Forest School is a child-centered approach to learning in 100% outdoor environments. The history of learning from nature is as old as humankind, yet the forest school model emerged in Europe and Scandinavia in the mid 1900’s, making it to the U.S. in the 1990s. The foundation of forest schooling is a deep connection to nature and place. This is achieved through physical, mental and emotional exploration of natural spaces and the elements, creatures, plants, and geography that make them home. Connection happens over consistent prolonged sessions in a calendar school year, allowing the learning concepts to emerge through the weather, seasons, and plant and animal cycles.

The approach to learning is holistic and supports a child’s development physically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. We believe that deep learning takes place when children are allowed to follow their own interests with the help of an observant teacher. This is often called an emergent curriculum, or child-centered. Our skilled teachers are there to lead and facilitate the day within safe boundaries.

We invite you to learn more here

Forest School is a great way to support children in every aspect of their development. Our teachers track and pay attention to each child’s abilities, and offer small challenges when applicable to support their continued development. These are just a few areas that are supported by outdoor play and our forest school curriculum:

Goss Motor Skills: Outdoors children climb, balance, run, jump, and lift heavy objects.

Fine Motor Skills: Tool use like whittling and sewing, painting, and other arts and crafts offer ample opportunities to practice fine motor skills, and set a foundation for learning to write later.

Sensory System: Feeling the wind on your face, being barefoot, getting muddy, the surround sound of birds and animals—these are all gentle ways to develop the sensory system.

Social Emotional Skills: Free play offers ample opportunities to learn important social skills and emotional regulation supported by our staff.

Resilience: Being outdoors all day can sometimes be difficult! In forest school children have the opportunity to stretch their physical and emotional capacity over a school year. See our section on supported risk taking below. As outdoor educators Kat and Lindsay have seen huge transformations in their classes. Children that may have struggled to hike are now racing up the hillside. Another child that had difficulty playing with their peers is now deeply engaged in imaginative play. We will be there to support your child on this journey as they try new things and discover what they’re capable of.

If this topic interests you, I recommend this podcast interview with pediatric occupational therapist and author Angela Hanscom on the huge benefits of outdoor play for children.

At Wild Kin, we believe that children need to be allowed to take risks in order to grow. This is part of healthy development, both physically and mentally. In the outdoors children have numerous opportunities to test their bodies and minds, whether it’s climbing a tree, sheltering from the rain, or engaging in rough and tumble play. These kinds of activities set a foundation for resilience, independence and appropriate risk assessment later in life. Safety is always our first priority, and our teachers are trained to assess and monitor your child’s readiness for these challenges. Children choose the risks they want to take and are supported by our teachers once they are assessed to be ready. Our teachers are also thoroughly trained and continuously updating their understanding of the hazards that exist in our local natural environments including poisonous plants, animals, local conditions and weather. 

Our curriculum is emergent, meaning that it is responsive to the needs and interests of our unique group as it evolves. Children in our classes learn through free play, accessible challenges, storytelling and song, games and hands on projects.

Free Play: Through play children learn some of the most important skills we wish to impart, such as collaboration and teamwork, creativity, problem solving, critical thinking, and care for others. Children use play to understand and process the world around them, to practice different roles, and to learn to regulate tough emotions.

“play is nature’s means of ensuring that young mammals, including young human beings, acquire the skills that they need to acquire to develop successfully into adulthood.” - Peter Gray

Supported Risk Taking: Climbing trees, braving a windy day, balancing on a log, joining a game with older children, holding a stink bug—all of these challenges build confidence and teach resilience. We can do hard things!

Storytelling and Song: Research shows that narratives and stories are powerful tools for learning and memory retention. Our teachers use oral and written stories of all kinds to bring a little magic and fun to the ‘forest’ but also to teach lessons and help us connect more deeply with the land around us. We use song to connect and bond with each other, learn about the changing seasons, and to ease times of transition.

Games: With ‘forest school’ twists on classic games like tag, or hide and seek, we lead the children in embodying animals, learning plant patterns, and thinking critically about their environment.

