NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A number of factors have influenced a large shift from traditional learning within the past few years, and for a growing number of American families, nature is becoming the classroom.
According to the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), the number of "forest kindergartens" and outdoor preschools in the United States has more than doubled from 2017 to 2020, with the trend recently taking off in Middle Tennessee.
“I think the East Coast is still a little bit behind, but if you look at places like California — all over the West Coast — forest schools are really like a normal thing you’d put your children in and we’re still kind of growing. Nashville is growing," said local educator Mackenzie Farrah.
While forest schools have only recently gained momentum in the U.S., the concept has been in practice overseas for decades. According to American Forests, a nonprofit that specializes in environmental restoration, outdoor classrooms began gaining popularity in Europe in the 1950s and 1960s.
However, the core idea stems back even further from when German educator Friedrich Froebel developed the concept of "kindergarten," which is literally translated to "children's garden," in the 1800s. According to the nonprofit, Froebel actually worked with young children in a garden setting.
His ideas then inspired others to establish kindergartens with actual gardens and a play-based curriculum. Today, the experience is even more immersive, with some nature-based programs existing solely in outdoor classrooms where kids traverse creeks and forests.
Forest school to open in Ashland City for 2023-2024 school year
For Farrah and her best friend and fellow educator Regan Rish, creating an alternative school where children could learn through a play-based curriculum immersed in nature was always a shared dream.
"For every kid it’s different. Some students really thrive in conventional schooling settings," Rish said. However, "the eight-hour school day, five days a week" isn't always "the best environment for children to learn," she added.
Rish said she, like many kids, never scored well on tests in school and always felt like she was "not smart enough." Then, through farming and being in nature, Rish said she realized she "just needed a different canvas to learn."
After both having kids of their own, Rish and Farrah came together to make their dream a reality by launching forest school programs for a class of around 15 preschoolers in the spring and summer of 2022.
"There was just this power of two best friends being like, ‘Well, we could do it now. Why would we have to wait?’" Farrah said. "Our community wants it; our community needs it; and so, we hit the ground running."
The Maypop Forest School is among at least two other similar programs in the Nashville area, with Farrah, Rish and a third educator set to teach their first full year of forest school from September through May during the 2023-2024 school year.
“There’s other teachers like us that exist in the greater state of Tennessee, and also just the West Coast," Farrah said. "Right now, the state does not recognize forest schools as a licensed school, so we operate as an exemption because we are an outdoor program.”
"We know the impact that nature has on early childhood development"
Their outdoor classroom is located just 20 minutes northwest of downtown Nashville on a flower farm in Ashland City. The property consists of several acres, with a greenhouse, forest and even a small creek that runs through the winter and spring when the rainfall is heavier.
Rather than sitting down with their workbooks, Farrah said the flow of the class is focused on the children's play and interests, through which they determine the curriculum. “Whatever the subject is, if there’s standard curriculum, we can pull from that. However nuanced it is," Rish said.
There is no strict daily schedule, besides a few pre-decided activities like building a fire, snack time, wool spinning and natural dying using black walnuts. During the winter months, the school works with families to make sure the children are dressed appropriately, but with a fire and exercise, Farrah said kids are usually shedding their layers by the end of the day.
“I think the key parts are that it is outdoor-based learning, and specifically for a forest school that’s preschool age, it’s practical life skills," Farrah said. "We do have kindergarten readiness, but it’s not as forward bracing as you think it might be.”
In forest school, learning might look like reading a cooking recipe or practicing motor skills while playing along a creek or walking on a log. Part of their program also seeks to incorporate elders into lessons, so the children are "learning across ages and abilities," Farrah explained.
“We’ve seen research and we know the impact that nature has on early childhood development, and the longer children are exposed to a natural setting, the better they are at regulating themselves," Farrah said. “The goal is actually not for them to walk away knowing how to read but wanting to read the rest of their life. So, we’re creating a space where children learn the love of learning.”
According to the NAAEE, research suggests that just being in natural environments, gardens, green schoolyards, or outdoor classrooms can enhance a child's brain development, academic performance, communication, emotional resilience and even reduce symptoms of ADHD.
“It doesn’t take anything away. If students want to learn in a more conventional way, they can. But if they’re not, then we have that for them," Rish said. “We don’t teach for tests. It’s really what is best for the child — what is best for the learner.”
The draw to alternative learning, smaller class sizes
The average class size for the 2023-2024 school year will be around 14 students, with kids ages 3 to 6 accepted on a rolling basis as long as space is available. The class size is kept small to provide a more intimate learning setting — something parents are looking for more and more, and what is likely part of the growing intrigue in forest schools.
“The numbers of students I witnessed working within a public school were not as intimate," Farrah said. “I think the rise in school shootings is also a big piece to parents wanting their children in smaller, more intimate settings; for safety reasons but also because of the learning style and the care that we can give small classes.”
While there is no physical building to meet codes, Rish said she and Farrah take that "unregulated territory seriously." Both of them have taken courses on playground safety and risk assessment, are wilderness and CPR certified, and follow the same regulations as licensed schools.
“There’s a lot of thought that goes into this kind of program and we hope parents know that it is safe," said Rish, who added that the application process "looks very different" from other schools, with questions about the family's story rather than, "When are you available?"
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Parents can fill out an application or find out more information about the Maypop Forest School by clicking here. Tuition is $700 per month, but Rish said she and Farrah one day hope to make the school more accessible by eliminating the cost. With their launch in Ashland City, they also hope to see continued growth of alternative learning like forest schools.
“I think that’s something we want families to know is they don’t have to know everything about the outdoors or know what a forest school really is, but I think what draws them is the space and the trust that they have in us," Farrah said. "Their willingness to try something new and offer their child something unique and intimate and nature-based.”
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