Nuts and Bolts

Food

We eat what we grow as much as possible (supplementing with a grain such as wild rice, oats, and corn tortillas) and we learn about planting, weeding, watering, composting, harvesting, preservation, and cooking as part of our curriculum. We provide a healthy and hearty and mostly organic snack each morning for the whole school around 10:30 am. Children wash their own dishes after snack.

We have a policy of “Litter Free” or “Zero Waste” lunches. Parents are encouraged to send lunches that have little or no packaging that needs to be thrown away. Wrappers that are sent to school are sent back home in your child’s lunch box (Boomerang Lunch).

Outdoor Clothing

We believe children develop perseverance and resilience as they experience different weather.

Preserving childhood play and movement while fostering deep nature connection takes the right outdoor clothing

We are outside in all weather and for this reason, we must dress appropriately for our northern Minnesota climate.

Check out The Outdoor School Shop/Apple Blossom for great information on how to dress for the weather at an outdoor school! To receive a 15% discount on everything in our shop use CODE APPLE at checkout.

Screen Guidelines

In a world that seems to be moving ever faster, join us in slowing the pace for our children. Our unhurried and developmentally appropriate curriculum fosters deep connection with nature while building foundational skills needed for academic learning. Using a head, heart, and hands approach inspired by Waldorf pedagogy, children enjoy a wholesome approach to learning that includes days spent in outside exploration, handwork, games, singing, world and Indigenous language and culture, folk dance, arts and crafts. We encourage healthy screen use in the home and ask that children not overconsume media so that they may benefit from our daily activities and rich storytelling tradition.