Nature Adventures (whole family)

  • Collections
  • Nature Hikes
  • Food Chain Games
  • Dam Building Challenge
  • Observation with Magnification
  • River Walk
  • Learning Bird Songs
  • Nature Games
  • Scavenger Hungs
  • Journaling in Nature
  • Recording Nature Observations
  • Seasonal Walks & Observations
  • Winter Hiking
  • Pond Studies
  • Practicing First Aid Scenarios in Field
  • Nature Poetry
  • Searching for Wildlife
  • Building Shelters
  • Group Problem Solving
  • Searching for Hawks
  • Identifying Minnesota Wildlife
  • River Walk
  • Nature Journaling In-Field
  • Orienteering Skills
  • Animal Tracking
  • Sensory Games

    • Description

    WHO: Nature Adventures are for the whole family! Parent or guardian must attend, unless special permission is granted ahead of time.
    WHAT: One or Two sessions per month; this year, all the walks will be at the same time but you will be able to sign up for for ONE or TWO per term and choose which location/walk you’d like to join. Payments can be made by term or by trimester.
    WHEN: Tuesdays, see calendar for exact dates, 9:30-11:30a.m. We’ll be giving ourselves longer outside this year!
    WHERE: Various Nature Parks, most within 20 minutes of Loft & Field. You will be notified of our location with driving directions via email before each class (note that we sometimes have to change locations at the last minute because of weather conditions). If you’re choosing ONE walk per term, you can choose which one, no need to let us know ahead of time. If you’re choosing TWO walks per term, we hope to get to know you and your students really well!
    COST PER FAMILY WITH PARENT IN ATTENDANCE: One walk per term is $12/term or $32/full trimester; two walks per term $20/term or $50/full trimester.
    MATERIALS FEE: $14 for nature journal (if you already have a good nature journal, feel free to continue using it). To buy a new nature journal, bring cash or check to purchase at Loft & Field or email us to request that we bring one with to the nature site.
    HOW PAYMENT WORKS: Payments for classes will be charged IMMEDIATELY for ALL orders. Payments are collected before classes begin and will automatically continue (monthly or every three months) until the end of the school year or cancel any time. No refunds.
    BONUS: When you sign up for any local class, your family automatically gets a Loft & Field Membership. Memberships include access to the Living Books Library, parent support, early sign-ups, and more. They will expire June 19, 2026.  Read more here.
    If you’d like the benefits of membership without taking local classes, we have a “Membership Only” option on our Enroll page. Read more about the many benefits of a Loft & Field membership here.

    General Information

    Program of Study

    Nature Adventure Outing – An important part of Charlotte Mason Education is nature walks and scouting activities. We are intentionally committing one morning and one afternoons each month for the whole family to be in nature. Our goals are to combine the active adventures of scouting activities with the calm and quiet nature observations and journaling. Each walk will begin with a poem or an idea to guide our observations which will help direct our ears and hearts to the beauty and wilderness around us. We will then follow the paths or wander the wilderness for a time before pausing to identify a new-to-us flower, or run a safety simulation (what if we got this far and someone broke a leg, what would we do?), practice orienteering and finding our way, or actively encountering Minnesota’s most common species of trees, plants or animals. After our active portion, we stop along the way to make a journal entry on something we’ve noticed or experienced. The goal is to record what we learned but also to try to capture that day in nature so well that you can picture it years later. We encourage everyone to carry their own nature journal and writing/art supplies in a small bag. Families who are not interested or able to journal (hello, babies!) can leave at any time or stay and play.

    FAQs

    Does my student need to bring anything to class? You can choose to have each of your children carry his or her own bag, or you can bring one bag for the whole family. Your family should have the following available: water bottle with family name written on it, nature journals, pencils, some small snacks (like granola bars) in case a child gets overly weak/hungry.

    What should I do if one of my kids is sick? Please refer to our Health & Safety Protocols, we make a clear list of when to definitely keep your kids home, and when you can make your own decision.

    Can I drop-off and pick-up my child from Nature Adventures? We want Nature Adventures to include the whole family, but if a parent or guardian can’t attend, please email [email protected] to see if arrangements can be made.