A Morning at Moon Valley
Families arrive and children are welcomed into a gentle rhythm of outdoor play, tending the garden, visiting the animals, and following their curiosity through the landscape. We move through the daily rhythm when the time feels right - times below are used as guides.
Daily Rhythms
9:00. Drop-off & Settling in
9:15. Welcome Circle
9:30. Arts or Nature Play
10:00. Snack & Gratitude Reflection
10:30. Music or Nature play
11:30. Lunch & Story of the Day, Cleanup
12:00. Closing Circle & Pickup
Program Details
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays from 9 am - 12:00 pm
Seasonal Enrollment, in 12 week sessions
2 days/week or 3 days/week enrollment options
What Shapes Our Days
Nature Immersion
Nature immersion supports focus, emotional regulation, social development, and resilience.
Moon Valley Wild Learning is a hybrid nature immersion program, taking place mainly outdoors. We embrace the Cedarsong pedagogy of supporting whole-child development through deep connection with natural elements and child-led exploration in a nurturing, mixed-age environment. Time spent in nature encourages confidence, resilience, creativity, emotional regulation, and strong social connections, while also supporting physical health and early academic readiness through hands-on discovery. Nature provides an ever-changing classroom where scientific concepts, problem-solving, creativity, and social-emotional growth unfold through real-world exploration and meaningful play - with endless possibilities for STEAM (Science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) education!
While our days are rooted outdoors, we also have a small indoor building and shaded shelter available for comfort and safety during extreme weather, creating a balanced space for children to explore in every season.
Child-Led & Place-Based Learning
This builds early literacy, a strong sense of self, and a strong connection to and respect for the surrounding environment.
We mingle the Reggio Emilia approach of child-led with flow-based learning, allowing children’s interests, questions, and natural curiosity to guide the rhythm of each day. By following what captivates them in the moment, children develop deeper engagement, confidence, and a strong sense of self.
We also strongly believe in place-based learning - this helps children build a meaningful connection to the land they explore each day, fostering a sense of belonging, stewardship, and curiosity. Learning about local plants, animals, weather patterns, and ecosystems encourages observation, respect, and a lifelong appreciation for the environment around them.
Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement is a core teaching strategy used to build confidence, cooperation, and intrinsic motivation rather than relying on punishment or rewards.
Teachers intentionally model empathy, cooperation, and respect for others and nature. fostering a strong sense of belonging and connection to community. We use descriptive praise, modeling, and compassionate guidance to build children's confidence, resilience, and intrinsic motivation. In nature-based settings, this is often woven into daily interactions through modeling, encouragement, and reflective dialogue.
What this looks like in real-life:
Reinforce kindness and cooperation
Encourage problem-solving
Acknowledge effort over outcome
Model respectful communication
Use descriptive praise
Small Group Sizes & Community Engagement
Small class sizes allow for individualized attention, strong relationships, and safe exploration of outdoor environments. Together, these practices support healthy socio-emotional development, promote physical confidence and risk assessment skills, and foster deep engagement in learning through curiosity and meaningful experiences.
We also send out monthly newsletters to provide families with seasonal insights, development highlights, and reflections on our adventures together—sharing stories of what we explored, the creatures and places we discovered, and the skills and friendships that blossomed along the way. These newsletters offer a window into the rhythms of our days, capturing how children learned through muddy boots, curious questions, and joyful discoveries.
To further knit our community together, we host quarterly seasonal potlucks and community gatherings at the farm, creating welcoming opportunities for families to be together, share feedback, celebrate the seasons, and deepen connections with one another and the land that supports our learning.
