Learning from the Seasons

At WildRoots Nature School, the seasons shape our days.

Our classrooms are forests, meadows, and gardens — places where learning unfolds in rhythm with rain, sunlight, shifting temperatures, and the quiet, ongoing changes of the natural world. Rather than resisting these changes, we welcome them, allowing weather and seasonality to guide our curriculum, our activities, and our pace.

Outdoor classrooms invite children to build a relationship with weather — feeling it,

adapting to it, and learning from it as part of their everyday experience.

As the seasons change, so does our learning. Our curriculum follows the natural year, offering children opportunities to notice patterns, ask meaningful questions, and develop a deep sense of connection to the living world around them. This seasonal rhythm grounds children in place and time, helping them understand that learning is not fixed, but alive and responsive.

Learning to Notice

Seasonal change invites careful observation.

Some shifts happen quickly — a sudden rainstorm, the first frost of the year — while others unfold slowly, almost imperceptibly. By spending time outdoors day after day, children learn to slow down, pay attention, and notice details that might otherwise go unseen.

As fall turns toward winter, we invite students to observe changes in the landscape and wonder aloud about what they see, feel, hear, and experience.

Deciduous Trees

Deciduous trees shed their leaves in the fall and grow them back in the spring — a visible cycle that children can return to again and again.

We begin by learning what “deciduous” means, then seek out examples during hikes. Children notice changes in color, leaf drop, and bare branches, building skills in observation, comparison, and pattern recognition. These long-term observations nurture curiosity and help children understand cycles of rest, renewal, and growth.

Coniferous Trees

Coniferous trees offer a different story. Their needles remain through the winter, supported by waxy coatings that help retain moisture and withstand cold temperatures.

By observing these trees alongside deciduous species, children begin to understand adaptation — that living beings prepare for seasonal change in different ways. Students practice applying new vocabulary, identifying plants, and recognizing that there is no single “right” way to respond to change.

Water

Waterways are some of our most dynamic classrooms.

During Oregon’s rainy winters, children visit our ponds and creeks to observe rising water levels, faster flows, and shifting banks. After heavy rains, students notice how water collects and moves, they observe and rejoice in the sudden appearance of ephemeral streams, asking questions and exploring possible reasons for what they see and what the impacts will be.

These moments naturally introduce ideas of cause and effect, watersheds, and ecosystem balance. As children play and explore, they also learn how human actions affect the environment — discovering that small changes can have meaningful impacts.

Growing Resilience

Our students don’t just observe the seasons — they experience them.

Rain or shine, cold mornings or sunny afternoons, learning continues outdoors. With thoughtful preparation and care, children discover that they can feel comfortable, capable, and confident in a wide range of conditions.

We support this by ensuring students have appropriate gear and by helping them understand how to care for their bodies in changing weather. Children also observe how animals adapt — through hibernation, migration, growing thicker fur, or storing food — and begin to see parallels in their own experiences. Adding an extra layer becomes a human version of an animal’s winter coat.

Through these experiences, children develop resilience: the ability to adapt, problem-solve, and grow stronger through challenge. Weather becomes something to work with, not avoid — an opportunity for learning, creativity, and joy.

Seasonal activities reflect this rhythm. From building leaf piles to gathering around fires, each season brings its own kind of play and connection. The natural world offers endless invitations, and each one carries its own kind of magic.

Welcoming Change

Seasons remind us that change is constant — and meaningful.

By spending their days outdoors, children learn that transformation is something to notice, respect, and move through with curiosity. They build relationships with place, develop confidence in their own adaptability, and grow a sense of belonging within the world around them.

At WildRoots, we believe that when children learn alongside the seasons, they carry those lessons with them — learning how to observe closely, adapt thoughtfully, and meet the world with resilience, wonder, and care.