Forest daycare: Welcome – Ithaca Forest Preschool

About Us – Ithaca Forest Preschool

Ithaca forest preschool

About Us

Our caring and skilled mentors help guide our students towards creating a life-long love of learning and the Earth through encouraging curiosity, asking questions and exploration.

Founding Director

Jed Jordan

Aspiring tracker, devoted farmer and fearless wrangler of details.

Jed has been an Environmental Educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County for over 16 years and co-founded the Primitive Pursuits program along with Tim Drake and Dave Hall. Jed is also an adjunct lecturer at Ithaca College in the Environmental Studies & Sciences Dept. where he has helped develop and teach an Environmental Sentinels course for the last nine years.

Jed lives in Danby NY, with his wife and two youngest children. He and his wife own and operate a small u-pick berry farm, Rogue Creek Farm, where he also raises honeybees and nut trees, among other homesteading activities.

Program Coordinator and Lead instructor 

Lyla White

Lyla grew up playing in the woods and exploring nature in rural Nova Scotia. She loved squishing her toes in the fresh mud, picking flowers, exploring in the forest, and trying not to make a sour puss face while eating crab apples and rhubarb. She has kept that love of nature throughout her life. As an adult she has lived in cities, small towns and National Parks. The thing that keeps her rooted and focused in life is keeping that connection to nature alive. She loves to go hiking, camping, and backpacking. She even took her daughter camping for the first time when she was only 10 weeks old.

Lyla has worked in many different jobs, as a freelance photographer, a nanny, a server in National Parks, and most recently as an educator at the Sciencenter. She has also studied herbalism and botany. She loves working in her garden and making tinctures and salves with other people. Getting to combine her curiosity and love of nature along with her love of children is one of her greatest joys.

Lyla lives in Brooktondale with her husband, daughter, and parents. Together they have a big vegetable, flower and medicinal herb garden. They also have a flock of chickens that they share their land with.

Lyla loves being part of the Forest Preschool team and looks forward to discovering and explore with the children for years to come.

Assistant Instructor

Liz Jesch

Liz grew up in Ithaca, NY, and was first exposed to Primitive Pursuits through the Thursday Homeschool Program. Her relationship with the woods and nature was fostered through attending this program and later transitioning to a Summer Field Instructor. Through these experiences, Liz discovered a profound love for working with young children and helping to facilitate curiosity and enthusiasm in the natural world.

In addition to her love for the woods, Liz is passionate about public health and building healthy communities. She recently graduated from Ithaca College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health and Nutrition and just completed a service year with AmeriCorps. Liz is also currently working towards becoming certified as a Postpartum Doula.

Today, you can find Liz in the woods singing songs, creating fairy houses, exploring creeks, working with fiber art, and making rock paint. She hopes to bring these passions with her to Forest Preschool this year and learn, play, and laugh alongside some sweet preschoolers!

Assistant Instructor

Nora Murphy

Nora is thrilled to be able to be a wilderness instructor with Ithaca Forest Preschool and Primitive Pursuits! Her first foray into wilderness education was with Primitive Pursuits in the summer of 2019. She found that two things she loves in life clicked, and has been happy to continue learning and working throughout the school year and summer programming.

Nora has always felt the most “Nora” while spending time outside. Exploring the forest and creek near her house, camping with her girl scout troop and family, swimming in the summer, and biking to the lake were important parts of her life growing up. Nora also has a passion for education, which she pursued through studying music education at Ithaca College, teaching music lessons, working in childcare, and teaching kickboxing. She feels very blessed to be able to teach outside with kids, and see the vast range of naturalist skills and knowledge the others in Primitive Pursuits bring.

Co-Founder

Melissa Blake

In 2013, along with Tim Drake and Jed Jordan, Melissa co-founded Ithaca Forest Preschool.  

Melissa completed a graduate program in Environmental Education at the Teton Science Schools in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and a two-year mentorship with master tracker Jon Young. In 2006 she founded a program called Growing Wild Nature Mentoring in the Catskills.

Although Melissa has moved on to a new role, she continues to be a frequent collaborator and consultant with Ithaca Forest Preschool.

