POSTPONED
EARTH DAY CELEBRATION
PICNIC IN THE PARK When: TBD - Re-scheduled
Join Community Roots for a Family Picnic! Meet the teachers, other students and families and see what a day in the life of a forest school student is like!
Mini preschool session starting at 12:00pm, complete with earth day activities, and a tea and picnic at the end!
Learn more about Summer and Fall class offerings as well as Family Camp opportunities!
Meet near restrooms on the south end of Inlet Park -click for directions.
Veggies, Fruits, lunch meats and cheeses with crackers will be served with tea at the end of our mini preschool session.
Program Philosophy
Located in Saratoga Springs Utah, Community Roots Forest School has a goal of bringing innate “natural wildness” back into the lives of our young children. Inspired by the European model of Waldkindergartens (all outside, all weather, early childhood programs) we have created the Community Roots forest school programs.
Community Roots offers expansive learning opportunities centered around the direct experiences in nature. We believe that each child is intrinsically motivated to learn, connect, discover and create. Through this child-led approach in the most natural setting, children develop a deep sense of community larger than themselves and build the confidence to participate as a part of this community. We meet in natural spaces where the walls exist only as the earth around us, the ceiling exists as the sky above us.
OUR CORE VALUES
Our core values are community, curiosity, exploration, gratitude, relationship with nature, and stewardship.
OUR MISSION
To engage children and families in the natural world to inspire connection with the natural world, life-long learning, community connections, self-confidence, resilience, compassion, and curiosity.
KEY PRINCIPLES
Community Roots Forest school is modeled after the German based Waldkindergarten. Key principles of this model include:
All-outdoor, all-weather nature immersion
Place-based education (permanent location)
Interest-led/child-driven learning
Caring for the earth together
Inquiry-based teaching
Exposure to moderate risk
ABOUT OUR PROGRAM
Meeting only in the natural world, the students learning experience is rooted in a strong foundation of self-regulation skills. Self-regulation is the motor that drives all learning on a biological, emotional, cognitive, and social level.
Students will not only learn academics but also learn to participate as part of an interdependent community, care for themselves, each other and our earth, as well as build physical and mental strength, confidence and a solid foundation that inspires life long learning and empowers the child in who they are as a unique individual.
Located in Saratoga Springs Utah, we will meet at Inlet park. Our class stays busy learning to identify local plants than can help or harm us, learning about local animals and their habitats, hiking, growing a community garden, observing the earth and changing seasons, drawing, and creating in the earth’s playground.
About The Director:
Hi! My name is Tianna Morrison, the kids call me Mrs. Ty. I have a Masters of Art in School Counseling, as well as a masters of science in Clinical Mental Health, and undergrad degrees in business with a minor in psychology. I have worked as a school counselor for children pre-k - 9th grade. I am also a mom to 5 amazing souls and an avid outdoor enthusiast. I am passionate about outdoor education and feel that nature is often the best form of therapy. I have training as a parent child interaction therapist and have a goal of providing family nature based therapy in the future! My children and I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a forest school in the Sierra Nevada mountains. After working with children in counseling, mentoring, coaching, and outdoor exploration for more than 20 years of combined experience I knew that bringing a forest school program to Utah would be a wonderful community pursuit and fulfilling role for me. I love to backpack, learn about plants, rock hound, wild forage, mountain climb, and rock climb with my children. I feel that nature based therapy is the most organic approach to healing and the unfolding of each unique personality and the relationships we have with each other. I cannot wait to share my love for our earth and each human on it with you and your family. I look forward to building a community together!
