Come closer!

We recently had some experiences that led me to believe we are doing the right things, according to others we interact with. We have been fortunate enough to:

education, natural learning, outdoor educationHeather TaylorJanuary 8, 2023Outside Schoolnature, social, emotional, human development, eucalyptus, creek

Sanctuary

Do you have a place, in the world,

education, natural learning, outdoor educationHeather TaylorDecember 5, 2022Outside Schoolnature, social, emotional, human development, eucalyptus, creek

Awe

Last week, as we started our walk up into the hills with stepping aside and looking slightly away so we could seem less threatening. We wanted to let a cow pass, walking along to meet up with the rest of its herd.

education, natural learning, outdoor educationHeather TaylorNovember 6, 2022Outside Schoolnature, social, emotional, human development, eucalyptus, creek

Another Fun Day

Woohoo!!! I love cruising around up in the hills, making constant new discoveries.

education, natural learning, outdoor educationHeather TaylorOctober 11, 2022Outside Schoolnature, social, emotional, human development, eucalyptus, creek

Hitting the Trails

School is starting up again! In the last couple of years, I’ve really ramped up the work of giving back to the Alvarado Park/Wildcat Canyon by setting goals for litter pickup and invasive species removal.

education, natural learning, outdoor educationHeather TaylorSeptember 5, 2022Outside Schoolnature, social, emotional, human development, eucalyptus, creek

Evolution and Metamorphosis

Summer camp was so amazing this year. When I started doing these camps, I thought it would be a preview for potential school year families.

education, natural learning, outdoor educationHeather TaylorAugust 16, 2022Outside Schoolnature, social, emotional, human development, eucalyptus, creek

“Thunderscoop!”

Woohoohoohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Summer camp is here!!! I have some amazing new families whose kids have eased right into the general state of things, and I feel so grateful.

education, natural learning, outdoor educationHeather TaylorJuly 12, 2022Outside Schoolnature, social, emotional, human development, eucalyptus, creek

Nature, Community, and (Human) Resources

This month, Jilliann Rodriguez M’Barki, an Outside School parent, wrote a wonderful article for Ten Strands. In “Preparing Future Generations to Protect Our Planet,” she shares her life journey, and I feel so fortunate to be part of it!

education, natural learning, outdoor educationHeather TaylorJune 21, 2022Outside Schoolnature, social, emotional, human development, eucalyptus, creek

Come With Us Now on a Journey Through Time and Space…*

It’s been a busy time, with some late school year enrollments. The hills are just now turning brown, having been green for months despite the severe drought.

education, natural learning, outdoor educationHeather TaylorMay 17, 2022Outside Schoolnature, social, emotional, human development, eucalyptus, creek

Real Life Herpetology

It’s gorgeous out there, up in the hills. This year’s interesting precipitation patterns and temperatures have excited the flora and fauna- blossoms and birds abound!

education, natural learning, outdoor educationHeather TaylorApril 13, 2022Outside Schoolnature, social, emotional, human development, eucalyptus, creek

Full of Life

Recently, some students of mine were complaining about a school’s motto they’d heard, “Grow into great.” They were completely incensed at the news that they were not born great.

education, natural learning, outdoor educationHeather TaylorMarch 7, 2022Outside Schoolnature, social, emotional, human development, eucalyptus, creek

So Much to Say!!!

An article showed up on my facebook feed recently, that builds upon the emotional resiliency video I shared a couple months back, highlights the burden on women’s roles in caregiving, and served as an exclamation mark upon a recent drop-off period we had at Outside School. That morning, one child unexpectedly didn’t come to school. Everyone missed them, and it made drop-off hard.

education, natural learning, outdoor educationHeather TaylorFebruary 9, 2022Outside Schoolnature, consent, social, emotional, human development, eucalyptus, creek

On the Social and Emotional Realms of Human Development

Welcome, and Happy (or insert your current emotions and curse words here) New Year! I’m excited to have been given the official county go-ahead that Outside School can require vaccinations.

education, natural learning, outdoor educationHeather TaylorJanuary 13, 2022Outside Schoolnature, consent, social, emotional, human development, eucalyptus, creek

Day By Day

I got all riled up the other day while reading a link from Peter Gray. His article took me right back to when I first started Outside School, as an afterschool program at local elementary schools.

outdoor education, natural learning, educationHeather TaylorNovember 9, 2021Outside School (Mailing Address: P.O. Box 6490, Albany, CA 94706)freedom, outside school, bayareafamiliesoutside, unschool

Humans and Nature

A parent sent along this wonderful article, "Mud-Luscious and Puddle-Wonderful," by Lucy Jones for Writers Rebel. In it, Ms. Jones raises many important points about humans needing more time in nature.

outdoor education, natural learning, educationHeather TaylorOctober 11, 2021outside school, bayarea, east bay, natural education, outdooreducation

Deer, Masks, and Tire Shredders

We are so lucky to be able to have Alvarado Park/Wildcat Canyon as our classroom! We're right at an urban/wildland interface and never know what will happen. We had this huge moment last week when some deer in rut came close!