Forest Bloom Outdoor School

Our Teachers

Susie and Marnie met while teaching at the Helen Diller Family Preschool. They worked at the school for many years with children from the ages of 2-5 years old and gained experience in a Reggio Inspired environment. For 2 years they worked as a team with the Pre-K students, before moving on to a program with a morning outdoor component. When Covid-19 closed the school temporarily they began to imagine a Reggio- Inspired outdoor school in Stern Grove. Our 2020-2021 school year was fantastic as we created The Forest School of SF. The children thrived and developed relationships with each other, the natural world and the local community. Both Marnie and Susie highly valued this enriching experience and feel strongly that play, nature and project based learning (from the interests of the children) in an outdoor program has so much to offer to early childhood education.

Testimonials

Our daughter loves school and talks a lot about Marnie and Susie. We have seen her development go through the roof since she started the program: mobility, speech, socialization…Even though she was among the youngest, the teachers created a safe and open environment so she could thrive, she is now more talkative than ever, filled with confidence, and is able to focus on tasks independently. She has enjoyed the benefit of being in a mixed age group where everyone has a place. Rachel -Parent of 3 year old

I have known Susie and Marnie for the last 10 years. Their understanding of the Reggio Emilia Approach is felt and seen in their interactions with the children. They are driven facilitators who develop inspiring provocations for the children. They are committed to developing relationships with the children and the families in their care. Every aspect of their teaching is innovative, from introduction of materials and projects to assessment, documentation, administration and classroom management. They deeply care for their students and develop strong relationships with them, while encouraging them to be confident and independent. It’s an honor for me to call them my friends and colleagues. Patricia Perez-Lead Teacher

Philosophy

Our mission is to inspire a love of learning informed by play and a connection to nature. We aim to support and nurture thoughtful, caring and informed individuals who are confident in action and thought, while becoming stewards for the earth.

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Location

We spend our days in Golden Gate Park. We have different meeting spots each week depending on what we are working on and the interests of the children.

During the rainy season we also spend time at The Academy of Sciences, Randall Museum or De Young Museum to name a few of our favorite spots. We still play outside if possible, but do enjoy having a warm dry space for some of the day.

About our program

Our school year has started in Golden Gate Park! We offer a 5 day program from 9am-3pm and a morning program 9am-1:30pm. Some part-time spots are available.

We are an all outdoor, Reggio-Inspired program. We are family-oriented and value parent involvement in our program. The children have music time 2x per week, a mobile atelier for art experiences and gardening/cooking experiences.

We have found that being outdoors has many benefits for the children. The children develop self-help skills, social/emotional skills, learn to be part of a community. There is prominent research that shows outdoor learning improves motor skills, problem-solving skills, independence, critical thinking skills and many more. During our school day the children can make choices about what and where they want to play. We offer them a balance of some structure and unstructured time. They can choose to watch a tiny bug move across the ground or table. They can watch gophers poking their heads out in the field, or search for the sun as it emerges from the fog. All these experiences help children make deep and lasting connections to the natural world. The children are able to hike, dig, climb, build, draw and write, create and explore the natural classroom. We are so glad that we can offer these experiences to the children in a fun and safe way.

Admissions

Join the Forest Bloom Outdoor School community in four easy steps:

1. Explore our website

We’ve provided information about our philosophies and offerings to help you decide if our program may be right for your family.

2. Tour our program

Come see what makes Forest Bloom Outdoor School unique. We are currently hosting in-person tours of our space. You may not see children playing as our school year ends mid-July. you can request or schedule a tour at the top of this page.

3. Submit an Enrollment Application

If you would like to enroll, please submit an application at www.wonderschool.com/forest-bloom-outdoor-school-7396/apply – note that we require in-person or phone call for all prospective families.

4. Enroll

After reviewing your application, we’ll send an enrollment invitation. Upon accepting your invitation you’ll pay your enrollment fee, fill out enrollment documents and review our Parent Handbook.