Now Enrolling for 2025 Spring & Summer Sessions!
Spring 2025 Saturday Session Information
Sessions are held at the Shoals Forest School site in Florence, Alabama.
Please make sure you complete your child’s enrollment form in its entirety.
Cost per session: $40.00 per child
Children must be toilet trained and comfortable using a camp toilet or LNT principles.
Children must be able to follow age-appropriate directions.
Ignite your child’s curiosity (and appetite!) as they learn fire safety, cook campfire snacks, and enjoy storytelling and fun around the fire. A perfect day of teamwork and delicious outdoor adventure.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a nature-inspired twist! Kids will search for "love notes" in the forest, learn about animal pairs, and craft their own woodland Valentines using natural treasures.
Get ready for St. Patrick’s Day fun! From building leprechaun traps to creating rainbow art and “gold” treasures, this session will spark creativity and celebrate the luck of the Irish in the great outdoors.
Discover the tiny wonders of the forest! Kids will investigate insects up close, build bug-friendly habitats, and learn why even the smallest creatures are important to the ecosystem.
Immerse your little one in the magic of nature as they enjoy storytime under the trees and create their own nature journal filled with drawings, discoveries, and creative writing inspired by the forest.
Explore the hidden wonders of winter! Kids will investigate tree bark, moss, and deadwood habitats while creating bark rubbings and nature collages that showcase the beauty of the season.
Tune into nature's music as kids explore forest sounds, create their own instruments from natural materials, and sing along to forest-themed songs. A day full of rhythm, melody, and fun!
Learn how weather shapes the forest! Kids will make weather instruments, observe cloud patterns, and uncover how animals adapt to weather changes in this fun, hands-on science adventure.
Spring Sprouts: Growing in the Forest
Spring Break 2025
Session Information
Sessions are held at the Shoals Forest School site in Florence, Alabama.
Please make sure you complete your child’s enrollment form in its entirety.
Cost per session: $200.00 per child
A non-refundable deposit of $100.00 per child is required to confirm enrollment.
Children must be toilet trained and comfortable using a camp toilet or LNT principles.
Children must be able to follow age-appropriate directions.
Celebrate the magic of spring at Shoals Forest School! From planting a vibrant garden to discovering the wonders of animal babies and the food that grows in Northwest Alabama, your child will enjoy four days of hands-on learning, play, and exploration. Join us for a week of growth, both in the forest and in young minds!
Summer Session Information
Sessions are held at the Shoals Forest School site in Florence, Alabama.
Please make sure you complete your child’s enrollment form in its entirety.
Cost per session: $200.00 per child
A non-refundable deposit of $100.00 per child is required to confirm enrollment.
Children must be toilet trained and comfortable using a camp toilet or LNT principles.
Children must be able to follow age-appropriate directions.
Individualized Skill Development Matters
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Literacy Skills
Storytelling, continued dialogue about our weekly book, playing “I Spy” and other identification games, comparing and contrasting information, singing, descriptive conversations about things they find, and reflections of their day encourage skills that build literacy.
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Numeracy Skills
Numeracy skills grow in a forest school environment by solving problems, recognizing shapes of outdoor elements (plants, trees, clouds, etc.), counting items, addition and subtraction, understanding patterns, sorting, measuring, and keeping time.
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Cognitive Skills
Children build their cognitive skills through thinking critically, developing their literacy and numeracy skills, making connections with science and ecology, and growing their creativity while attending forest school.
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Social Skills
Leadership, teamwork, compassion, helpfulness, independence, cooperation, and personal space are social skills fostered in the forest school environment.
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Emotional Skills
Resiliency, good judgment, risk assessment, adaptability, and the development of wonder and awe are all examples of emotional skills built in forest school experiences.
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Physical Skills
Physical skills are often the most obvious because they can be seen. We facilitate physical growth by providing opportunities for building gross motor and fine motor skills, core strength, balance, development of the senses, and endurance. Every single day we will actively play and explore.
“Outside, quiet children start to talk more and children who find it hard to be constrained begin to relax. Children need to be outside long enough to feel at home there.”
— Emma Shaw