Pinewood Trails offers a unique opportunity for children to develop crucial social-emotional and school-readiness skills in an inspiring outdoor environment. In today's world, where technology and indoor activities dominate, forest school provides a chance for young children to develop a deep and meaningful connection with nature.

Extensive research indicates that forest school programs offer numerous benefits. Enrolled children are more physically active, and form healthy habits that last a lifetime. Spending time in nature has many social, emotional, and physical benefits for children, including reduced anxiety, enhanced confidence, and self-efficacy. Forest school programs provide open-ended experiences that foster creative problem-solving skills, essential in today's modern world. And, remember, spending time outside, getting messy, and having fun is what childhood memories are made of.

Enrolling your child in a forest school program is a wise investment in their future. The program ensures that your child develops critical skills while having fun in a safe and supportive environment.

Pinewood Trails is a nature-connection recreation program designed by certified Michigan educators Abbi Collier & Michelle Laidler. Our programs are licensed through the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLeap). At this time, we are not a school/preschool.* "Forest School" is a part of our name to indicate that our approach and values relate to how we guide children's experiences of learning, growth, exploration, and discovery.

"Forest School is an inspirational process, that offers ALL learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees." -Forest School Association, https://www.forestschoolassociation.org/what-is-forest-school

As our vision states, our primary focus is "dedicated to working alongside families and their children to foster resilience, build relationships, enhance a connection to the natural world around us, and nurture social, emotional, physical, and cognitive growth.”

Thus, the children in our program are either not yet of age for kindergarten, or they are enrolled as an enrichment component to their home school education.

*Outdoor preschool/schools are a “gray area” in Michigan legislature. (Nature preschools/schools are licensed as indoor preschools/schools.) Pinewood Trails has committed to collaborating with state and national organizations such as the Child & Nature Network and the North American Association of Environmental Education to bring awareness, need, and space for programs like ours.

Please layer your child in all-weather gear for the appropriate season. The majority of our day, if not 100 percent, will be spent outdoors. A list of needed clothing items will be given to all students and families at time of enrollment. All children will be required to bring an extra set of dry clothing no matter the season in case clothing becomes too wet or too dirty.

It is highly recommended to search for items second-hand. If at anytime Pinewood Trails has gently used items available, we will let enrolled parents know.

For all programs your child will need:

• weather-appropriate clothing and a change of clothes (Gear List located in our Forest Family Handbook)

• Water bottle labeled with child’s name (water only)

• Large bag to take items to and from school (this could be a large reusable bag). Backpacks are usually too small to fit wet/muddy gear.

• Bug spray or sunblock (season dependent)

• A lunch and snack, both peanut and nut free.

We strongly believe in the saying, “there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing choices”. Being an all-outdoor Forest School, we will be embracing all the beautiful seasons that Michigan has to offer, including rain and snow.

Although we have indoor space & shelter, our program must be outdoors 51% of the time- or longer, to maintain compliance with the Michigan Camp Licensing Unit. To meet these requirements, we are only able to host sessions when the weather is safe enough to do so.

As a staff, we recognize that cancellations are inconvenient and we take these decisions seriously, based on the safety and welfare of our explorers, staff, and families.

Pinewood Trails Forest School will follow the Lapeer and Davison school districts for school cancellation decisions and will be closed on days where the temperature is 0* and below.

Ensuring the health and safety of our learners is our topmost priority. Our staff are well-trained in First Aid and CPR, and are equipped with walkie-talkies, cell phones, and first aid kits. With a low teacher-to-learner ratio, our teachers are able to keep a close watch on explorers at all times. In case of any accident, an incident report will be prepared, and caregivers will be notified as necessary.

Typically, children who spend more time playing outside are less prone to injuries compared to children who don't have the opportunity to engage in extended outdoor activities. This is because outdoor play provides children with the chance to learn real-life risk assessment, gain crucial gross motor skills, and understand their physical limits. These skills, when developed early in life, can help cultivate a lifelong sense of self-awareness and safety while enjoying the great outdoors!

We have access to indoor restrooms around camp. Our teachers are happy to help children with snaps and buttons, but we ask parents supply extra clothes in case of an accident! All Pinewood Trails Forest School attendees, for all programs, must be potty trained. This means that they must be able to let a teacher know that they have to go to the bathroom AND hold it until a teacher can help them get to the bathroom. If your child needs regular reminders to go to the bathroom to prevent an accident, they are not ready for forest school just yet!

Follow the steps below to be added to our waitlist:

1.Submit an application and $30 application fee. Once both of these are received, this secures the spot on the waitlist.

2. When a spot opens up, we will reach out to the family who is next on the waitlist

3. If that family is still interested, we will schedule a visit day for the child and their family at that time to meet the instructors, experience the indoor classroom, and venture to our outdoor classroom areas.

4. Following the visit, the family and program directors will both determine whether it seems like a good fit for everyone, and if it does seem like a good fit, the family will pay our $100 enrollment fee, schedule their home visit. and secure their child’s start date.