Nature-Based Early Childhood Education

When children slow down,
everything opens up.

Roots & Rainboots Nature Co. equips early childhood educators with regulation-first outdoor facilitation skills — grounded in field science, built for real classrooms.

7
Developmental Domains Addressed Per Session
Sensory Regulation· Forest School Certified· CEU-Aligned Workshops· School Readiness· Nature-Based Curriculum· Early-Intervention Framework· Ages 2–5· Sensory Regulation· Forest School Certified· CEU-Aligned Workshops· School Readiness· Nature-Based Curriculum· Early-Intervention Framework· Ages 2–5·

The Challenge

Children are dysregulated.
So are the adults guiding them.

Early childhood educators know that outdoor time matters. But between licensing requirements, facility constraints, and professional development gaps — most programs lack the tools to make nature meaningful for the children who need it most.

The gap isn't access to nature. It's the adult in the middle — a facilitator who has never been taught how to slow children down, how to hold their attention with the natural world, or how to document that learning for program accountability.

"The real bottleneck isn't getting kids outside. It's the adult who doesn't know what to do once they're there."

What We Offer

Professional tools for
nature-ready educators.

Every program is built around one principle: regulate the adult first, and the children will follow.

01

Regulation-First Outdoor Facilitation

A half-day professional development workshop for early childhood educators — 14 learning objectives across 4 modules. Teaches sensory regulation through nature observation, not just nature access.

CEU-Aligned · Half Day
02

Curriculum Licensing for Programs

License the full Roots & Rainboots curriculum framework for use across your sites. Includes activity card decks, facilitator guides, and 4-week pilot structure — built for ages 2–5.

Institutional · Scalable
03

PAT Home Visitor Track

A nature-based extension of the Parents as Teachers framework — documentation tools, observation protocols, and family engagement guides aligned to PAT home visit structure.

In Development · 2026

Why Roots & Rainboots

Credentials built for
the work, not the résumé.

Our approach is grounded in Forest School pedagogy, early childhood development science, and years of hands-on facilitation with children ages 2–5 in the field.

7
Developmental Domains Addressed Per Session
21
Field-Tested Activity Cards (Ages 2–5)
5
Research Frameworks Behind the Method
4
Integrated Curriculum Pillars

Why This Work

Putting nature back into
early childhood.

Roots & Rainboots began with a question — what if children could feel capable in the natural world from the very beginning? As an interpretive naturalist, year-round camp host, and Forest School–trained educator with a background in early-childhood curriculum, I kept seeing the same gap. Children today get only a fraction of the unhurried outdoor time their development needs, and the adults around them rarely have simple, confident ways to change that.

The problem was never access to nature — it was equipping the grown-ups in the middle. Roots & Rainboots is the answer: nature-based, regulation-first learning for children ages 2–5, grounded in Montessori principles and the belief that children don't need perfect weather or fancy gear — they need real materials, real experiences, and a trusted adult willing to step outside with them.

The mission is simple: make developmentally meaningful, nature-based learning accessible to every young child, and to the caregivers and educators who serve them.

Start a Conversation
Real materials, real experiences, a trusted adult willing to step outside.

Field Notes

Evidence & practice,
from the field.

All Field Notes →

Policy & Practice

Regulation Before Readiness

What readiness checklists miss about how children learn — and how outdoor time fills the gap.

Professional Development

The Facilitator Bottleneck

Why outdoor time fails without adult training — and what that training looks like.

Forest School Practice

What Is a Sit Spot

One of the oldest nature education practices — and the science behind why it works.

Place-Based Education

The Place-Based Classroom

What one wild place taught me about building curriculum from real experience.

View All Field Notes →

Let's Work Together

Ready to bring
regulation-first learning
to your program?

Whether you direct an early-childhood program, a Head Start site, a state park program, or a childcare network — tell us a little about your program and we'll be in touch within 48 hours.

Email rootsrainboots@gmail.com
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