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Forest School Cooperative
Options for children ages 5-10 years
(K-5th grade)
Registration for 2025-26 now open!
Not all classrooms have four walls! The Notchcliff Forest School Co-op is for families who want to balance home school or online learning with social play and nature connection in a small group setting.
The K-2nd grade co-op has drop-off class options available on Monday-Thursday for the full year to support your homeschool journey. The monthly Forest Fridays program is open to K-5th graders with drop-off class options for ten (10) Friday classes (one per month, Sept. 2025 - June 2026). The Nature Club is an afternoon drop-off program open to K-2nd graders, which you can join as a stand alone class or an extension of the regular K-2nd co-op day. (Read on for detailed information about each program.)
Note: Enrollment in the K- 2nd Full-Year co-op requires a commitment for the full school year. If you must cancel your enrollment early, you are responsible for the balance of your registration until another child can fill the spot. Open enrollment is first come, first serve. A tour is strongly suggested before enrolling in any of our programs and may be required in order to access certain registration pages.
Spring Forest Fridays: Earth Skills & Activism (K-5th)
Mar. 2025 - June 2025 from 9-1 p.m.
Register Now - hurry spaces are filling!
Class meets once per month to explore seasonal themes (4 classes total).
Schedule: Mar. 21 2025, Apr. 18, 2025, May 23, 2025, June 13, 2025
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Join nature educator Julie Biedryzcki for a special monthly program: Forest Fridays! Each month, children discover different plants, animals, and earth skills as they explore nature on the nearly 400 acres of habitats at Notchcliff. At the conclusion of each class, children recieve a "nature challenge" with an activism component to inspire change at home and in the community. Topics include: spring equinox and awakening animals, pollinators and Notchcliff's new beehives, watershed ecology/stream studies, and tree identification just to name a few! Complete details provided at registration; children should dress for rain or shine learning and bring a water bottle and peanut-free lunch.
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Forest Fridays: Earth Skills & Activism (K-5th)
Sept. 2025 - June 2026 from 9 - 1 p.m.
Register Now - hurry spaces are filling!
Class meets once per month to explore seasonal themes (10 classes total - see description above).
Schedule (Fridays):
Sept. 5, 2025
Oct. 3, 2025
Nov. 7, 2025
Dec. 5, 2025
Jan. 9, 2026
Feb. 6, 2026
Mar. 6, 2026
Apr. 3, 2026
May 1, 2026
June 5, 2026
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Fall Nature Club (K-2nd)
Sept. 8 - Oct. 31 from 1 - 3 p.m.
Register Now!
Enjoy crisp Autumn afternoons exploring nature! If you attend our Full-Year Co-Op, join the Nature Club to extend your day! Available Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Register for 1 afternoon or all 4!
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*Note: This is a new option and we will continue to reassess demand for the afternoon session; if there is strong demand, we will offer the p.m. session for the full school year. We appreciate your patience while we determine what our learning community needs.
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Full Year Co-Op (K-2nd)
Sept. 2, 2025 - May 27, 2026 from 9 - 1 p.m.
Sorry, the Co-Op is full. Join Our Waitlist here.
Monday: Hands-on Science and Social Studies Inquiry (K-2nd)
Tuesday: Language and Literacy Exploration (K-2nd)
Wednesday: Wild Math and Outdoor Cooking (K-2nd)
Thursday: Creative Nature Arts: Music, Art, and Dramatic Play (K-2nd)
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​Classes meet entirely outdoors, rain or shine! You will receive complete details about gear and policies when you register. Your child must be five (5) years old by September 1st to meet the age requirement. (If your child is NOT five by Sept. 1st of the enrollment year, they are eligible for the Forest Preschool) Early registration is strongly recommended; spaces are available on a first come, first serve basis. Additional policies related to outdoor learning, gear, etc. are provided upon registration in your confirmation email.
Each day provides a different daily focus, allowing teachers to balance intentional learning experiences with emergent, child-driven explorations. We reference MSDE’s curriculum standards to ensure that children meet homeschool requirements (see MSDE’s homeschool info or components of homeschool instruction video here).
FAQ's about the Co-Op
What about Homeschool Portfolio Reviews?
The children’s nature journals, photos, and other learning artifacts will provide you with documentation to support your child’s learning adventures at Notchcliff. While much of the children's time is devoted to nature play, we also translate our adventures into activities that align with grade level expectations and standards. We use Storypark to document learning and communicate with families. This makes it easy to print out and share during your homeschool review.
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Parent Commitment in the Co-Op: Since this is a "cooperative", a parent from your family agrees to volunteer with the class. (This includes a mandatory orientation and prior background check). Parents provide helpful support to teachers and get a bird’s eye view into their child’s learning experiences. Parent volunteers select volunteer dates in advance. Volunteer slots are based on enrollment. For example, if your child attends on Mondays and there are 12 children in the class, you will volunteer every 12 weeks in the Monday class. If you are also enrolled on a Thursday and there are 10 children in the class, you will volunteer every 10 weeks on a Thursday. For this reason, we will give detailed information about your volunteer commitment in August during our the Sunset Parent Campfire event.
Enrollment Fees: Registration is for the full program year (Sept. - May) and cost is based on less than you might otherwise pay a sitter. If you join partway through the year, we will pro-rate your tuition. If you are experiencing financial need, please reach out. We have limited aid for those who qualify. View pricing here.
Note: If you must cancel your enrollment before the end of the program year, you are responsible for the balance of your registration until another child can fill the spot.
Payment schedule: Initial Deposits are non-refundable and are due at time of registration. Remaining balances will be broken down in equal payments and will be invoiced separately.
Year-round enrollments: Initial Deposit, then 8 monthly payments (Sept.1 - April 1).
Other enrollments: Initial Deposit, then second payment due Sept. 1
Have questions about the co-op? Contact chelsea@anbe.org for more information.