Hooray! It’s the first week of the school year! We started Tuesday, and all the usual rangers, neighbors, and animals were there to greet us. It was fantastic!!! And, it’s not too late to sign up for the rest of the school year. If you’re still a little unsure of whether it would be a good fit, you can sign up for an 8 Week Peek! Links to more details are below.

Enrollment

Now enrolling for the Outside School school year program and an 8 Week Peek!

For more information, please go to www.outside.school:

Did you know you that one option, often called flexischooling, is available where you can make arrangements with your child’s traditional school to have them attend on Mondays and Fridays only, so they can come to Outside School on our schedule, Tuesdays through Thursdays?

Nature News

During the time I had off between camp and the school year, my husband and I took a little day trip over to Ocean Beach. I felt something new… Warmth! It was really surprising - and alarming - to feel the Pacific Ocean that warm. Back home, an internet search showed that it was 67.5F. It had me wondering how much of it had to do with Tropical Storm/Hurricane Hillary the week before, and how much had to do with global warming.

When we find newts in the creek, we usually find them in the same spots. This one is now much larger than it was last summer!

Inspiration and Resources

“Outdoor School Shop”

Outdoor School Shop has a bunch of gear for kids at Outside School and whatever other outdoor places kids will be roaming in. They also have handy gear checklists! Use code OUTSIDE for 15% off regularly priced items.

“Sports Basement”

Use the following flyer 9/22/23 - 10/1/23 to get 20% off at Sports Basement! You can show the flyer to them if you shop in person, or use the special code if you shop online:

“Classroom Matters”

I was so happy to have stopped in to see the awesome folks at Berkeley’s Classroom Matters. They’re so supportive of everyone!!! We discovered that a lot of similar types of families enroll in both our establishments. If your child needs help in school, check them out!

They also have various workshops, and they have a special one for families on executive functioning this Saturday, September 9, 2023. For more information on that and their other workshops, visit here:

From one Newt Inspector to another, here’s a shout out to Classroom Matters staff member Rosalind and her mom! I hope you especially enjoy the newt photo above.

“Friluftsliv”

Check out this article by Linda McGurk for Green Child Magazine, “Connecting Children with Nature Through the Nordic Art of Friluftsliv.”

“Best of El Cerrito”

Vote Outside School for “Best Summer Camps,” “Educator (Enrichment/Camps),” and “Best Independent Schools.” And Teach Outside for “Best Educational Resources.” While you’re at it, under “Lifestyle & Leisure” vote for “Best Art Classes: Liv and Chiu Art Studio;” they’re awesome!!! You can vote until 9/22/23!

“Meeting Students Where They Are: East Bay Schools Offer Neurodiverse Kids Places to Thrive”

I’m thrilled that Outside School is in the news again! In this article by Janis Hashe for East Bay Magazine, she explores various East Bay resources for neurodiverse children:

As an added bonus, the magazine contains an article about a local jeweler/gallery whose child I taught years ago!

Take care,

Heather

Heather Taylor, California Master Teacher, NREMT

Founder/Director/Teacher, Outside School (www.outside.school)

Founder, Teach Outside (www.teachoutside.org)

Feel free to forward to anyone you like!