Schedule - Curriculum - Location - Instructors - Community - Registration - Contact

Tracks & Tales Nature School is designed to give children a foundation in outdoor exploration and creative expression by using games, songs, stories, art projects, and the natural bounty of a pristine, mature northwest forest.

In the past decade, more and more people have been turning to "nature education." Books such as Nature Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv, Sharing Nature with Children by Joseph Cornell, and Coyote’s Guide to Connecting Kids with Nature by Jon Young and Ellen Haas, help teach the lost art of tracking, exploring edible and medicinal plants, and other nearly forgotten practices that bring each of us into balance with the Earth, ourselves, and our community.

We currently offer a multi-age program on Wednesdays from September through May (see below) to supplement your child's education. We offer a flexible schedule: come weekly, or once or twice a month from 10am until 2pm. As our school grows, we will be offering academics and more in-depth programs while always keeping our focus on nurturing nature, community and self.

Tracks & Tales is part of the Natural Learning Center.

Daily Schedule:

This is an example of one day’s activities, however we use the flow learning model to follow natural curiosity and encourage serendipity. The day is outlined and always has room for improvisation to what is happening in the moment.

Our curriculum is based on seven branches of activity.

• Story circles, where children and teachers share real and imaginative stories about their outdoor experiences, bringing our group together and setting the theme of the day.
  
  
• Song and dance kick start the day and get our blood moving. Singing songs written with the students’ words helps empower children to create. Group games like Eagle Eye, Run Rabbits Run, Foxtail, Lynx and Fawn and Drip Drip Splash help the children form relationships with their peers.
  
  
• On Nature Walkabouts we will freely explore fir and cedar forests, growing gross motor skills and learning about our ecosystem. With three teachers, we are free to divide up into groups based on age or interest.
  
  
• Plant and Animal study will take many forms, including identification in the wild, drawing and pretend play. We will learn how to walk like a mountain lion, chirp like a wren, feel the forest floor like a raccoon and smell like a coyote. We will learn the edible and poisonous plants and animals, fire safety, navigation and how to be found when lost.
  
  
• With art projects, students will exercise their imagination and develop the ability to articulate thoughts and feelings. Crafts help build fine motor skills, and teach the principles of the physical world. Working with raw materials helps to build a strong connection to and understanding of nature. We will draw, paint, sculpt, weave and do many other crafts within the children’s ability.
  

• The Seven Directions model and Earth Fire develops spatial awareness and establishes a foundation from which the children can create anything they choose. The Seven Directions are Earth, Sky, East, South, West, North and Center. Earth Fire is the creativity that comes from the center of the Earth and our own hearts, giving everyone the power to create joy, kindness and knowledge from within oneself. We teach that each of us is an environment, connected to the larger environment of our ecosystem, part of the entire planet, and that the health of all three are connected. The Seven Directions and Earth Fire is universal knowledge held by all native people.
  
  
• Free playtime, where children can choose their own games and activities, interact and pretend with each other, and develop connections to nature ... without even knowing it! Unscheduled time to imagine, pretend, and follow our interests is the way that we grow to be independent critical thinkers, and fully aware of our own gifts and talents. Guest teachers, special programs and field trips bring surprises each quarter.

We recommend the Wilderness Awareness School's research page for more information about why nature-based learning is so important.

Our program is based in the beautiful forests available just minutes from the heart of Duvall, Washington. Acres of pristine, mature forests and streams provide infinite natural exploration. Contact us for our exact address.

Guest teachers will include instructors who teach at the Wilderness Awareness School as well as local musicians and artists.

Because children learn best from following and teaching other children, we use a multiage approach and are open to children of all ages. Our programs are tailored to focus on each child's and each group's abilities and interests, including mentoring skills.

There is also a $30 one time registration fee per student or $50 per family. Needs-based scholarships are available.

Children less than 30 months old need to be accompanied by a parent or caregiver. Our child / teacher ratio is never more than 8 to 1.

Click here to download our registration form (as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file). And click here to pay online.

Don't see the program you're looking for? Use the form, below, to write us and tell us what you'd like to see! We love creating new programs!

Please fill out the form below to arrange a visit, RSVP, sign up, or inquire further.

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	Your message: If you include your phone number and a good time to call, we'll be happy to call you. Registration forms and other correspondance may be mailed to us at: Tracks & Tales Nature School 15321 Main St. NE, Ste 102 PMB 124 P.O. Box 5000 Duvall, WA 98019