Saplings

Ages 3-5 years old

Available Year-Round: Fall, Winter & Spring

Our Saplings is a great way to offer your 3-5 year old child an opportunity to learn in the forest all year long. We believe nature is the best teacher and landscapes tell endless stories!

Wild Beginnings Nature School is a place where children thrive through exploration, play, and connection with nature. Each day, we embrace unstructured play as a vital opportunity for children to socialize, express their ideas, problem-solve, and develop a deep relationship with the natural world around them.

We take a daily Wellness Moment, where children pause to reflect, observe, and engage with their surroundings—fostering mindfulness, appreciation, and a sense of calm in nature.

Long periods of exploration and discovery allow children to follow their curiosity, develop resilience, and learn through hands-on experiences in the forest. Alongside this free exploration, we offer a daily activity, designed to spark creativity, critical thinking, and connection to the environment.

Through this balanced approach, children grow in confidence, independence, and a lifelong love for learning in the great outdoors.

Saplings is an 11 week series available Fall, Winter, and Spring. We are exclusively outdoors and put up our own shelters when it is raining, snowing or windy.  Classes are limited to 10 students.

Who is this class for?

  • Children ages 3-5
  • Children who love the outdoors
  • Children who do not have a lot of experience in the outdoors
  • Children looking to develop confidence, independence, emotional identification, and regulation through nature
  • Parents looking for a Whole Child Approach in education
  • Parents looking for a gentler discipline style in a preschool. We follow Janet Lansbury, gentle parenting style approach
  • Parents looking for Waldorf style curriculum
  • Learning through play
  • Child-led learning
  • Alternative to preschools that have children sit for long periods of time
  • No screen education

A peek into a day in the Saplings Class

Arrival and Open Play

Gathering Circle with songs and movement

Nature Hike

Lunch/Snack

Storytelling

Lesson and Activity

Unstructured Free Play

Gratitude Circle

*Structure of class is flexible and will depend on students interests and needs.

Locations

Eagle, ID

Eagle Island State Park

165 Eagle Island Pkwy, Eagle, ID 83616

Boise, ID

Esther Simplot Park

3206 W Pleasanton Ave, Boise, ID 83702

Nampa, ID

Wilson Springs Pond

3209-3507 S Powerline Rd, Nampa, ID 83686

2025-2026 Calendar

September 8 – November 20

(Thanksgiving Break November 24-27)

December 1 – February 26

(Holiday Break December 22 – January 1)

(Holiday January 19)

(Holiday February 16)

March 2 – May 21

Colorado Spring Break: March 30 – April 3

Idaho Spring Break: March 16-20