Airie Forest School
Reggio-Inspired Forest School Enrichment Classes
August - May
At Airie Forest School, children immerse
themselves in a world of wonder.
Seeds
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Ages: 3 - 5 years
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Days: Monday & Wednesday Mornings​
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Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
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Intention: Building confidence, relationships, emotional intelligence, cognitive skills, and a love for nature.
Seeds is a morning Forest School program for young children learning to enjoy nature and weather immersion.
Sprouts
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Ages: 5 - 8 years​
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Children aged 9/10 years may join on a case-by-case basis.​
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Days: Monday Afternoons​
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Time: 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.​​​
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Intention: Experiential learning that fosters nature-based STEAM thinking to support developmental growth outdoors.
Sprouts is a Forest School enrichment program for curious innovators who enjoy learning through nature as part of their homeschooling program.
Expedition Club
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Ages: 5 - 8 years
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Children aged 9/10 years may join on a case-by-case basis.​
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Days: Thursdays ​
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Time: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.​​​
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Intention: To explore various ecosystems in Tennessee alongside other budding nature enthusiasts.
Airie's Expedition Club is an opportunity for homeschoolers to have a place-based outdoor education in the various ecosystems of Middle Tennessee.
Wildlings Club
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Ages: 6 - 10 years
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Children aged 5 years may join on a case-by-case basis.​
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Days: 1 Friday/Month​
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Time: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.​​​
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Intention: To cultivate confidence, resilience, and wilderness awareness through hands-on bushcraft skills learned in nature.
Wildlings Club is a drop-off forest school experience for your homeschooled wildling to learn practical bushcraft skills while building friendships and confidence in the natural world.
The A.F.S. Experience
A PLAYce for an Authentic Childhood
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Rooted in the Forest School philosophy, we provide children with time, space, and tools to take the lead in their learning, developing new skills through hands-on play in the great outdoors.
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Hours of uninterrupted outdoor time immersed in nature
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All-weather experiences
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Rain, Snow, and Sunshine ​
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Experiential Learning in Airie's Outdoor Learning Laboratories​
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Self-directed, hands-on exploratory play
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Process art and creative expression
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Developmentally appropriate curricular experiences embedded in play
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Our teachers and educational facilitators encourage children to engage in open-ended, outdoor play every day.
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Provocations are seasonal, nature-based, and connected to the children's daily discoveries and local ecosystems.
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A holistic instructional approach inspired by the Reggio Emilia educational philosophies.​​​​
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Exclusive events may include bonfires, special visit days, holiday celebrations, campouts, child-led performances, and ceremonies.
Forest Families
Families that enroll in Airie Forest School are seeking to:
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Prioritize playful learning from nature
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Cultivate a diverse and supportive space
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Allow children body autonomy, trust, and responsibility
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Build creative tolerance
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Partner with Airie educators
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Give back to Earth
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Slow down and connect with one another
Children should always arrive dressed for the current weather conditions.
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Parent Play from 8:55 a.m. - 9:10 a.m.
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Outdoor Open-Ended Provocations
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Morning Meeting
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Gentle Hike & Mindfulness
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Storytime
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Adventure Play
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Farewell at 12:00 p.m.
Children are encouraged to monitor their own hunger cues and are welcome to enjoy their personal whole-food snacks in our designated spaces.​
Seeds' Daily Rhythm
Seeds Class
A morning Forest Preschool program for budding naturalists.
The days of early childhood should be filled with the right to choose, move, create, be read to, sing, connect, be outside, ask questions, observe, discuss, reflect, express feelings, make mistakes, and solve problems—all accomplished while playing.
Play-based learning invites your child to:
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Learn and practice focus, flexible thinking, and self-regulation as they plan, adapt, and carry out their ideas.
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Enhance cognitive and process skills.
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Enjoy a rich, holistic foundation for growth and development.
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Explore foundational concepts in biology, physics, and Earth sciences.
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Gently investigate literacy through storytelling, vocabulary, and meaningful communication enhanced with the Jump Into Literacy emergent curricula.
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Connect with passionate educators who value and understand the learning process.​​
The intention of our Forest Preschool is to invite young explorers to take their first steps into the world of outdoor learning and play on a 10-month journey.
Airie Forest School has rolling enrollment from August - May.
Sprouts Class
A Forest School enrichment for wild innovators.
Who? WHOA! What? OOPS! When? WOW! Where? LOOK! Why? YES! How? Let's do that again!
These are the insights we hear from our young explorers. Harnessing the power of children's inquiries enables our students to allow their imaginations to soar. Forest School experiential learning invites the children to:
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Learn to live in rhythm with the land.
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Engage in hands-on experiments and meaningful inquiry by asking their questions and pursuing the answers in nature.
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Explore foundational concepts in biology, physics, chemistry, and Earth sciences.
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Gain confidence and precision while learning bushcraft, such as fire safety, primitive cooking, natural remedies, and using hand tools safely as they are developmentally ready.​
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Practice stewardship by participating in conservation and land care activities.
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Collaborate, listen, and support one another through STEM projects and shared bushcraft experiences supported by the Forest School Adventure, Project Wet, and Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding curricula.
Young children dive into learning through this playful, nature-based class
built for bold discovery.
Airie Forest School has rolling enrollment from August - May.
Children should always arrive dressed for the current weather conditions.
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Arrival at 12:30 p.m.
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Exploration in the Outdoor Learning Labs
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Environmental Science Workshop
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Refresh with Snack, Stories, & Mindfulness
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Forest School
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Chores & Reflection Meeting
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Farewell at 3:00 p.m.​
Children are encouraged to monitor their own hunger cues and are welcome to enjoy their personal whole-food snacks in our designated spaces.
Sprouts' Daily Rhythm
Wildlings' Monthly Meeting
Children should always arrive dressed for the current weather conditions.
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Drop-off at 12:55 p.m.
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Exploration in the Outdoor Learning Labs
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Buschcraft Workshop
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Adventure Play
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Chores & Reflection Meeting
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Farewell at 3:00 p.m.​
Children are encouraged to monitor their own hunger cues and are welcome to enjoy their personal whole-food snacks in our designated spaces.
Wildlings Club
An Adventure for Every Class!
Inspired by traditional scouting and Forest School principles, Wildlings Club is a monthly gathering for young nature enthusiasts who want to go beyond play and begin developing real wilderness skills in the Great Outdoors.
Each session introduces a new skill that may include:
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Shelter building
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Knot tying and rope work
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Safe tool use
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Fire principles
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Wilderness awareness
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Tracking and observation
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Navigation and map skills
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Through these experiences, children build confidence, independence, and respect for the natural world while forming meaningful friendships with other homeschool adventurers.​​​​​​
Families may book individual classes or join our membership.
"We chose Airie because we wanted our daughter to have the opportunity to step away from screens and experience more unstructured, natural play. I have always felt that being outside is so important for both physical and mental health, and I wanted her to have more of that in her life."
— Lystash Family
"Airie’s approach to learning through nature, where play and creativity are a priority, felt like exactly what our daughter needed. We love the multi-age group setup, which gives kids the opportunity to learn from one another and helps them develop leadership skills in a natural way.
It just felt like the right place for our daughter to explore, grow, and connect with the world around her."
— Williams Family