Beyond the Classroom: Finding Our Roots in Nature
Our Hybrid Preschool Experiment, Part 1: Roots Way Nature Play
When I shared our family's plans for a hybrid preschool year, I wrote about our decision to piece together a variety of experiences rather than enroll our three-year-old in a traditional five-day preschool program. We wanted to prioritize time outdoors, play-based learning, community, and a slower pace that would leave room for family life and spontaneous adventures.
Now that we're settling into our weekly rhythm, I want to take a closer look at the different experiences that make up our preschool week, beginning with one that doesn't really look like school at all.
On Fridays, we head out to explore one of Chicago's many natural spaces with Roots Way Nature Play, a Waldorf-inspired hiking group for young children and their caregivers.
There's no classroom, no drop-off, and no particular academic objective for the day. Instead, we gather with other families to walk, explore, sing, listen to stories, and experience the natural world together.
Seeing Nature Through New Eyes
Roots Way was founded by Erica, a Waldorf educator and mother whose relationship with nature changed profoundly when she began exploring outdoor spaces with her own children.
When her oldest daughter was six weeks old, Erica joined a parent-run group called Nature Babes. Each week, parents gathered with their babies to visit natural spaces around the city. She remembers one particular afternoon sitting beneath a large tree with her infant daughter.
"I saw the reflection of this great big—I think it was a cottonwood tree—reflected in her eyes," Erica recalled. "It really struck me that I had an opportunity as a parent and as a person to look at the world differently and see it with new eyes, like my daughter."
That moment stayed with her.
A few years later, when her daughter was diagnosed with cancer at age three, nature took on an even more important role in their lives. Cancer treatment left her daughter immunocompromised, limiting their ability to participate in many of the classes and activities available to young children.
Once again, outdoor spaces became a place of refuge and connection.
"Nature became our haven," Erica explained.
Her daughter recovered and is now a healthy high school junior, but the family's experiences left a lasting impression. As her children grew, Erica pursued Waldorf teacher training and eventually began developing a program that would allow her to share the places and experiences that had meant so much to her own family.
Roots Way grew from that desire: to help other families discover the natural spaces available to them, even in the middle of a major city.
"I hope to empower each parent that comes to class with the knowledge that just because we live in a big metropolitan city, we have access to some beautiful sites," she said.
It's a message that resonates with me.
Living in Chicago, it's easy to think of nature as something we have to travel to find. We plan weekends away, visit state parks, or head to the countryside when we want our children to experience something beyond sidewalks and playgrounds.
But Roots Way has been a reminder that nature isn't necessarily somewhere else. It's right here, often hiding in places we might otherwise overlook.
A Different Kind of Weekly Rhythm
One of the things I appreciate most about Roots Way is that each week takes us somewhere different. We've explored sandy dunes along the lakeshore, wandered wooded forest paths, and walked through prairies filled with tall grasses and wildflowers.
There are different things to climb, different plants to examine, different sounds to listen for, and different kinds of ground beneath our feet.
Sometimes the experience is peaceful and contemplative. Other times, it's considerably messier and louder.
On one particularly memorable outing, we stopped after the group hike to visit a "fountain of youth" made famous by local lore. I quickly discovered using a hand pump to fill a jug of water while solo parenting a curious preschooler and a reckless toddler was way too ambitious a task. We barely managed to fill half the jug, and everyone ended up soaked and muddy. We survived, but I was humbled and exhausted by the experience.
But that's also part of what I appreciate about these mornings. They aren't meticulously planned activities with predetermined outcomes. They're real experiences, unfolding in real environments, with all the unpredictability that comes with exploring alongside young children.
And in the process, we're building something that goes beyond the individual hikes.
We've connected with other families through Roots Way, including some with whom we now share childcare. Close friends of ours have also begun attending with their child, adding another layer of familiarity and connection to our Fridays.
What began as an outdoor activity has become part of our family's growing community.
The Intention Behind the Simplicity
At first glance, a Roots Way morning might look like a group of families taking a walk together. And in some ways, that's exactly what it is.
But Erica brings a thoughtful Waldorf influence to the experience through songs, seasonal stories, puppetry, and familiar rhythms that give the gatherings a sense of continuity week to week.
Children might encounter a story about an animal or a changing season, then step directly into an environment where they can observe those same changes for themselves.
As Erica explained, the stories and songs offer children "an even deeper context of what's happening around them in the world."
"The stories and songs acknowledge the rhythms of changing seasons and being in those elements," she said, adding that seeing those ideas represented through puppets and stories makes the experience especially meaningful against the backdrop of nature.
As a parent participant, I appreciate this balance between structure and freedom.
There are familiar rituals that help children anticipate and participate in the morning, but they don't overshadow the experience of simply being outdoors.
