My child is sort of an indoor-kid. I don’t know if they’ll like outdoor learning.

Students who have a history of preferring indoor activities, outdoor activities, or a mix, have all found their place in OWL. Children’s brains are still developing, and sometimes grown-ups know what is best. We’ve seen the emotional and health benefits of time in nature or even just an outdoor walk. We’ve read the articles. These articles, too. Even still, if you'd like to give OWL a try without a commitment, OWL can offer a trial period no problem.

My kid is busy with schoolwork. We might not have time for outdoor learning.

“Successful engagement in school and life relies on the development of both cognitive and social-emotional skills and mindsets, which are not represented in academic standards (Turnaround for Children, 2015). Researchers Janet & Ross Thompson note that social-emotional skills emerge through children’s experience in close relationships and the varied activities that occur in relational experience. As a medium for these experiences, nature evokes positive feelings that generalize to children’s interactions with other people and their activities (Thomson & Thompson, 2007). In addition to these skills, multiple studies have shown that time in nature has a positive effect on almost every aspect of a child’s life, including: better overall physical health (McCurdy, et.al., 2010); stress reduction and improved self-discipline (Wells and Evans, 2003) (Taylor, Kuo and Sullivan, 2001); improved social relations as a result of unstructured, out of door play (Burdette and Whitaker, 2005); increased creativity, problem solving, and intellectual development (Kellert, 2005) (Bell and Dyment, 2006); increased attentiveness (Kuo, Browning, and Penner, 2018); and improved academic performance in social studies, science, language arts, and math (American Institutes for Research, 2005).” -Wild Earth, NY

Can my kid come to OWL all day instead of going to school?

OWL is an after-school program, with weekend adventures, and summer camps. If you are looking for full-day programming, check out Wild Harvest Nature Connection. There are other folks who are offering outdoor schooling, too, like The Kickapoo Valley Forest School in La Farge.