What Parents are Saying…

“Ithaca Forest Preschool prepared our sons to really appreciate nature, to pay attention to details we may not notice nor know anything about, and to love winter; to this day, they sprint outside to play in the cold!”

R.A., Ithaca Forest Preschool parent

What Parents are Saying…

“Ithaca Forest Preschool is a place where your children will learn lots of things you may not know yourself, which they love to come home and share with you.” 

L.C., Ithaca Forest Preschool parent

What Parents are Saying…

“My daughter is now in 4th grade, and my sons are in 2nd Grade and Kindergarten. I can honestly say that I feel they entered Kindergarten completely prepared and that they had something extra to bring to the classroom, an experience beyond what one would expect of a preschooler because they also brought with them unique life skills and stories from their time in the forest. ”

G. K., Ithaca Forest Preschool parent

Read Full Length Testimonials

If you believe that children belong outside, and that the tools of imagination are what build a happy childhood and a strong foundation, then welcome  to our wooded world.

Ithaca forest Preschool

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Forest Preschool?

A Forest Preschool is just that, a school in the forest! Forest Preschools are the U.S. version of Forest Kindergartens (Waldkindergarten), which have been popular in Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavia for decades. There are a growing number in the U.S. and we are on the cutting-edge of nature-based early childhood education! Learn more about forest preschools at naturalstart.org

Will my child be outside the whole time?

We are outside the vast majority of the time; however we do have access to several places to go “in”, including a tipi, a pavilion, and a heated building with bathrooms. Parents learn to dress their children for the weather, and children learn how to stay–or get–warm and dry. Our motto is, “There is no bad weather, only bad clothing.” And remember:

Whether the weather is cold
Or whether the weather is hot
Whether the weather is fair
Or whether the weather is not
We’ll weather the weather
Whatever the weather
Whether we like it or not.

Why should I consider an outdoor school?

Our family spends lots of time outside. Why should I pay for this kind of experience?

It’s great that so many children in our area get time outside with their families. Attending a forest preschool has different benefits. For one thing, learning in nature alongside peers and non-parent adults teaches children that this is a normal way to spend time, not limited to their family. Secondly, the social aspect of what we do is so important. The outdoors is an amazing classroom for learning social and emotional skills, where group imaginative play abounds and teamwork is necessary if the group is to thrive. At Ithaca Forest Preschool in particular, we place a lot of emphasis on community and the group. Also, the staff to student ratio is high in order for us to manage risks appropriately; this means there are lots of opportunities for us to coach children in these important social-emotional skills. for more information please refer to the Ithaca Forest Preschool Parent Handbook.

What about winter?

Winter is a wonderful season to explore. We do a lot of snow play and animal tracking, go for walks, build fires, and make warming wild teas. We also do spend some time in our heated building doing indoor tracking activities, crafts, games, songs, and stories. The amount of time we spend indoors depends on the year, but even in the coldest Winters we manage to be outside for part of the morning. The decision of whether to be inside or outside depends on risk management and how best to accomplish our goals of helping children connect to nature, self, and others. The children’s enjoyment of Winter is directly related to how well-dressed and fed they are and how relaxed parents are about the idea of their children spending time out in the cold. Things they learn in Winter include self-care skills, how to dress for Winter play, animal tracking, and beginning to recognize trees in Winter.

What Does My Child Need to Bring?

Children should come dressed appropriately for the weather. We give very detailed information about dressing for the seasons in the Ithaca Forest Preschool Parent Handbook and we also offer a brochure that we created called Dressing Young Children for Outdoor Fun. Additionally, children should come with plenty of water, a healthy lunch and snacks to keep them comfortable for an active day outside.

When Can I Drop Off and Pick Up My Child?

Supervision begins at 9 am and ends promptly at 12:00 pm. In case you have an emergency or will be late to pick up please contact our office at 607-272-2292.

Is public transportation or carpooling available?

4-H Acres is an on-demand TCAT stop, and there is a bus that can arrive right around 9 am. We do not arrange carpooling, but you are welcome to discuss this at drop off or pickup with other participants/parents who may be interested.

