When schools around the country began to reopen in August, Dr. Anthony Fauci recommended keeping kids outside as much as possible. In Colorado, some schools adopted that philosophy long before the pandemic.
The Wild Ones Forest School in Evergreen and WorldMind Nature Immersion School in Denver are two different types of outdoor schools. Both are seeing increased interest from families who don’t want their children packed into small classrooms.
The Wild Ones is a part-time home school enrichment program, emphasizing children’s social and emotional development.
“When you let kids run wild, then they can’t help but learn,” said Cassie Friesen, co-founder of The Wild Ones.
The program emphasizes play and curiosity-driven learning. Since it’s not a full-time school, there’s no set curriculum. Friesen and her partner Erin Vance both received training in the United Kingdom, where the Forest School model was developed. But they incorporate their own passions into their school.
“We do really cool stuff, we do fire making, we have tools we use, but it’s really secondary to the kids’ social emotional groups,” said Vance.
Both Vance and Friesen believe being outside give students more freedom to express themselves and burn off energy, which can help them socially and emotionally.
Miles away, in Denver’s City Park, WorldMind Nature Immersion School is a full-time private outdoor school for elementary aged students. The curriculum is more structured, but it’s flexible.
Colorado’s outdoor schools see enrollment bump amid pandemic