A song can invite us to notice the earth beneath our feet or the sky above our heads. A puppet story can draw attention to an animal or seasonal change. And then the children have time to encounter the world on their own terms.
One of the songs we sing regularly is the Waldorf verse Good Morning, Dear Earth. I loved its simple invitation to greet the natural world so much that I created a set of free, printable illustrated song posters that families and educators can use at home or in the classroom. It's a small example of how something as simple as a familiar song can help create a meaningful ritual around being outdoors.
As an educator, participating in Roots Way has reminded me that intentional learning doesn't always require adult-directed instruction. Sometimes the most thoughtful thing an educator can do is establish a welcoming environment, offer a few meaningful invitations, and leave plenty of space for children to explore.
Learning to Embrace the Weather
Of course, a regular outdoor rhythm means accepting that not every Friday will be sunny and comfortable and Chicago gives us plenty of opportunities to practice that.
Erica believes that experiencing different weather conditions builds resilience in both children and their grown-ups.
"Being outside in all types of weather awakens resilience in children," she explained. "It also awakens the resilience within the parents, which is equally important."
I appreciate that she includes the adults in this observation. It's easy to talk about the benefits of outdoor play for children while overlooking the habits and expectations we bring to the experience ourselves.
We might hesitate to head outside because it's cold, wet, windy, or inconvenient. But when going outdoors becomes part of our regular routine rather than something reserved for ideal conditions, our relationship with the weather begins to change.
We learn to dress appropriately, adjust our expectations, and notice things we might otherwise miss.
Erica shared examples of watching deer huddle together in the bushes on rainy days, hearing birds singing on cold mornings, and appreciating the stillness of the forest when animals are resting or hibernating.
"While we all love a sunny day, it's the cooler days that help us realize how capable we are to adapt and persevere," she said. "Adventures are not limited to sunny days!"
I love the idea that returning to nature throughout the seasons teaches children something that can't easily be captured in a lesson plan. They experience change firsthand. They notice that the same place can look, sound, and feel different from one visit to the next. They discover that weather isn't simply good or bad, but part of the natural world we inhabit. And perhaps most importantly, they develop confidence in their ability to participate in that world.
The Experience Is for Us, Too
One of the reasons Roots Way feels distinct from the other parts of our preschool week is that I'm not dropping my daughter off and leaving. I'm participating alongside her, and her sister comes with us, too. It's a nice contrast to the other parts of her preschool experience.
Rather than hearing about what she learned or discovered at the end of the day, I get to witness it. We notice things together, share small discoveries, and sometimes navigate the challenges of an outing together.
Erica sees this shared experience as central to the purpose of Roots Way. She believes that adults can become so absorbed in the responsibilities of work, parenting, and caregiving that we forget to nurture our own sense of wonder.
"What a great example it is for our children to stop and see their adult appreciating the beauty of nature," she explained.
"By letting your child see you enjoying something beautiful simply for existing in nature, I believe we are embodying awe and joy."
That idea has stayed with me. So much of parenting young children can feel like facilitating experiences for them. We research activities, enroll them in classes, arrange playdates, and look for opportunities to support their development.
But there's something different about an experience that is genuinely meaningful for both the child and the adult. I'm not just taking my daughter to nature play. I'm getting outside, discovering new places, building friendships, and enjoying a little time away from the usual demands of our week.
And my children get to see me doing those things.
Not Everything Has to Look Like School
When we began putting together our hybrid preschool schedule, I wanted to be intentional about the experiences we chose without filling every day with structured activities.
Roots Way has become a good reminder of why that distinction matters and a perfect way to end our week.
Our Fridays offer opportunities for physical exploration, observation, language development, social connection, problem-solving, and an emerging understanding of the natural world. But none of those outcomes needs to be the stated objective of the morning.
I don't feel the need to turn every walk into a science lesson or every encounter with a plant into a vocabulary exercise. Sometimes noticing something interesting, asking a question, or simply enjoying an experience together is enough.
As an educator, I know how easy it can be to focus on the learning outcomes of an experience. As a parent, I'm trying to make more room for experiences that are valuable even when their outcomes aren't immediately measurable.
Because the larger lesson I'm taking from our hybrid preschool experiment is that meaningful early childhood experiences don't all need to look like school, and they don't all need to be designed exclusively for children.
Sometimes they can be as simple as gathering with other families, setting off down a trail together, and learning as we go.
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Roots Way Nature Play offers Waldorf-inspired outdoor experiences for young children and their caregivers in the Chicago area. You can learn more about the program, its philosophy, and upcoming offerings at Roots Way.
This post is part of my ongoing Home inStead series and a set of posts documenting our family's hybrid preschool experiment. Read the first post of the set to learn more about why we chose this approach and how we're building our preschool week.
Consider subscribing or following us on Instagram and stay tuned for the next feature post highlighting another aspect of our hybrid preschool experiment.
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