Somerset County Mom Sprouts Nature-Based Child-Led Class Program In Bridgewater

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — A Somerset County mother is growing a year-round outdoor class program literally from the ground up for young children at Duke Island Park.

Amanda Jurkowski of Manville launched Sprout & Connect, a nature-based caregiver & me program, last fall.

"As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, I use my background to thoughtfully design my classes while still prioritizing child-led play in a relaxed environment," said Jurkowski to Patch.

Jurkowski launched the program in response to what she said was a local gap for nature-based caregiver classes.

"I've always been an outdoorsy person, but truthfully, it was when I became a mom that this all really started for me," said Jurkowski.

When her son was younger, she noticed how much easier days felt when they were outside.

"We were both more calm, more engaged, happier," said Jurkoswki.

When her daughter, who is about two now, was born, she wanted to continue that effort of being outdoors.

"I figured with two kids, let me find some outdoor classes nearby. We can meet other families and just kind of get engaged. I was looking around, and I could not find anything like it," said Jurkowski. "Everything that I was finding was too far away, or just not really the fit that I was looking for. It was either indoor or it was completely unstructured."

In mid-September, she launched her first Sprout class with the mission to "provide intentional, nature-based play experiences that support social skills, emotional regulation, and confidence. By blending behavioral science with the power of child-led play and nature-based learning, we create space for children to thrive, sprout & connect."

Sprout & Connect has multiple spring series running right now — on Thursdays for ages 2 to 7 and Fridays for new babies ages 0 to 2.

Due to demand, Jurkowski has added a Wednesday class for ages 2 to 7 beginning in May.

Classes are held at Duke Island Park, though the exact spot within the park may change depending on the activity or weather. She said some sessions stay near the pavilion, while others may head to a stream or pond area. Each class follows a simple routine, with a welcome, a nature-themed activity and a closing with "bubbles and sticker time."

One recent class focused on signs of spring. Children used magnifying glasses and scavenger hunt cards, with different versions geared to younger and older children.

Jurkowski said she gives children a prompt and then lets them lead the activity.

"Once I give them that prompt of the activity, I let them take the lead and kind of create their own rules," she said.

She said the structure is meant to balance child-led play with support from someone with an education background.

"From the surface, it does look like a lot of free play, which is honestly what kids that age need," she said. "But then parents can kind of feel assured that there is obviously intentional support happening behind the scenes, too."

The program started with drop-in classes, then shifted toward short series after she found that regular attendance helped families and children get to know each other.

Summer classes are expected to open soon with a mix of drop-in and series classes.

Jurkowski said her entire experience with Sprout has "been so amazing. "

"It started as a daydream, essentially in the summer, where I was noticing something was lacking in my kids' lives... I'm basically a stay-at-home mom, so I wanted to be able to use my knowledge elsewhere," said Jurkowski. And honestly, I just feel like Sprout & Connect is sort of like that 90s childhood vibe that I grew up with, that it's nowhere to be found now. And I think that's really sad, and it's something that I wanted to bring back to everyone. So to see people coming into the community and going, 'Okay, I've been looking for this too,' has been the most validating thing - that I can't even put into words."

For more information or to sign up for classes, visit sproutandconnect.com or follow instagram.com/sproutandconnectnj.

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