Hands On Projects: Throughout the year we offer different ‘projects’ that help deepen our understanding and connection to the changing seasons and to the Earth. We might forage buckwheat for pancakes in Fall, or try our hand at weaving with fresh grasses in the Spring. We offer a mix of bigger projects that may require multiple classes to complete, as well as small arts and craft projects that are always available.

Early childhood is a time of exciting exploration and growth that also requires strong leadership and boundaries. Our curriculum is child-centered, but adult lead. Everyday we lead the children in a comforting rhythm that allows for periods of structure and togetherness, and periods of free play and exploration.

Our daily Rhythm:

opening circle

hike to basecamp

storytelling + snack

free play

lunch

free play, game, exploration, or project

closing circle

Wild Kin operates in wild spaces, trails and parks in Simi Valley and surrounding areas.

Our main locations are in East Simi Valley. We rotate locations throughout the school year dependent upon the weather and any projects we are working on.

we are in proximity to Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Porter Ranch, Chatsworth and more!

2 days/week: $600 per month

1 day/week: $328 per month

tuition is calculated based upon the full school year from September to May and is the same even in months will holiday breaks.

Wild Kin’s leaders are creators, naturalists, adventurers, and mothers. Meet Kat and Lindsay here.

They are educated in early childhood development, trained by the Academy of Forest Kindergarten Teachers as well as Wilderness Awareness School’s Coyote Mentoring, CPR and First Aid certified, background checked, and have received years of on the ground forest school teaching experience at sister forest school EverWild LA. 

We offer two programs:

Preschool: ages 3-5

Homeschool Enrichment: ages 5-9

Our own children may be present in the program on any given day (Colibri age 1, Willa age 1, and Sonny age 3).

We have some flexibility on the ages we serve depending on the child. Reach out if your child is under 3 or over 9 but you think they might be a good fit.

We believe that children thrive in a mixed-age environment where the play is modified and negotiated by the children to support a variety of ages and skill levels. In mixed age groups simply watching the older children inspires younger children, and lifts the level of their play. Younger children can be a calming presence for older children that are not quite ready to enter play with their older peers yet. For those older children that are ready- they have the opportunity to be leaders of play and also to teach, which can help them solidify their own skills and articulate ideas that might not have been fully conscious before.

Psychologist and researcher Peter Grey has some great writing on this topic. Read more here

Our forest school classroom holds a maximum of 12 children, ensuring a 6 to 1 ratio at all times.

This ratio allows for plenty of individual attention while children are also exposed to diverse social experiences within the group atmosphere. 

Our programs are 2 days/week divided by age group.

Preschool: Monday/Wednesday

Homeschool Enrichment: Tuesday/Thursday

You child’s physical and emotional safety is our main priority. Kat and Lindsay are both thoroughly trained by three different forest school training programs, maintain CPR and First Aid certifications, and were background checked by sister school EverwildLA.

Basecamps are checked for hazards by our teachers. This includes taking note of any poisonous plants, checking for snakes, trash, and any other hazardous conditions.

Our teachers maintain a strong working knowledge of poisonous plants, animals and hazardous conditions outdoors.

We monitor and manage risks, such as climbing, or rough and tumble play between children for physical and emotional safety.

We are constantly engaged in professional development as naturalists and as early childhood professionals. We are passionate about this work and want to provide the safest environment possible for children to be free to move and play.

Snack and lunch times are important moments of connection. We eat together as a group and use this time for sharing and bonding. Children should provide their own snacks and lunch in their backpacks. There are no restrictions on what they can bring. Occasionally we will be cooking our own treats that we forage. Please provide us with any allergy restrictions your child has.

Experiencing the seasons and being together in all sorts of weather is part of the learning experience at Wild Kin. During rain we learn about shelter building. During the heat, we cool off in creeks or find shelter in caves and shady trees. We instruct all of our families on how to prepare their child and what to pack for the changing weather.

