Located on 60 acres in Southwest Michigan, Little Log Cabin Nature School is a place for children to learn, play, and fall in love with the outdoors.

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Child-led free play.

Free play is a cornerstone of nature schooling. We provide the safe space, Mother Nature provides the goods, and kiddos do the rest.

Outside, in every weather.

The benefits of outdoor play in early education are seemingly infinite. Again and again, studies reveal how outdoor time helps children develop socially, emotionally, physically, cognitively, and creatively.

Dirty hands!

Our location at NOEL Farms allows for an additional layer of exploration and learning. Whether tending the school garden, caring for the chicken flock, or splitting wood on the kindling rings, farm tasks bring us close to the earth.

All ages, all together.

Each day at nature school includes free play, a nature craft or farm activity, and lunch. Students of all ages collaborate, play and spend the day alongside one another.

Sample Day at Nature School

"My professional training [as a pediatric occupational therapist] had taught me that movement - and a lot of it - is key to preventing many of these problems. And through my own research, and in my personal life, I discovered that movement through active free play - particularly in the outdoors - is absolutely the most beneficial gift we as parents, teachers, and caregivers can bestow on our children."

- Angela J. Hanscom,
Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children
"Nature play is not another thing to shove into the crevices of an already overloaded schedule. A childhood built upon nature play is a different way to do childhood altogether.”

Ginny Yurich, Founder of 1000 Hours Outside movement
"Students are taught to take risks with the support of an instructor. For example, students may explore climbing trees, using metal tools, and lighting a fire. Instructors help students assess risks and benefits so their decisions are always informed. Forest schools have a higher instructor-to-learner ratio than other types of learning environments. Risk-taking builds resilience and self-esteem in young people that will improve their judgment as they grow."

- Wonderschool
"Homeschooling isn't about "doing school at home," it's about freeing out children to learn in their own way, at their own pace, within the most natural conditions."

- Ainsley Arment, Call of the Wild and Free

Program Specs

Little Log Cabin Nature School is a twice-a-week drop off program.

Classes meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
We welcome ages 4 - 10!
What We Believe

We believe in restoring the sanctity of childhood. We believe in the beauty of the simple things, in nature as a teacher, and in the power of fresh air.
We hope that Little Log Cabin Nature School is a place that nurtures children’s innocence, and innate wonder and awe.
The (Actual) Little Log Cabin

On NOEL Farms’ more than 60 acres, there’s a lake, rivers, trails, woods, and yes - a little log cabin!

Built in the 1800s and retaining all of it’s original charm, it’s the perfect namesake and nod to undistracted, simple living.
Tuition

Tuition is $700 when attending one day per week (this is doubled if enrolling both Tuesday & Thursday). A 10% discount is offered for enrolled siblings