FALL 2026/2027 SCHOOL YEAR ENROLLMENT OPENS MONDAY MARCH 30TH!
Our leaders are inspired by "Coyote Mentoring" techniques - developed by Jon Young and the Wilderness Awareness School- to guide playful, intuitive, and deeply meaningful connections with the land and community around us.
Rather than simply teaching about nature, we invite children into relationship with it.
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We focus our learning around these key components:
🌿CONNECTION & AWARENESS
Birds & Animal language
Wildlife Tracking
Ecology & Natural Communities
Sensory & Environmental Awareness
🌿SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE
Hazards & Wilderness Safety
Edible & Medicinal Plant Identification
Mapping & Nature Journaling
🌿EXPRESSION & INTEGRATION
Arts, Music & Creative Exploration
Stewardship Projects
Holistic Learning Practices- which build self- confidence and problem- solving skills
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A DAY IN THE WOODS
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10:00 am - Arrival & Free Play
Settling in and connecting
10:30 am - Morning Gathering Circle
Song : Question of the Day : Movement : Helper Roles : Adventure Plan
10:45 am - Hike & Exploration
Gratitude & sensory awareness practice
Observation and Interaction with nature, plants, creatures, etc.
11:30 am - Base Camp Arrival
Group Fire Building : Lunch : Story Time : Crafting
12:00 pm - Focused activities, free time & exploration
Whittling : Fort Making : Individual/group activities : Child- Led exploring
1:30 pm - Closing Circle, Hike Back, and Free Play
Sharing & Gratitude Practice
2:00 pm - Pick up & Farewell
We believe children grow best when they feel capable, connected with, and deeply at home in the natural world.
At Friend of the Woods, we spend our days outdoors in all seasons. We believe that time i n rain, snow, sunshine, and wind builds resilience, adaptability, and a deep comfort in the natural world.
As the saying goes, 'there is no such thing as bad weather- only inappropriate clothing'. With proper gear, children (and teachers) thrive outside year-round.
That said, safety always comes first. During lightening storms, severe wind, extreme cold, or other hazardous conditions, we may adjust hours, reschedule or move to an alternate location. Detailed weather protocols are in our parent handbook.
Forest school offers a holistic, child- led approach to learning in a relaxed, exploratory, and cooperative environment. Time outdoors supports physical health, emotional regulation, creativity, critical thinking, problem- solving, and social connection.
Research consistently shows that outdoor learning environments improve focus, reduce stress, increase engagement, and support healthy risk assessment. Nature acts as a great equalizer- offering meaningful challenges for energetic learners while providing calming, grounding experiences for those who need it.
Children in nature-based programs often demonstrate increased enthusiasm for learning, deeper resilience, and a lasting connection to the natural world.
For families who would like to explore the research further, here's a few studies:
Benefits of Outdoor Education- Natural Resources Foundation WI
Our Tuesday & Thursday drop-off programs are based on a sliding scale according to income in hopes of making our programs more accessible. See the pricing page for more tuition information.
Please see our Summer Camp & OVA pages for additional information on pricing for those programs.
Safety is central to everything we do. All teachers are Wilderness First Aid and CPR certified and trained in risk assessment. We carry first aid supplies at all times and intentionally teach children how to recognize and navigate potential hazards in the woods.
At Friend of the Woods, we believe in a balanced approach to safety. Children grow through appropriately managed risk- climbing, balancing, building, exploring. These experiences stregthen both body and confidence while teaching self-awareness and healthy decision- making.
Rather than removing challenge, we guide children through it. For example, instead of saying "don't throw that rock," we might ask, "what do you need to look out for before you throw?" If a child is climbing and unsure, we offer supportive cues that help them assess their footing and problem-solve independently.
Our role is to provide guidance and structure while honoring each child's developing abilities.
If you are interested in volunteer opportunities please contact us. Some opportunities may include:
Monitoring littles
Providing snacks/lunch
Helping to teach a specific skill
Substitute teaching
Grant writing/Admin
Field trip help
Anything else you feel will be beneficial!
We strongly recommend children come in clothes that you don't mind them getting exceptionally dirty in. Also, please remember that it is better to be over dressed for the weather than under.
The list below is our recommendation but you don't need to go out and buy everything brand new all at once.. there are many gently used on Facebook marketplace and we may have extras to lend. Although, good quality outdoor gear is a great investment as many will last multiple seasons as hand-me-downs. The Outdoor School Shop has great clothing and resources such as this layering guide .
