Friday! 6 Week Session be the same?

No. Each Forest Friday! will have the same general structure for the day but each 6 week session will have a different theme. Certain similar outdoor exploration may happen each week such as free play in our nature play space, hiking, or exploring the meandering streams, but no two Forest Fridays! will be exactly the same. Your child can come for just one of the 6 week sessions or sign up for all 3 of the 6 week sessions this school year!

Is this a drop off program? 

Yes, sign your child in at 9:00 and then we will see you again at noon. Head for a cup of tea or coffee, read a book, hit the rail trails for a hike, or run errands. Enjoy some time to yourself while your child has a blast at Forest Fridays! And rest assured that all adults that are helping during our mornings together are excellent with children and have submitted their clearances to Rooted & Free Nature School.

Will my child get messy? 

Most likely, yes! And that is a wonderful sign of having a fabulous morning in nature!

What is Rooted and Free’s COVID-19 Response?

Please see our dedicated COVID-19 Response page.

What if the weather is bad?

Your child should come dressed for the full range of current weather conditions.  Home base is under a large covered pavilion that will protect us from most weather conditions. It also has canvas flaps all around it that we can lower to provide an enclosed space. On days when temperatures drop below freezing, we also have the option of using the pavilion’s built in fireplace that will give us a cozy place to warm up. In the case of unexpected severe weather we will take cover indoors.  We will follow Palmyra Area School District’s inclement weather decision.  You will be contacted if there’s a delay or closing for PASD, and we will reschedule that session.

What if my child is sick?

Please keep your child home if they are ill, for their sake and the sake of others.  Registration is non-refundable, but we will be sure to send home details of what our morning looked like. If there were any resources given to the children on the day they are home sick, we will be sure to send those home with them the following week.

If my child has a cold, do they need to stay home?

We understand young children regularly have coughs and sniffles and fevers that seem to come from nowhere and often disappear with no explanation.  Due to the spreading nature of COVID-19, we at Rooted & Free Nature School will be taking extra precautions and ask that our families help by closely monitoring the health and symptoms of your child before school each day. (Symptoms as listed by the CDC are below) If you are concerned your child has COVID-19, please talk to your pediatrician about the need for testing.  If you are unsure about whether to send your child back to school, please contact us.  We will refer to the most current CDC recommendations and welcome discussion on what that means for each situation.  Our goal is  to keep all lines of communication open and transparent.  Guidelines are constantly changing.  We can work together to make the best decision for all.

The following illness guidelines are taken directly from the CDC website concerning early childhood/education programs. 

Parents should pay particular attention to:

  • Fever (temperature 100.4 ºF or higher)

  • Sore throat

  • New uncontrolled cough that causes difficulty breathing (for a child with chronic allergic/asthmatic cough, see if there is a change from their usual cough)

  • Diarrhea, vomiting, or stomachache

  • New onset of severe headache, especially with a fever

If you or your child(ren) have had a “known” exposure (you were in direct contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case for longer than 15 minutes) we ask that you follow the recommended quarantine guidelines.  Any changes to our response based on changing CDC recommendations will be communicated to our families via our website and email.

Can I pay by cash or check?

We encourage you to use the online payment option, however, if you prefer to pay by cash or check please contact us.

Any questions we didn’t answer? 

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have!