New Outdoor School Good For Student's Insides

DEEP RIVER — Back to basics, means back to nature! In today's crazy world, we are once again reminded that the outdoors is good, and the indoors, not so much. So, what better time to start a new, outdoor, nature-based elementary school?

January 2021, classes, away from screens and desks, sanitizer and plastic barriers, will be in session for the first time ever at the Steward Outdoor Day School in Deep River. The new school will be operating under the umbrella of the Incarnation Center, a non-profit 501(c)(3) with a 130 plus year legacy of delivering life-changing, outdoor education programs, retreats and camps to thousands of youth and adults from across the country and around the world each year. The Incarnation Center is already home to the residential Steward Outdoor School, which is a residential middle school that's been running for the past three years. The new elementary, day school, is an extension of that unique educational experience.

Complete with a 740-acre classroom, a lake, hiking trails as far as the eye can see, a small on-site farm, a maple sugar shack, a ropes course and more, the elementary day school will be building upon the working bricks of the middle school, offering an innovative experiential, elementary day school, providing students with an exceptional learning opportunity to grow, explore, create and study through a performance-based curriculum, which complements traditional coursework, focusing on hands-on environmental science, real-world experiences, and outdoor adventure.

"This is something I personally have been dreaming about since I was a child," said Jen Malaguti, Bushy Hill Nature Center and Steward Outdoor Day School Director. "We are very excited to be able to offer an alternative school option to our local elementary students, utilizing all 740 acres that make up the Incarnation Center campus."

She added, "Actually, this is something I've thought about my whole life. Since I was a child, I wanted to build an outdoor school. I love teaching and have known since I was in fourth grade that I was going to be a teacher. My summers spent at Bushy Hill as a camper added to that dream and I knew I wanted to be a teacher whose classroom was the forest."

The innovative, outdoor school will engage learners through a holistic approach with the teachings of nature. Malaguti explained that young children understand and intuitively know that education is in nature. They explore and play in the outdoors, thrive in fresh air and connect with others while playing in the mud or rolling down hills. Lessons taught in every school began in nature. Learning is innate. It happens fastest and lasts longest when done through play, exploration, and discovery.

"It's very exciting to see this [school] become a reality," said Malaguti, who has a strong belief that the outdoors is what's good for the insides of all of us.

She added, "I'm looking forward to sharing with students the lessons that can be found in nature, many of which are also the same lessons that are taught in the traditional classroom setting, just delivered in a different way. When I was a public-school teacher, I was often the only one who would take students outside. I have students, who I had in class in third grade 15 years ago, who still reach out to me today to say how meaningful those learning experiences were. I am thrilled to be able to offer that to our local kids now. The Steward Outdoor Day School students will get to spend most of their time outdoors in the fresh air exploring, discovering, observing, and most importantly learning lessons that will stay with them for years to come. It's truly a dream come true!"

Tuition for the spring semester of classes is $10,000. Financial aid is available. For more information go to https://www.stewardoutdoordayschool.org/why-steward-day/.