ALL SEASONS CHECKLIST
Light Backpack
Water bottle
Lunch
Any important medications
Extra change of clothes
SPRING/FALL CHECKLIST
We highly recommend a rain suit or coverall like this one to go over all clothes. You can find these used on Facebook marketplace and we might have a few to borrow. Rain shell pants/bibs or a Rain/Shell jacket is a fine alternative- though the shell pants and jackets tend to be more durable and breathable
Rain or shell mittens
Rain hat or hood is fine but visibility is often better with a hat vs. hood
Rain boots/ mucks boots
Wool socks
Base layers- wool or high-tech poly or function fleece- cotton not recommended
WINTER CHECKLIST
Well- Insulated waterproof snow jacket & pants or a one-piece insulated waterproof snowsuit can be more convenient and in many cases, warmer.
Insulated Waterproof snow mittens or gloves
Wool socks
Winter hat
Insulated waterproof snow boots
Base layers- wool or high-tech poly or function fleece- cotton not recommended
SUMMER CHECKLIST
Sunscreen or UV blocking clothes
Summer hat and glasses if your child prefers them
Wool socks recommended - will wick sweat
Depending on activity, we might ask you to bring coverall or long pants
Wondering how these two programs differ?
Oxford Virtual Academy (OVA)
State- funded through Oxford Public Schools (school of choice applies)
Parent- directed, teacher- mentored.
Weekly online component + 2 hour in-person class
Meets at Bald Mountain Recreation Area (Lake Orion)
Available for K-5th grade
6:1 child-to-teacher ratio (max 12 students)
1 or 2 semesters per year (14 weeks each)
Kindergarten through Middle School aged kids
We are considered an elective for this customizable, flexible learning option that is ideal for parents that want to homeschool without having all the pressure on themselves. This class is also available to those not enrolled in OVA and would like to self-pay.
Walnut, Birch & Cedar Groups (Drop-off Program)
Self-pay program
Ages 2.5-10
4- hour in-person sessions
Meet once or twice per week
September- June School Year
8:1 child-to-teacher ratio (Walnut & Birch) 5:1 child-to-teacher ratio (Cedar)
Parent-teacher reflections throughout the year
Strong community bonding
Graduation ceremony at year's end
Ideal for families looking for a fully immersive, drop-off forest school experience.
Learn more about our programs here.
Any other questions, please don't hesitate to reach out!
For all of our programs, we provide an assortment of nutritious organic snacks for hungry adventurers to enjoy and refuel. We do our absolute best to provide food that is nutritious and allergen-free for everyone in our community! Click HERE to see our snack list!
Ticks are a nuisance we have to deal with but they shouldn't cause enough fear to keep ourselves from the countless benefits of being in nature. Just like we have to wear our seatbelts when we drive or protect ourselves from getting sunburns, we just have to practice some precautions when it comes to ticks. Ticks are unfortunately a part of living in Michigan and we need to deal with them with diligence. Meaning, the best way to prevent a tick-borne illness is to tick check regularly and by regularly I mean everyday. Here's why:
The tick species we have to worry about the most is the Deer or Black-legged tick which is the type that carry Lyme Disease. We have a lot of them at Bald Mountain but here's the thing- a tick has to be feeding on you for at least 24 hours for any likelihood of it transmitting the disease. On top of that, ticks generally take a long time before they even find a spot to latch. So just getting in the habit of checking yourself and your kids daily is going to give the most security.
*Ticks like to crawl up and find darker places to latch so check everywhere but especially check waistlines, groin area, under arms, naval, scalp, in and behind the ears and behind the knees*
Other ways to help prevent ticks are wearing light colored clothing, brushing hair out before getting in the car and putting clothing straight in the washer when you go inside. You can tuck pants into socks to make a tick's journey up to skin harder and longer- and therefore you might find them faster- but that's not always doable in barefoot and shorts weather. The number one preventative is DAILY TICK CHECKS. Even on days. you don't go outside- they can come inside on pets or hang out in the car for a couple days.
Other ways to prevent:
Deet- this repels them but doesn't kill them and has been banned in some countries for its health and environmental concerns.
Permethrin- Kills them and all arachnids (yes, ticks are in the same family as spiders). It is somewhat known to be safer than Deet because it is generally applied to clothing rather than skin.
Nantucket Spider Natural and Deet- free spray- There's no scientific evidence to the effectiveness of essential oils but we have used this with success and have heard from many others that this is the best natural spray on the market that we've found so far.
Picardian- Not banned in other countries and seems to be safer than Deet or Permethrin. This one goes directly on skin.
For Kira and I, we generally use the Nantucket Spray and when we know we're in higher tick areas, we put the Picardian on but do what feels right for your family.
Using any of these methods doesn't take away the need for Tick checks- tick checks need to just become a daily habit for preventing disease.
Lastly, we recommend keeping some tick removal spoons on hand. These are the easiest method of removal we've found.
We hope this information is helpful and somewhat comforting. I know I used to have so much fear around ticks until I did more research and found a 5 minute a day tick checking routine. If we can offer more support or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out!