Is toilet-training required?

Yes. Children must be out of diapers/pull-ups and needing only minimal assistance with toileting. Children are encouraged to pee outside and to poop in a child potty that is at our base camp. There is also an indoor bathroom a short walk from our base camp. Sometimes we are too far from a potty and need to use the nature bathroom (pee on the ground, poop in a hole) with assistance.

Is food provided?

No. Please supply yourself/your child with plenty of healthy snacks, lunch, and water each day. These are active children, and they get HUNGRY! Protein, fat, and fiber are especially important for providing long-burning energy. Suggestions for what to pack for lunch and snack are available in the Ithaca Forest Preschool Parent Handbook.

Who are the teachers and how are they trained?

The Ithaca Forest Preschool teachers (we call them mentors) are Primitive Pursuits instructors or in some cases highly trained volunteers. You can read staff bios on our staff page. Although staff may rotate days, we all work together as a team.

We require a combination of experience and education in some or all of the following: outdoor education, early childhood education or development, primitive skills, naturalist skills, and “coyote mentoring” as described in the book Coyote’s Guide to Connecting With Nature. All of our instructors and volunteers must go through background checks but we do not require teaching certification.

Will this prepare my child for kindergarten?

We believe so. According to Ithaca City School District kindergarten teachers, the most important skills for entering kindergarten are social-emotional skills. Self-care skills, listening to others in a group setting, managing conflict while playing with others, making transitions smoothly, and self-regulation skills are all prominent in the forest preschool setting. The outdoor environment and our child-led curriculum provide myriad opportunities for cooperation, collaboration, conflict management, and the development of emotional resilience.

Cognitive scientists say imaginative play with few or no props builds a skill set called “executive function”, which is a better predictor of school success than IQ (from an NPR report titled “Old Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills”, February 20, 2008). It is well-known that physical activity is essential for healthy brain and nervous system development (see, for example, Teaching With the Brain in Mind by Eric Jensen). Recognizing patterns in nature may translate to recognizing letters and words, and being able to develop a mental picture while listening to stories told orally is an important pre-reading skill. The importance of nature play for academic success is now so clear that author Richard Louv wrote a column in September 2014 titled, “Want Your Kids to Get Into Harvard? Tell ‘Em to Go Outside!”

At Ithaca Forest Preschool, your child will get practice with these specific kindergarten-level skills: listening to and following multi-step directions; taking turns; identifying colors; counting; simple math; working with backpacks, coats, zippers, and boots; tying an overhand (shoelace) knot, feeding him or herself lunch in a distracting environment, and managing her or his stuff.

We are committed to making our programs available to as many people as possible. To this end, we generate scholarships via our sliding-scale fees. Any contributions made over the minimum of the sliding scale for all our programs are tax-deductible donations to our scholarship fund. Thus, scholarships are limited to the sum of these funds and are awarded based on equitable distribution.

Recipients will be notified by email and given a timeframe within which to accept or decline the amount awarded and complete payment of the balance.

About Scholarships

• Trimester: $100 in scholarship for the first day/week, then $50 for each additional day/week (e.g., If you are registered for Mondays & Wednesdays, the maximum amount in scholarship would be $150)
• Larger scholarships are considered under extenuating circumstances, and on a case by case basis.
• Scholarship applications must be submitted a minimum of 30 days before the program start date to ensure consideration. You may apply closer to the start date, but we cannot guarantee a response before the program begins.

How to Apply:

• Create an Online Account Portal using a computer and Firefox or Chrome (not Safari or Explorer, not on a tablet or smartphone)
• Sign up for your selected program(s) and pay a deposit (EXCEPT summer camps after May 1, email [email protected] to arrange deposit payment thru Registrar).
• If you are applying for a scholarship for more than the maximum amount, please email our office at [email protected] with information about your circumstances.

What is your cancellation and refund policy?

