Forest and Farm Days is a year-round outdoor learning experience at Wheeler Farm for students from Kindergarten through 3rd Grade. Classes regularly venture into the forest throughout the 8-day cycle. Following their morning meetings, children, along with their homeroom teachers, begin their journey to their forest classrooms to enjoy inquiry-based learning, mindful moments, observations of nature, and fun playing and exploring together.

The Benefits Found in Forest and Farm Days

• Engaging the outdoors is good for children
  Nature play improves all aspects of a child’s development, including cognitive, physical, social and emotional.
• Playing in the natural environment is fun
  Imagine the thrill of catching frogs, building forts, pretending to be fairies and wolves, gathering rocks for treasures and turning sticks into musical instruments.
• Exposure to nature develops a child’s confidence
  Children who play in natural settings show improved language and collaboration skills, develop a sense of self and empathy for others.
• Navigating the woods is good for problem solving
  Creative thinking and stronger sequencing, planning and organizational skills are built when children have opportunities to make decisions and problem solve.
• It’s healthy
  Children who spend more time outside are more physically active, have strong gross and fine motor skills and are more resistant to stress and anxiety. Nature play is calm and unhurried, allowing for focus, motivation and enthusiasm to learn.
• Wild spaces engage the senses
  Children who play in “wild spaces” explore the diversity of the natural world, engaging all their senses while developing stronger awareness, reasoning and observation.

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