the rugged research model

Our Education Model​

We believe that children flourish when learning about nature is done in nature. Our curriculum is written by park rangers, science teachers, and naturalists. Our programs integrate outdoor immersion, play‑based experiences, science and discovery practices.

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Developmental Benefits​

• Research shows that children who regularly engage in natural environments experience improved attention, deeper focus, and stronger executive functioning. ​

• Nature also supports emotional and mental health. Time spent outdoors is associated with reduced stress hormone (cortisol) levels, lower anxiety and depression symptoms, and improved mood and well‑being. 

• The natural world offers our children the terrain, textures, light, and movement that boost gross and fine motor skill development, spatial awareness, coordination, and sensory integration. 
   

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Play‑Based Learning 

Play is far more than fun! It is the language of children’s learning. When children explore, build, imagine and experiment, they actively engage cognitive processes like problem‑solving, creativity, risk‑taking and self‑regulation. Our lessons encourage children to make choices, explore at their own pace and engage their senses, we are fostering self‑reliance, confidence, initiative, and a sense of ownership in their learning journeys.
 

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Why Science + Discovery

Our model leverages the outdoors as a laboratory: children are encouraged to observe insects, test water flow, explore plant life, ask “why” and “how”, develop hypothesis, try, fail, and try again. This science‑rich approach connects to research showing that nature‑based learning environments can boost academic outcomes and cognitive growth by growing a child's self efficacy, academic curiosity, questioning and hypothesizing, logical thinking, data‑gathering skills, and scientific literacies. Not only will this support a child's academic career, but their quality of life as adults.

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Benefits for Mindfulness, Self‑Esteem & Mental Health

Nature based learning also cultivates mindfulness, self‑esteem and emotional resilience. When children slow down, observe a beetle on a leaf, listen to wind in the trees, feel textures of bark and stones, or journal about their surrounding, they are cultivating presence and bodily awareness. This is especially important in our fast paced, stimulus heavy culture. Reducing stress through nature also supports mental health, and children who learn how to regulate their emotions early via rich, play‑based, outdoor experiences are better equipped for future social and emotional demands.

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Our Commitment

• We conduct our classes in parks and open spaces to encourage connection with the local landscape. ​

• We integrate science thinking: asking questions, testing ideas, reflecting on results into every outdoor experience.​

• We intentionally embed mindful moments: listening to nature, reflecting quietly, noticing changes and fostering connection with self and environment.

• We design experiences that build confidence, self‑regulation, teamwork, problem‑solving, and resilience.​

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We believe that students who experience our model leave with more than facts. They will carry a deep connection to nature, a bolstered sense of self, the capacity to ask questions, the confidence to act, and the calm to be present.