• In order for any program change or refund request to be considered, it must be made in writing through the registrar, even if you have discussed this with another staff person, such as a field educator.
• The effective date of all refund requests is the DATE OF THE EMAIL notifying the Registrar of your request.
• Changes and refunds are NOT guaranteed and only the Registrar can process these changes.
• All deposits (even “non-refundable deposits”) will be returned if you are unable to participate in a program for lack of a scholarship request being approved.

Please email [email protected] with your full name, phone number, the participant’s name, the full program name(s), and the program start date(s).

More on our policies page.

Ithaca forest Preschool

The Latest News from Our Blog

by Ithaca Forest Preschool | Jun 18, 2019

Parents and Children are Invited to Join Ithaca Preschool co-founder, Melissa Blake for a Tour of Our Very Special All-Outdoor Preschool Program. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and observe our summer camp program, which is very similar to our school year. ..

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by Ithaca Forest Preschool | May 8, 2019

We will have 8 Weeks of half-day Growing Wild Summer Camp at 4-H Acres for ages 3-5. Each day the kids get to romp in the woods and find natural materials, such as clay, rock-paint, bark, and leaves to create works of woodland art.

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by Lyla White | Dec 2, 2022

On November 30th we had a friend, Barbara, join us and she documented our day with photos. Here is what that day looked like: After opening circle we headed down to Trillium Camp, hung up our bags and immediately went over to the sandbox. We were looking to see if any…

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by Lyla White | Nov 23, 2022

Many days this fall we have spent time on the climbing hill at the end of the day. It is always a favorite activity for the preschoolers. They work hard learning about balance and looking for good handholds. One day while collecting leaves for our shelter we took…

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by Lyla White | Nov 5, 2022

We had a lot of fun the week of Halloween. We started the week dressing up and celebrating. We took the seeds out of two large pumpkins to save for roasting later. We then broke up the flesh and nailed it to boards to make feeders for our animal friends.I had some…

read more

IFP Program Details – Ithaca Forest Preschool

Giving Thanks – We often start or end each day with a gratitude circle, and pause at other times as well to acknowledge what we value and think outside ourselves.

Hazard Identification – What every beginner needs to know to stay safe outdoors. We also work to develop common sense– which is “the least common”.

Sensory Awareness Activities – Exercising our senses sharpens them, and for young children it’s a learning experience just to be aware of our senses and articulate what we’re sensing. Attaching sensory information to a learning experience also makes it more memorable. Focusing on senses relaxes and quiets the mind and body.

Games – Sometimes organized, often not. We run, jump, climb, sing, dance, and create, letting the abilities and interests of the children develop the games as we play them.

Animal Tracking – While we’re wandering, or anytime animal sign is present, we practice the fundamentals of pattern recognition that will later translate into reading skills. Tracking animals teaches to pay attention. We also like to catch small critters, teaching children how to do so respectfully and safely.

Animal Forms – Thinking and moving like specific animals, we exercise our bodies and imaginations, while developing a physical understanding of various animal habits and movements.

Navigating and Mapping – As we wander we practice “story-lining”, that is, telling a story using landmarks that will help us find our way back. We also practice other “lost-proofing” skills, introduce maps and mapping, and help children developing a sense of place.

Group Singing and Storytelling – Group time is a staple of our programs. Songs and stories are used to inspire, teach, set the mood, lighten the workload, practice listening skills, unify a group, and convey lessons about our environment and how to get along with others.

Children Telling Their Stories – For young children, talking about what they just did is a chance to practice language skills as well as reflect on and integrate new experiences into personal understanding. Following the lead of their storytelling instructors, our young students grow confident in speaking to the group.

Primitive Skills – We demonstrate and practice basics such as shelter building, fire making, gathering, cooking, basket- and tool-making. These are hands-on activities that involve experiential problem-solving and creativity. They also give kids a boost towards self-sufficiency and feeling “at home” in nature and the physical skills-based world.

Stalking, Hiding, and Camouflage – These activities provide teachable moments for ecological concepts. Learning the skills of “invisibility” also requires quieting the mind and controlling the body. We also use stalking and hiding games to practice self awareness and improve awareness about how animals naturally move in their environments.