In Simi, occasionally we can experience very strong winds that can be dangerous for our outdoor play. We follow the Beaufort Scale to decide whether to cancel a class in the wind. Class will be cancelled if the wind is expected to be above Force 7 (32-38mph). We may request early pickup if the winds become dangerous mid-class.

Lightning storms will always mean cancellation, delayed start time, or an early pickup.

In the event of an emergency, our teachers will walk the group to the nearest open business or area of shelter and contact families to pick-up early.

Our lead teachers (Kat and Lindsay) are both mothers themselves and understand the difficulty of this big transition for both of you. We will be there to support your child and offer hugs, hand holding, or just an ear as needed. We also work with families to find a solution that can support their child’s needs while not interfering with the rest of the class. This could be a scheduled home visit or play date prior to starting, or a one-time visit to the class with a parent. We have a 30-minute grace period at drop-off for parents to chat and be with their children before we begin class.

Children do not need to be potty trained. We will use the diapers and wipes you provide to change your child as needed. We will continue any potty training methods you utilize at home. A portable folding potty will be available for children that need it. For potty trained children we practice going outdoors, called ‘nature potty’ and will assist as needed. All nature potty is completed in an environmentally friendly way—meaning we are mindful of where it takes place, and will pack it out.

Children must come prepared to each class with all items in the required list. Having the proper gear will support your child in being comfortable and prepared for all weather and terrain conditions.

Required: Proper fitting backpack (over both shoulders), Water, Lunch & snack, Change of clothes, Sunscreen (applied before drop off & packed in backpack), Weather appropriate clothes. Diapers and wipes if needed.

Optional: Bandana, Journal and Pencil/Pen/Colored Pencils, Personal First Aid Kit (Bandaids/antibacterial cream), Tools for exploring (Binoculars, compass, bird whistle, magnifying glass, bug catcher, catch and release container.

Rainy and cold days: Dress in layers. Avoid cotton if possible! Cotton takes a long time to dry and will not insulate. Choose wool or synthetic base layers. A fleece jacket with hood is great. A Waterproof jacket with hood and waterproof pants for the top layer. Two pairs of socks are required for water play days, and two full changes of clothes are ideal. Wool Socks are highly recommended, they make all the difference! Rain Boots for puddle jumping. Cozy hat and gloves. 

Warm Soup or tea in a thermos are recommended on cold days.

Hot days: Two water bottles, one can be frozen. Breathable cotton and a sun hat with strap are recommended. Ice pack in lunch box to keep food fresh.

What not to pack: We ask that you do not pack toys or electronic devices. We are focused on creating meaningful experiences in nature and find that toys and screens can take children out of the experience.

You are the best judge of your child’s health, and we trust that you will not bring a sick child to Wild Kin.

When recovering from mild illness, we ask that you keep them home until they have been free of symptoms without the use of over-the-counter medications for at least 24 hours.

If our teachers feel that a child is sick and unable to participate or at risk of passing along cold and illness a parent will be contacted for early pickup.

It is your responsibility to notify Wild Kin if your child has a communicable disease or infestation such as: measles, mumps, chicken pox, or head lice. A child may be readmitted without a doctors note if the child has been absent for a period of time equal to the longest incubation period as specified by the Department of Health and Social Services. Children who are dropped off at Wild Kin with signs of illness or communicable disease will be asked to return at a later time.

While we strongly encourage that you enroll your child for the full school year to receive all of the benefits of forest school, we understand that sometimes unforeseen circumstances come up and you may need to leave our program.

you will be required to give one months notice and payment so that we may fill your child’s spot.

We do not offer tuition refunds for cancelled or missed classes that are out of our control. This includes illness, family vacations, or cancellations due to extreme weather.

The reason is that we still have the same overhead and operating costs regardless and your tuition holds your child's place in the program--we will not fill their space in an absence.

If the Wild Kin teachers have to cancel a class for personal reasons or illness we will refund you at the daily rate for your enrollment.

$75 for 2 day/week enrollment

$82 for 1 day/week enrollment