Our children showed us that city kids are greatly in need of opportunities to rediscover and deepen their essential connection with nature.

When I founded a small democratic school in New York City ten years ago for my daughter and other children, I was not aware of the term “outdoor education,” let alone how to offer it in the middle of Manhattan! All I wanted was a place where children were trusted to initiate and direct their own learning, where they could pursue their own happiness without limits. We simply provided a loving, peaceful space for the children to be and intentionally left it to their brilliant minds and bright souls to chart our course. Little did I know that they in fact were paving the way for us to be an outdoor school. We remain the only democratic outdoor educational program in New York City for ages 2 to 14.

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