Founded in 2004, our Roots and Wings outdoor nature preschool allows children ages 4-6 to have fun and explore the natural world around them through nature activities for kids, such as songs, stories and walks, and by observing plants and animals with all of their senses.
As with all Wilderness Awareness Youth Courses, enrollment in our nature preschool is limited to ensure individual attention and mentoring opportunities for each child.
Roots and Wings Nature Preschool is committed to planting seeds for children’s growth and connection with nature; safely, with confidence and fun.
Activities and Focus
- Circle time with songs and stories
- Nature walks
- Familiarity with the four directions
- Nature awareness games
- Nature activities for kids
- Safety in nature
- Plant and animal awareness
- Sensory awareness
- Nature skills
Course Registration Details
| Call to Register |
When?
September to June @ 10am-2pm Fridays Where? Our land in the foothills of the Cascades near Duvall, WA Who? Ages 4-6 How much? $2,100 |
2013-14 Nature Preschool Information
Course Registration Open registration for next year starts March 18th, 2013. For more information about course registration or to apply, please call our office: 425-788-1301
Class Meets Fridays; 10 am - 2 pm; Linne Doran, Duvall*. (*We are 15 min. from Woodinville, WA; 20 min. from Redmond, WA; 30 min. from Bellevue, WA; and 50 min. from Seattle, WA).
Classes start September 2013
Classes end June 2013
To Apply
Call the office: 425-788-1301
Tuition
Annual: $2100.
Non-Refundable Enrollment Fee: $525, due upon registration. The remainder of tuition is payable in three payments due September 1, December 15, and March 15.
Scholarships If you require tuition assistance, we invite you to submit a Scholarship Application along with your application for Roots and Wings Nature Preschool (download a Scholarship Application in PDF format, complete it and mail it in).
The non-refundable enrollment fee is required to hold the place of all registrants, regardless of scholarship status. If, within two weeks of scholarship notification, scholarship applicants decide not to commit to the course, we will refund your fee in full. (This is the only event where the enrollment fee is refundable.)
Tuition Assistance: Your homeschooled child (age 5+) can receive valuable tuition assistance that can be applied toward costs at Roots and Wings! More details
Our Educational Philosophy
At the core of our approach to educating young people is our concept of "Passion-based learning." This is the idea that every one of us has special gifts to bring to the world, things that spark our passions in life.
Our school's fundamental goal is to awaken this spirit in our students, and to help them identify and pursue their gifts. We believe that the most effective learning happens when young people are pursuing what they love, and so truly desire to learn.
Equally important is our philosophy that the most effective learning happens when students figure things out "on their own."
In their efforts to do this, they are individually guided by mentors who strive to create experiences and opportunities for students to discover their own answers.
We call this method Coyote Mentoring, a technique that encourages creative thinking rather than providing answers, and results in much deeper learning. It also stimulates the growth of problem-solving skills, and stretches the students into greater self-sufficiency in their living and learning.
Meet Your Instructors
Sol Marie Doran
Sol Marie Doran has been working with children since 1995 and has been mentoring with the Wilderness Awareness School methodology since 2002. She came to the school in 2004 from Santa Barbara, CA, where she worked with Wilderness Youth Project, ran an early childhood outdoor program, and earned a B.S. in Ecology. She is finishing her last Kamana Naturalist Training Program field pack, is a 2-time Tracking Intensive graduate, has trained in herbalism at Ravencroft, and has studied since 2008 with Kim Scanlon and Francis Weller on various arts, including modern cultural development, leadership, and emotions. She has an M.A. in Clinical Somatic Psychology and is in training with the Somatic Experiencing Method. Her personal interests include Forrest Yoga and ethnic dance.
Natalie Rivera-Booth
Natalie loves her job; she knew she found her place when she could enjoy her hobbies and passions AND get paid for it! True story. To compliment her love of people and nature, she earned a degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz in cultural anthropology and environmental studies. Before graduating, she knew her life’s plan: to help people, especially children, fall in love with nature. Over the past seven years this goal has led her to work with adults and children at several state parks and outdoor schools and to travel far and wide. From the tip of Scotland to the South of Spain, from Eastern Europe all the way down to Oaxaca, Mexico. Her favorite place in the entire world is the Kalalau River on Kauai (that’s where I am in this picture! I look pretty happy huh?) Always craving more knowledge and deeper understandings, she studied permaculture and cultural mentoring at the Regenerative Design and Nature Awareness nine month intensive program with Jon Young. She is also a graduate of the Anake Outdoor School and Anake Leadership Program.
