EdenAcres Environmental Education
Education · Environment · Community
440-479-4813
Nature Is Our Classroom
Fostering the development of the whole child through emergent and child-centered learning, play, exploration, and discovery in the natural world.
Nurturing Curiosity through Nature!
Welcome to EdenAcres Nature School
We believe that the natural world is the ultimate teacher. Our nature school offers a unique educational experience for children, where the classroom extends far beyond four walls. Here, we harness the power of nature to inspire, educate, and ignite a lifelong passion for learning.
Our Nature-Centered Philosophy
At EdenAcres, we're on a mission to create curious, confident, and compassionate young learners. Our nature-centered philosophy encourages children to explore, inquire, and discover the wonders of the environment around them. With experienced educators who share a deep love for nature, we provide a nurturing space where children flourish.
Exploration is the Best Education
Our programs are designed to immerse children in the natural world. Through hands-on experiences like forest hikes, wildlife encounters, gardening, and nature-inspired art, our students engage with the curriculum in a way that fosters a profound understanding of the world they inhabit. We offer programs for various age groups and schedules that fit your family's needs.
Inspiring a Love for Learning
Our curriculum is rooted in the belief that nature is the most engaging and dynamic classroom. We integrate science, mathematics, literacy, and creativity into our outdoor adventures, allowing children to develop a holistic understanding of the environment. Our educators tailor the learning experience to each child's unique interests and developmental stage.
Join Our Nature Explorers
We welcome children aged 3-15 to embark on this incredible educational journey with us. If you're ready to provide your child with an educational experience that encourages curiosity, resilience, and environmental stewardship, we invite you to explore our enrollment process and schedule a visit to our beautiful outdoors campuses.
Pedagogy & Philosophy
Children are intrinsically motivated to learn. They do so through play and exploring the world around them. Abundant time in natural settings yields long-term benefits in children’s cognitive, emotional, and social development. On top of all that, nature is the perfect place to learn about the world we live in. The natural world provides the living context in which to learn about cycles, interdependence, energy and resources, scale and limits, diversity, succession, and sustainability. Our programs are a space where children can explore the natural world & learn to ask relevant questions, develop problem-solving skills & processes for thinking and searching for answers, & learn how to live, work, & communicate cooperatively.
We create a setting where children can grow into citizens of the world; respecting all cultures, creatures, and environments. Our curriculum emerges from each child’s unique needs and aptitudes that provide children with the skills they need to be prepared for a rapidly changing world. Children learn to self-regulate and navigate interactions with friends and others. We maintain a low child-to-staff ratio so children have more opportunities for meaningful interaction. In all of our nature immersion programs, we create an atmosphere where children can explore the natural world, learn to ask relevant questions, develop problem-solving skills, and learn how to live, work, and communicate cooperatively.
Our Values
Emergent Learning - Children are naturally curious, asking questions and discovering the world around them through their senses, play, and exploration. Our curriculum is responsive to children’s interests in order to create meaningful learning experiences.
Emotional & Physical Safety - We create safe places where children can thrive while being able to engage in reasonable risk-taking during play.
Families - Families carry and pass down their wisdom from generation to generation. We honor the beautiful diversity of families and encourage family involvement through participation in annual celebrations and festivals, volunteering, and family classes, workshops, and events.
Excellence - We use methods and practices that are evidence-based and supported by quality data in order to cultivate learning. Our staff are educated and experienced in a variety of areas that enable a diverse learning experience.
Nurturing Individuality - Your little ones are unique. We embrace and encourage each child’s uniqueness by providing kids with a variety of experiences and choices. Our educators work hard to inspire and nurture individuality, one connection at a time.
Equity in Education - We strive to create a safe and equitable space for all children and staff to be able to be their best selves. We define equity as the opportunity for every individual to have the ability to reach their full potential. Our definition of equity encompasses race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, nation of origin, ability and alterability/disability, language, experiences, education, socioeconomic status, social/emotional or developmental experience, and physical appearance. We live out this value by providing a warm, nurturing, inclusive and child-centered environment and through our multi tiered fee model. Our fee model seeks to ensure access no matter a families economic circumstances.
Check out what we've been up to!
