2. Introduction

a. Philosophy

EverWild’s Forest School provides children with meaningful outdoor experiences and high-quality mentorship in Los Angeles' canyons, beaches, wetlands, and wild spaces.

Encompassing forest-school and place-based learning philosophies, children spend 100% of their day outdoors, immersed in the local environment and alongside nature-based mentors. Children are guided by nature as they play, explore, discover, and create. EverWild Mentors support deeper learning through project-based learning. Mentors develop projects based on children's interests, naturally occurring events in nature, environmental stewardship skills, and Next Generation

Science Standards. EverWild enhances children's social and emotional development, 21st-century skills, and ecological literacy.

We believe in creating opportunities for children to become nature-connected, passionate, and innovative life-long learners with the desire to protect and care for all living things.

b. Learning: The EverWild Way

Place-Based Learning

Before we can ask a child to help the Earth they must first build a relationship with it. Place-based learning immerses children in their immediate environment. Placing children directly in nature supports their understanding of the local environment, knowledge of Earth’s living systems, and guides them to discover their place within it. As the child grows, the complexity and richness of their environment and knowledge of a particular place expands in breadth and depth. When a child has a meaningful relationship to nature they feel compelled and driven to care for it, protect it, and replenish it. We incorporate environmental conservation and stewardship skills into each class. We have organically led and have been led by the children to clean our streams and estuaries, to pick up trash from the beach and our canyons, and to support nature in the removal of invasive plants and regrowth of native plants. Aside from planned environmental conservation efforts led by our mentors and visiting community experts, children often utilize their autonomy in our program to create environmental projects and practice environmental stewardship skills in each of our classes.

Project-Based Learning

Project-based learning provides the opportunity for gaining more knowledge about the natural environment and supports the development of the child's 21st century skills. Projects are driven by the group's interests and naturally occurring events in nature in collaboration with group members and with the support of qualified

mentors. Mentors provide materials and tools to guide the group towards the next step in their project and provide inquiry to encourage deeper thinking. Children collaborate and learn from one another in a mixed age group allowing for real world situations, social interactions, and the practice of 21st century skills. Projects are developed by qualified mentors and encompass the group’s interests, what is happening in our local environment, and are in alignment with age appropriate Next Generation Science Standards. When mentors develop projects they are including a hands-on and cross-curricular approach to learning. Many families utilize their child’s projects and work at EverWild to provide proof of academic learning in all subject areas. By nature, we find that children are organically learning about Science and ecology but credentialed teachers have identified children practicing and learning all academic subject criteria at EverWild’s Nature Immersion Program. To gain a better understanding of what this may look like and to view a few of the projects we have completed in our program please click here.

21st Century Skills

Project Based Learning supports the growth of children's 21st Century Skills including: Collaboration and Teamwork, Creativity and Imagination, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills. Children at EverWild direct and manage their own learning while inspiring and learning from one another; experiencing all roles from leader, supporter, expert, apprentice, and friend. Mentors and parents provide support and resources that aid in supporting the child throughout this learning process.

“If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, then let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it. Perhaps this is what Thoreau had in mind when he said, “the more slowly trees grow at first, the sounder they are at the core, and I think the same is true of human beings. ” — David Sobel- Beyond Ecophobia