Celebration – Inspires learning and builds community. There is always something to celebrate! Our celebrations bring us full circle, back to gratitude.

FOREST KINDERGARTEN – Tvorilki

More and more forest kindergartens appear in Europe, where children from three to six years old spend almost all their time in the forest, exploring the world around them. Teachers act as facilitators, not group leaders.

Regardless of weather conditions, kids spend the whole kindergarten day outdoors, getting to know the world of the forest, getting to know its rules, rhythms and inhabitants. They take care of the garden and garden, feed the chickens, pick apples, climb trees, make fires (of course, together with the teacher). Children are instilled with love and respect for nature. In addition, they are also engaged in the usual activities for kindergartens: they make crafts, draw, dance, sing and play, of course. nine0004

Educators are quite calm about minor “misfortunes” like a scratch or a splinter – after all, this is also a valuable experience. And serious injuries have never happened – safety is monitored here. Of course, in the kindergartens there is a warm room where children can warm up, eat and sleep, but basically, if the weather allows, they are outside.
The main advantage of such gardens, besides the obvious benefits of fresh air, is that the child develops faster in nature and asks more questions than where he is overprotected by civilization. nine0004

The idea to create a kindergarten was born by a woman who often went for walks with her own and neighbor’s children. Then their parents offered to organize the first garden in the fresh air. Over time, this format of education has become more and more popular: today in Denmark every fifth garden is a forest garden.

In Denmark, you are unlikely to find a child who is shamed and reprimanded by his parents for soiled clothes. Indeed, the more dirt the child managed to collect, the richer his day was. He didn’t sit around reading or learning to count, and he didn’t play with dolls. He built castles of sand and clay, and his toys were bird feathers, leaves and tree bark. nine0004

Forest activities and being alone with nature develop ingenuity, endurance, communication skills, teamwork and ingenuity. So, despite the absence of a given program, the goals and objectives are still the same, traditional – to educate children and stimulate their development. The only question is methods.

Many of these kindergartens work according to the Waldorf method.
Climbing trees, swimming in puddles and jumping in the mud are children’s favorite pastimes. While most educational institutions do not support such activities, the Danes send their children to forest gardens. We talk about what else the guys do in nature. nine0003 Such kindergartens operate outside the official system – they are usually organized by private traders. In Denmark, children go there from three to six years old.
Toddlers are led to a point from where they go to a natural area – it can be either a forest clearing and a meadow, or a beach. Locations can be completely different, and the territory of the garden itself is rather arbitrary.

Most forest gardens do not use factory-made toys, the meaning and meaning of which are predetermined and do not require the inclusion of fantasy. Long outdoor play has a positive effect on the development of children, especially on agility and balance, but also on dexterity, hand motor skills, coordination, tactile sensitivity and depth of perception. Forest kindergarten children suffer less injury from accidents and are less likely to be injured in a fall. Children increase their ability to self-assess risks. Walking also strengthens the immunity of children. Children who attended the Forest Kindergarten, compared to those who attended the regular Kindergarten, had above-average abilities in all areas that were studied. nine0004

The motto of the forest kindergarten is “there is no bad weather, only bad clothes”. Regardless of the weather conditions, kids spend the whole kindergarten day outdoors, getting to know the world of the forest, getting to know its orders, rhythms and inhabitants. Children are instilled with love and respect for nature.

Now this experience is widespread in Germany and other European countries.
In Russia, an analogue of this exists in the form of “Free Walks”, which are being developed as an alternative direction for the upbringing and development of children. nine0004

“Kindergarten No. 4 in the village of Lesnoy”

Blog of teacher-defectologist Rak Victoria Yuryevna

January 2, Mon

2023 is the Year of Peace and Creation

29 December, Thu

New Year’s parties in kindergarten

December 26, Mon

The victory of pupils in the national championship of Belarus in Shotokan karate-do!

22 December, Thu

Creativity in the spotlight

December 12, Mon

New Year’s charity event “Our Children”

Wed 7 December

Safe behavior during winter games for children

December 2, Fri

SNOWMAN PARADE

November 25, Fri

A cycle of open classes on the annual task

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