A Thousand Mornings Forest School

Hi Friends,

Any and all are welcome to join us for some songs and books next Saturday the 20th at 10 am. We’ll meet at Steven’s Park on the grassy side of the bridge across from the playground. Bring a blanket or chair if you’d like, come for a few songs, and stay to splash in the creek and enjoy the shade of the oak trees.

No need to officially RSVP but we’d love a hoo-hoo (🦉) below if you’re so inclined so we can look forward to seeing you! Anyone is welcome.

Reach out if you have any questions!

Jumping, creek crossing, wet toes, and friends helping friends. Summers we love you so.

Summer solstice vibes ☀️

Hi Friends,

We are hosting an open “house” Saturday the 29th at 10 am for any prospective families who might want to join us this fall! It will be an opportunity to meet some of our teachers, ask any questions you have, get a feel for how our days flow, and have fun under the oak trees. We’ll have a few activities for kiddos and will do a brief song and story time.

If you’re interested in joining us, please fill out the application in our bio (no need to pay the waitlist fee) and we’ll send you information on where to meet us!

We look forward to meeting some of you soon!

I recently received a message to become one of my own students, to give myself the opportunity to slow down, wonder, express, and explore that our friends have daily.

This sweet bit of time between the end of school and the beginning of summer programming gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in that practice with a camping trip in the desert. For three days, I played outside, listened to the birds, laid in a hammock, collected wildflowers and stray bits of quartz, took windy walks, napped, read by a fire, dragged my toes through the sand, and watched the sun rise and set.

I didn’t worry about the time, an agenda, emails, enrollment for next year, budgets, hiring, paperwork, bills, the past or the future. I was able to be truly, deeply present and relaxed.

The less relaxed version of myself can get caught up in striving. The list of tasks in running a business never end, and the invitation to compare myself, worry, or give in to fear or scarcity arises often.

But when I return to nature, I can hear what she’s reminding us always: it is not anyone’s job to be impressive or better than anyone else, it is our work to most wholeheartedly be ourselves. My inherent nature IS my gift to offer the world. It’s not something to do; it’s a way to be. There is no effort in that but we have to create enough space and quiet to let it flow freely.

I am so grateful for this time to return to my essence, to be a student, to relish what I don’t yet know, to invite in wonder and stillness, to go slow, to rest and restore. My authenticity and presence is the greatest gift I can offer children and families alike and the land is always here to remind me what that feels like.

If you have questions, if you’re feeling lost, go into the wild. Be quiet. Make space. Direction will come. It is always there; we just have to make space to listen.

A few beautiful captures from our end of year ceremony.

I’m a big believer in ritual but not in “performance.” Instead of standing before of our parents in the spotlight; we cuddled into their laps to sing together, listen to stories, and share the ways in which we admire our friends who are moving on from the program. The warmth and gratitude were palpable.

This energy was such an apt reflection of our beautiful year together; it was so little show and so much a way of genuine being, together. I am so grateful to learn from our families and the rhythms of nature in such a profound way each year; my heart is full. I am grateful; I am grateful; I am grateful.

And a big thank you to for the spontaneous photos ♥️

Wrapping up our yearly family camping trip and bursting with gratitude for this small sliver of time to truly be in community in the most integrated way. Everyone collectively fed, nurtured, supervised, cuddled, and loved our children and each other. We played, we laughed, we ate so well, we had time to chat and relax, we worked together, and, in true forest school fashion, we didn’t shy away from a little bit of rain.

This is our most natural state: relaxed, outdoors, connected, together. We are so, so grateful.

We met Adam a few months ago at our staff development weekend/ wilderness survival course. He’s rich with wisdom about backcountry preparedness, safety, and skills, but I was absolutely sunk most deeply when a fellow classmate asked how to best handle other people’s panic during critical medical situations and Adam responded, “Honestly, meditate.” He then went on to essentially describe coregulation and attunement, how our own internal state in caring for another sets the tone for that of the person for whom we’re caring.

This is our daily work at school; whether we’re whittling or playing cheetahs, soothing a wounded friend or practicing conflict resolution, our work as guides is to continually ground, regulate, and come from a place of love ourselves, so our friends can do the same. Needless to say, I was thrilled to hear someone in the framework of a survival course offer such an expansive and integrated perspective and knew that Adam was special.

We formed a relationship that has blossomed into a visit from Adam himself on site this week! Our friends were ecstatic to welcome him; he showed us items to forage, shared important knife and fire safety tips, sang with us, demonstrated how to create and use a bow drill, and even agreed to a game of tug-of-war. Most importantly, he offered our friends such deep presence and connection.

