
Homeschool in the Forest!
Options for children ages 5-10 years
(K-5th grade)
Registration for 2025-26 now open!
Not all classrooms have four walls! The Notchcliff Forest [Home]School Program is for families who want to balance home school or online learning with social play and nature connection in a small group setting.
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The K-2nd grade program has drop-off class options available on Monday-Thursday for the full school year (Sept. - May) to support your homeschool journey. Nature Club is an afternoon drop-off program open to K-2nd graders, which you can join as a stand alone class in the afternoons or add as an extension of the regular day. The monthly K-5th Forest Fridays program has drop-off class options for ten (10) Friday classes (one per month, Sept. 2025 - June 2026). Read on for detailed information about each program.
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Note: Enrollment in the K- 2nd Full-Year program requires a commitment for the full school year. View current pricing here. If you must cancel your enrollment early, you are responsible for the balance of your registration until another child can fill the spot. Open enrollment is first come, first serve. A tour is strongly suggested before enrolling in any of our programs and may be required in order to access certain registration pages.

​Forest Fridays: Earth Skills & Activism (K-5th)
Sept. 2025 - June 2026 from 9 - 1 p.m.
Register Now - hurry spaces are filling!
Class meets once per month to explore seasonal themes (10 classes total).
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Join naturalist and educator Julie Biedryzcki each month from September to June as we explore a range of seasonal topics and try our hands at earth skills such as botanical dyes, fire, shelters, and more. Julie will share an activism extension to build off of each skill (either as a group or between classes). We utilize a communication app where we upload photos and videos of our adventures, which can be used in your homeschool portfolio.
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Forest Fridays will inspire and encourage young naturalists on their paths to deep connection with the natural world. We will be exploring local ecology, looking back into natural history, and thinking ahead for the future of our environment. Developing one's own sense of meaningful relationship with nature is the first step on an eco-activist's journey. This course is designed to offer that first step through science, earth skills, creativity, current events discussion, critical thinking, and lots of wild play!
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This is a drop-off class for children homeschooling in K-5th grade. Your child should plan to attend independently. Participants should dress in layers for the weather, bring a backpack, water bottle, peanut-free snack, and unlined nature journal or sketchbook to each class. Details will be included in your confirmation email.
Schedule (once per month on Fridays; topics subject to change):
Sept. 5, 2025 from 9-1 p.m.
Oct. 3, 2025
Nov. 7, 2025
Dec. 5, 2025
Jan. 9, 2026
Feb. 6, 2026
Mar. 6, 2026
Apr. 3, 2026
May 1, 2026
June 5, 2026
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Full Year Homeschool Program (K-2nd)
Sept. 2, 2025 - May 27, 2026 from 9 - 1 p.m.
Many class options are full - join our Waitlist here.
Monday: Hands-on Science and Social Studies Inquiry (K-2nd)
Tuesday: Language and Literacy Exploration (K-2nd)
Wednesday: Wild Math and Outdoor Cooking (K-2nd)
Thursday: Creative Nature Arts: Music, Art, and Dramatic Play (K-2nd)
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​Classes meet entirely outdoors, rain or shine! You will receive complete details about gear and policies when you register. Your child must be five (5) years old by September 1st to meet the age requirement. (If your child is NOT five by Sept. 1st of the enrollment year, they are eligible for the Forest Preschool) Early registration is strongly recommended; spaces are available on a first come, first serve basis. Additional policies related to outdoor learning, gear, etc. are provided upon registration in your confirmation email.
Each day provides a different daily focus, allowing teachers to balance intentional learning experiences with emergent, child-driven explorations. We reference MSDE’s curriculum standards to ensure that children meet homeschool requirements (see MSDE’s homeschool info or components of homeschool instruction video here).
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Questions? Contact us at director@anbe.org.
Fall Nature Club (K-2nd)
Sept. 8 - Oct. 31 from 1 - 3 p.m.
Register Now!
Enjoy crisp Autumn afternoons exploring nature! If you attend our Full-Year homeschool program, join the Nature Club to extend your day! Available Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Register for 1 afternoon or all 4!
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*Note: This is a new option and we will continue to reassess demand for the afternoon session; if there is strong demand, we will offer the p.m. session for the full school year. We appreciate your patience while we determine what our learning community needs.​
FAQ's about
Homeschool in the Forest
Pricing and Payments: View current pricing here. Initial Deposits are non-refundable and are due at time of registration. Remaining balances will be broken down in equal payments and will be invoiced separately.
