What is Important
At Northwoods, we aim to allow children to be as self-directed as possible, while offering guidance to help them conquer tasks and gain confidence and independence. We bring together a balance of academic needs and investment with hands-on creative opportunities that nurture the whole child.
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We do focus on the forest school aspect, your student will explore the natural world throughout all MN seasons. They will learn skills, develop their interests, take calculated risks, gain confidence in themselves and their abilities, and connect with nature in a holistic way.
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We offer Waldorf-inspired academics that feed the creative mind and keep up with the MN state standards we must satisfy.
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What is most important to us is the future of our children; yours, ours and those to come.
We feel strongly that children need safe environments that treat them with respect and care. They need to be able to play, learn, create, make mistakes, conquer fears, be inspired, gain confidence, learn resilience, connect, and grow to be creative independent community members when they leave our campus for their next adventure.
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Our programs, practices, training, policies and academic curriculum all reflect this core value.
NORTHWOODS FOREST SCHOOL
WORKS WITH:
FAQ
Is Northwoods Forest School a charter school, private school, technical college, etc?
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No. We are not a federally operated school. Nor are we a school in the traditional sense. A forest school is to learn from the forest, to learn from nature. NWFS happens to also support home school families by opening up enrichment opportunities that are more difficult to achieve in a home setting.
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Is Northwoods Forest School a home school co-op?
Kind of. We are like a co-op in many ways! We have group lessons, we have a wide ranges of ages, we have homeschool families learning from each other, and we gather on consistent days through the school year.
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Is Northwoods a tutoring service?
Again, kind of. We offer the support to a home school family to empower them to confidently school their children. We offer structure, routine, traditional group learning experiences, and some tutoring.
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Is Northwoods a child care facility?
No. While we do see ourselves as a helper to safeguard school-age children - we are not solely a childcare service. We do align our facility with the high safety and care standards of professional licensed child care, though we are not licensed through the state.
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Does Northwoods provide free homeschool curriculum?
Yes, well it is included in the admission fee. When you are a member of NWFS we support your endeavor to home educate. We walk alongside you when you create your childs education plan so we are able to offer support and resources to help you accomplish your goals. We offer Waldorf-Inspired curriculum to each child for the "school year", all state required subjects, when they attend our program. Even if it is one day a week, we will still send home the curriculum for the family to implement to stay on course.
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Is there a licensed teacher?
Yes. There are two former school teachers on our team. One of our teachers is overseeing our program and offering tutoring to those that may need some extra support with a concept. While we love to offer licensed teachers as a resource, we do work with retired teachers (no longer active licenses), tradesmen, and other wise self-taught people for our program.
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Why Waldorf?
Rudolf Steiner said, "Our highest endeavor must be to develop free human beings who are able of themselves to impart purpose and direction to their lives. The need for imagination, a sense of truth, and a feeling of responsibility—these three forces are the very nerve of education."
We feel strongly that each child should be treated as a whole, valuable, irreplaceable, intelligent, creative, inspiring individual. We feel Waldorf methods nurture the whole mind, spirt, heart of a human being.
If we can come close to Steiners vision, we will have labored for the most noble of reasons.
The family, the children, the future is what we are investing our effort into.
Join us in this journey to bring to life: education, inspiration, arts, music, connection, and adventure in your childs school years.
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