Welcome to the Forest Learning Program!
Program Details
Forest Learning Program is a weekly, wilderness-based educational program that takes place during the school year. Once a week, students enrolled in Forest Learning Program spend a full school day immersed in nature. Forest Learning provides students with a dynamic environment to overcome challenges, engage their natural curiosity, and cultivate an intrinsic love of learning that they bring back into the classroom. All programs occur outside (rain, shine, or snow), except in hazardous conditions. Our typical student to mentor ratio is 6:1.
Program Dates:
Tuesdays in Granby
Dates: September 10th, 2019 – June 9th, 2020. Fall overnight 10/4; No class 10/15, 11/26, 12/24.
Fridays in Newtown
Dates: September 13th, 2019 – June 12th, 2020. Fall overnight 10/11; No class 10/18, 11/29, 12/27.
Each program includes an overnight in the fall and spring seasons. More information about the overnight will be provided after registration.
Weather cancellations and delay policy: There are no make up days or refunds for weather cancellations. Programs are typically cancelled due to dangerous weather and driving conditions. Parents will be notified of cancellations and delays by email. More information on cancellations and delays can be found in your parent letter.
Time & Location:
Time: 9am-3pm
Location: Holcomb Farm in West Granby, CT or Sticks and Stones Farm, Newtown, CT
Age Groups:
When possible, Forest Learning Program has two age groupings of 5-7 and 8-12. However, we may create different age groups based on the needs of the group and enrollment.
A Typical Day at Forest School
Forest Learning Program starts each day with nature games and a gratitude circle. Mornings are focused on learning survival and naturalist skills, which will deepen over the arc of the year as students observe, ask questions, and apply their skills to hand-on wilderness projects. After lunch, our afternoons are filled with storytelling, playing in the river, and games that apply the skills learned in the morning. Woven throughout are lessons in peacemaking and nonviolent communication, challenge activities, and team work. We close each day in circle sharing stories of the day and a group song. 
Sample projects and activities include: making campfires without matches, identifying wild edibles and medicinal plants to make herbal salves or a wild stir-fry, building shelters and forts, sitting silently in reflection and observing the environment, learning animals’ patterns by sneaking invisibly through the forest, making pottery or carving spoons, and much more!
Tuition, scholarship, and payment plans
Tuition: $2250 for 35 weekly sessions and 2 overnights
Scholarship: We believe Forest Learning Program and Two Coyotes programming should be available to all children. We encourage families to apply for scholarship assistance if needed. We are able to provide partial scholarships and in some cases, full scholarships.
Payment plan: Tuition can be paid in full or monthly across the year on a payment plan. Monthly payments will be charged to a credit or debit card. If you would like to set up a payment plan, there is a small additional fee for processing monthly payments.
How our Program Supports Your Child’s Learning
Time in nature settings has been shown to provide a variety of positive outcomes that can support your child in school and life. Research shows that time in nature supports a child’s creativity and problem-solving (Kellert, 2005), enhances cognitive ability (Wells, 2000), improves academic performance (American Institutes for Research, 2005), increases physical activity (Bell and Dyment, 2006), improves social relations (Burdette and Whitaker, 2005), improves self-discipline (Taylor, Kuo and Sullivan, 2001), and reduces stress (Wells and Evans, 2003).
The process of learning at the Forest Learning Program is aligned with the goals of the Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core State Standards. With nature as a dynamic teacher, combined with the natural curiosity of your child, Forest Learning Program becomes a powerful learning environment. Through mentor-led inquiry and process-based learning, your child will investigate the natural world, journal and research their findings, use observations to answer their questions, and synthesize facts into knowledge that is applicable to life. This cultivates students’ innate curiosity and a passion for learning that will serve them when they are back in the classroom and in their future careers.
Communicating With Your Child’s School
Approaching your school in advance and working collaboratively with your child’s teachers is important to the success of this program for your child. Forest Learning Program can provide experiences and opportunities that are not available in traditional school models. In this way, we believe we complement and support the goals of schools to prepare their students for a healthy and successful adult life.
Generally, we have found that teachers are supportive and make accommodations for Forest Learning Program students, including making homework packets for them to stay caught up with their school work. 
If you would like support or to learn more on how to let your school know about your child’s participation in Forest Learning Program, please contact us at programs@twocoyotes.org. We can connect you with a parent with experience, give you a letter to share with your school, and give you advice over the phone.
Registration is accepted on a rolling basis until the program is full.
| Name | Ages | Location | Time | Date(s) | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday Forest Learning Program | 5-12 | Granby | 9am-3pm | September 10th, 2019 - June 9th, 2020 | $2250 |
| Friday Forest Learning Program | 5-12 | Newtown | 9am-3pm | September 13th, 2019 - June 12th, 2019 | $2250 |