Year-round enrollments: Initial Deposit, then 8 monthly payments (Sept.1 - April 1).
Other enrollments: Initial Deposit, then second payment due Sept. 1
​Note: If you must cancel your enrollment before the end of the program year, you are responsible for the balance of your registration until another child can fill the spot. If you have questions about payment, contact Jasmine Atkins, our Administrative Assistant.
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What about Homeschool Portfolio Reviews?
The children’s nature journals, photos, and other learning artifacts will provide you with documentation to support your child’s learning adventures at Notchcliff. While much of the children's time is devoted to nature play, we also translate our adventures into activities that align with grade level expectations and standards. We use Storypark to document learning and communicate with families. This makes it easy to print out and share during your homeschool review. We will send an invite to join your child's Storypark class upon enrollment.
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What is the structure of this homeschool program? Homeschool in the Forest is a drop-off homeschool enrichment program. Notchcliff Nature Programs, including our Homeschool in the Forest program, is operated by the 501c3 nonprofit Association for Nature-Based Education (ANBE). The ANBE staff, which includes the Notchcliff team, hires, sets budgets and curriculum, reviews handbook policies, etc. to provide safe, meaningful nature-based learning opportunities. The Notchcliff Parent Group holds monthly meetings to encourage feedback and support for various activities, fundraising, and community events at Notchcliff. We hope you will get involved!
Who teaches Homeschool in the Forest?: Each day, there are two teachers who lead classes. If your child attends on a Tuesday, for example, there will always be the same two teachers leading class on Tuesdays (with the exception of illness when a sub is needed). When possible, we hire one of the two teachers to be a consistent teacher Monday through Thursday to maintain consistency for children who attend multiple days.
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We hire teachers with a love of children and nature! We seek teachers with backgrounds such as: outdoor, nature-based, and environmental education; early childhood/elementary education; forest and nature school programming; nature camps; wilderness survival or earth skills; outdoor recreation (e.g. camping/backpacking/rock climbing). training about local flora/fauna/fungi (e.g. Master Naturalist or Master Gardener), farming or gardening; climate change education, nature-based arts and handcrafts, or related experience that aligns with teaching in 100% immersive outdoor settings.
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The Association for Nature-Based Education (ANBE), our umbrella organization, provides year-round training to support each teacher's nature-based professional development, including an in-depth Nature-Based Teacher Certification. (See anbe.org/teacher-certification to learn more.) All teachers undergo a background check upon hire; additional training is provided for teachers to obtain Wilderness First Aid/CPR in partnership with the Institute for WildMed.
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Parent Volunteers: Parents are encouraged to volunteer with the Notchcliff Parent Group which provides support for a range of community events, fundraising initiatives, and activities that support nature-based learning and play all year long. Our Community Service Days are a wonderful way to help us maintain outdoor classrooms, gardens, and trails. Community Service Days are typically on Saturdays from 10-12 p.m., on select dates in the fall and spring. You can also join us for monthly Elderflowers Programs with our "Grand Friends" at Glen Meadows. (These will be listed on the calendar provided.)
At a glance, these are some of the ways you can volunteer:
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Community Service Days (outdoor classroom, trail and garden help on select Saturdays, 10-12 p.m.)
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Community special events (e.g. Harvest Day, Friendsgiving, Winter Solstice Gathering, Spring Night Hike, Earth Day Fairy Fest, Forest Farewell)
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Elderflowers Nature Series with grand friends at Glen Meadows (monthly)
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Fundraisers (Night for Nature on Fri., Oct. 17; Winter Greens)
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Special projects (e.g. RV projects, food drive collection)
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Other suggestions welcome!
In addition, parents are also invited to share a lesson with their child's class as part of our Homeschool in the Forest program. Based on the children's interests, season, and curricular focus, teachers will share a list of content/topics for parents to choose from at the start of the program in September. You may sign up for a topic(s) in advance on a date that works for you and join class to share your special lesson. Please note that this is an optional volunteer opportunity! There are additional volunteer opportunities throughout the year and we welcome suggestions from the community. ​
Have questions about our Homeschool programs? Contact director@anbe.org for more information.