Feeling grateful for our new dear friend for making a long trip to Santa Barbara to spend time with us, the deep connection our staff has that invites connection with others, the exuberance and welcoming of our kiddos, and this gorgeous land that holds, nourishes, and teaches us daily. My heart is full.

Man vs. wild (ones)

Who do you think won?

Just out here surrounded by springtime forest fairies masquerading as humans 🧚‍♂️

During gratitude circle today this guy shared, “I’m grateful for the North Sea.”

A special shout out to this friend, his brilliant brain and tender heart, and all that he teaches us daily.

JOY.

We are feeling so grateful for a week filled with the first signs of spring— wild radish and black mustard blooming at the edges of the grass, snowy egrets out hunting for snacks, ladybugs and slugs everywhere, warm sunshine, and the glorious March breeze rushing through us with its invitation for barefoot laughter.

This week was joy, embodied.

Hi Friends,

We are now enrolling for the 2024-25 school year. We are hosting our one and only group family playdate of the year on Saturday, March 16th. This is the first step to enrollment and attendance is a requirement before joining our program!

If you’re interested in having your little one join us in the fall, please fill out our application (link in bio) and save the date to join us to play in the woods! More info is available after submitting an application.

Please reach out if you have any questions.

We are so grateful to be able to return childhood to our children. In praise of more mud, more laughter, more ease.

“you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.” -MO

Beautiful, muddy rain babies.

Tea and a sliver of sunshine on a chilly morning ☀️

Home.

My two girls, ages 4 and 6, played under this tree for two hours uninterrupted today. We named her Sgt Pepper. They climbed her branches, crushed her fallen peppercorns with their bare fingers, played house and unicorns and fire witches under her canopy, jumped off the rocks nearby, ate snacks, and looked at the clouds.

It’s the most peaceful morning we’ve had in weeks, the easiest as a parent, the most fluid— a stark contrast to the last nine days of holiday excitement that brings with it a certain element of stress.

Holidays are beautiful. I believe deeply in these rituals, but they are also often centered around consumption and excess. At a certain point we tip the scales too far and children become dysregulated, exhausted, and often seemingly totally rude. What they’re saying in the only way they know how is, I need less.

Today we went for less.

We create magic in the holiday season but there is also magic waiting endlessly beneath the encircling arms of every tree outside. I’m so grateful for the constant reminder of how quickly children can shift from hot chocolate and movies and presents and endless stimulation to lollingly passing the hours under an old pepper tree.

Even as the owner of a forest school, I too need the reminder. Sometimes we all need less. Drop the expectations, the plans, the stuff, the gear, the chaos and, if you can, just go outside and be. Reset. Your nervous system will thank you, just as we thanked this beautiful tree upon our departure.

We’ll be back soon Sgt. Pepper. Until then ✨

Humans are part of nature. We are not visitors.

Watching children disappear into trees and tangles of logs and piles of dirt reminds us again and again, this is our home.

May we care for it, may we enjoy it, may we love it, connect to it, long for it, and come to it with gratitude often.

I am so deeply grateful to spend my life with the most authentic people around in the most natural setting. It brings me back to myself daily. It is the most profound gift.

Thank you to everyone who trusts us with the people most precious to them and to the land that holds us.

We have a few spaces in our program beginning in January. If anyone wants to join the adventure, please reach out.

Happy holidays to anyone on the journey with us ⭐️

This is what peace looks like.

Love that this friend whittled a stick and then used it as a tool for painting! This was self-directed and enjoyable for him and also an amazing practice in building hand-eye coordination and hand strength. He engaged in a wonderful pre-writing activity all on his own and loved every second of it!

Watching our friends learn in their own way at their own speed is such a gift. Feeling so grateful for the land and the peace and creativity it inspires.

Feeling so grateful for our friends, their love for each other, and this beautiful land we connect with each day.

It was a beautiful day to paint pumpkins!

Feeling grateful for all of our friends who came out to paint and play and celebrate our amazing community 🎃🎨

Special thanks to for capturing our amazing friends in action and for a rare bonus capture of all of our beautiful teachers in one place!

Sticks: another great love story.

Rocks: kids’ best friend since the beginning of time.

Just two tiny captures from the very sweet tea party we had this morning at our Hummingbirds parent-toddler program.

It’s so fun getting to know all these future forest school adventurers!

“Some people might choose a play-based preschool as a sort of exception— with the belief that in these early years there is permission to take reprieve from actual learning, a small space in which we can allow children to play before they do the ‘real’ work of eventual academic learning in a more traditional setting.

Quite to the contrary, the things we do daily are very much learning, not just in spite of the fact that they are fun, engaging, and self-initiated by our friends, but in fact, because of those realities.”

Click the link in our bio to read our most recent parent update which provides a peek into both our philosophy and daily life at school!