Westbrook Nature School Mission

Westbrook’s primary mission is to connect the young child with the beauty and rhythms of nature, bringing joy and vitality to their educational experience. Westbrook provides an alternative to indoor preschool instruction by allowing the freedom to learn through direct experience of the natural world. Through their deepening experience and kinship with nature, enlivened by song, poetry, dance, and storytelling, we guide the child toward resilience, balance, and social growth.

Westbrook’s success reveals a growing awareness of the necessity of authentic relationship with nature through experience and education. Because we seek to support the health and wellbeing of children, their families, and the local community, Westbrook looks to expand educational offerings, to parents, alumni, and the broader local community, through classes and workshops. This will establish Westbrook as a vital component in the growing effort to ensure the fundamental right of everyone to experience the natural world as part of their education. In doing so, we will fulfill our commitment to sustain, heal, and become stewards of the earth.

Activities

Most preschools keep children indoors for the majority of each day. Current studies show the stress this places on the young child's physical, emotional and cognitive development. In contrast, Westbrook, with its meadows, woods, and streams, gives children an opportunity to learn and develop in the environment they are made for.

Free Play

Circle Time

Woodland Adventures

Snack Time

Arts & Crafts

Story Time

Testimonials

• “We were looking for a Forest School and discovered Westbrook. In researching early childhood development science, we determined that quality outdoor time was the best foundation for our daughter. Westbrook fulfilled that dream for our family.”

• “We are truly grateful our children are able to attend Westbrook. It is such a special program and so important for our children to be able to grow and learn outdoors. Thank you so much to all of the teachers and administrators.”

• “At first reluctant to move to CT, I changed my mind after discovering Westbrook, and thank goodness! The school has exceeded every expectation, offering not just an extraordinary education but a community filled with love, passion, and magic.”

• “Our family has had a wonderful experience at Westbrook. It is a truly special community of families and teachers where everyone seems to go above and beyond to create a loving and nurturing environment for our children.”

• As a life long educator, I am thrilled that my grandsons are students at this wonderful place of authentic teaching and learning!

• “Westbrook is the best gift I have given my son.  My son has grown leaps and bounds since he has started his school journey here.”

• “A hidden gem in Redding…where children have the freedom to learn and explore in nature under the guidance of gifted educators.”

• “We are truly blessed to have our children enrolled at Westbrook! They continue to grow and develop the necessary social skills needed to thrive. The entire staff and community are simply remarkable!”

• “It has been such a joy to attend the Parent-Child class. It’s been a great and fun learning experience for both myself and my 17-month old son.  It’s our time of the week to really bond and enjoy nature together. The teachers, parents and friends are so kind & loving. It has taught me to let go and let him explore on his own in a very natural environment.  The healthy snack and freshly baked bread are wonderful!”

• “We love everything about Westbrook: the kind and knowledgeable teachers, the beautiful outdoors, the warmth of the indoor classroom, the healthy snacks, the carefully selected toys and tools, the fun festivals, and the sense of community and partnership in raising our children.”

• “Finding Westbrook Nature School has been a blessing in our lives. We started in the Parent-Child class when my son was two years old, and then we moved on to the Kindergarten class. I feel this was an excellent transition for him to find independence and confidence in an environment that he was accustomed to.”

Nature Education News & Research

WHY FOREST KINDERGARTENS ARE THE BEST SCHOOLS FOR OUR YOUNG KIDS
What if there were a better way to do early childhood education?

STUDY LINKS BEHAVIOR IN KINDERGARTEN TO ADULT SUCCESS
Kindergartners with good social skills are more likely to succeed as adults. Ability to share and cooperate in kindergarten was measured in 800 children over 20 years.

IT'S 'DIGITAL HEROIN': HOW SCREENS TURN KIDS INTO PSYCHOTIC JUNKIES
We now know that those iPads, smartphones and Xboxes are a form of digital drug.

NEW YORK TIMES: PRESCHOOL WITHOUT WALLS
Bundle up, buttercup. A growing number of preschools are situating their classrooms under the open sky and towering trees, regardless of weather.

TOP FIVE REASONS TO CHOOSE NATURE PRESCHOOL
Anyone who reads the volumes of research can easily see all the reasons why a nature preschool is not just a real preschool, but should be a standard for all preschool environments to aspire to attain.

THE NEW PRESCHOOL IS CRUSHING KIDS
Today's young children are working more, but they're learning less.

LET 'EM OUT! THE MANY BENEFITS OF OUTDOOR PLAY IN KINDERGARTEN
At Swiss Waldkindergartens, or forest kindergartens, children spend all their school days playing outdoors, no matter the weather.

EARLY ACADEMIC TRAINING PRODUCES LONG TERM HARM
Research reveals negative effects of academic preschools and kindergartens.

INTO THE WOODS: WHEN PRESCHOOLERS SPEND EVERY CLASS OUTDOORS
Does learning in the leaves offer an advantage that indoor classrooms can't match? A growing  number of parents have decided to find out

LOOK UP FROM YOUR SCREEN
Children learn best when their bodies are engaged in the living world. We must resist the ideology of screen-based learning

WHAT FOREST PLAYGROUNDS TEACH US ABOUT KIDS AND GERMS
Children learn best when their bodies are engaged in the living world. We must resist the ideology of screen-based learning