Wright-Locke Farm’s Forest Friends
Our Mission:
Through our nature-immersive, play-based program, Forest Friends fosters a love of exploratory learning, educates the whole child, and cultivates a genuine connection to the natural world. In these ways, we aim to create lifelong learners, engaged and empathetic citizens, and compassionate environmental stewards.
Our Guiding Principles:
- Early learning should help children develop holistically: academically, socially, and emotionally
- Fostering a connection to nature teaches empathy, lays the foundation for environmental literacy, builds respect for nature, and develops a sense of place in the outdoors
- Measured risk-taking builds resilience, self-esteem, and good judgment
- Nurturing one’s innate curiosity and a desire to explore and discover establishes a love of learning
- Outdoor play is important for healthy development in children, improving balance, strength, motor skills, and immune function
- Children thrive in communities where they feel empowered, respected, and supported
- Lesson topics are most impactful when they are emergent and based on student interest
- Understanding and being involved in food production contributes to an interest in eating healthy and making healthy lifestyle choices
- All children, regardless of circumstances, deserve quality early education
Why a forest-based program?
Education is a key aspect of Wright-Locke Farm Conservancy’s mission. Having a nature-immersive, forest-based program offers our students an incredible opportunity to begin their formal education with holistic development and an emphasis on connecting with the outdoors. Research shows that outdoor, nature- and forest-based learning in early years:
- Leads to better academic outcomes than traditional educational settings (Kuo et al., 2019)
- Contributes to emotional learning and wellbeing (Cutting & Sherwin, 2017)
- Lays a foundation for environmental stewardship (University of Colorado at Denver, 2007)
- Boosts confidence, social skills, motivation and concentration (O’Brien & Murray, 2007)
- Has positive impacts on children’s resilience, problem-solving, confidence, independence, social and cognitive competence, and overall wellbeing (Blackwell, 2015)
- Improves concentration, executive function, creativity, and resilience to stress and adversity (University of Colorado at Denver, 2007)
- Improves motor skills, such as balance and coordination (Fjørtoft, 2001)
- Has a significant, positive effect on children’s learning outcomes, especially improving creativity, empathy, cooperation, and sociability (Hattie, 2009)
- Leads to improved outcomes regarding leadership, self-concept, personality, and interpersonal relationships (Hattie, 2009)