NatureYear
The NatureYear program at Common Ground is a science and nature based enrichment program for children ages 4 – 14. Activities follow the seasons and cycles of the farm and forest and project based learning happens as students learn to tap sugar maple trees, plan and plant a garden, or develop their own recipe for making salsa from the farm.
Peer relationships, problem solving skills, communication skills, and social/emotional development are also areas of emphasis. Our teachers support children in developing conflict resolution skills, positive social skills, emotional awareness, and self regulation skills.
We see our NatureYear students grow in their knowledge of science and nature, develop an “I can do it” attitude of resilience and persistence, explore diverse friendships and new experiences outside of what may be available to them in their school and community, and enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of regular, sustained time in nature.
Age Groupings and Schedules
NatureYear is offered Monday through Friday . Most children are enrolled for one day per week.
Age groupings and program offerings vary by day of the week. The program runs from 9 AM - 3 PM, with a half day (12 - 3 PM) option on Mondays.
An overview of the different age groups and schedules for the 25/26 program year is HERE.
Handbook
The NatureYear Parent Handbook has details about our program philosophy, policies, and more.
Learning and playing outside in all seasons
We enjoy nature in all weather! We will give you all the information you need to prepare your child for outdoor learning and play. We have Gear Guides for each season and loaner gear available if you need to borrow boots, rain pants, or other layers. Our activities continue as usual on wet or cold days, and we have access to the farmhouse if children need an indoor break.
In case of severe weather:
Severe weather that may bring the group inside includes lightning, high wind warning (we use open field spaces as much as possible if it is too windy to be in the woods), extreme cold, hail, heavy downpours
We may close or operate on an altered schedule if we can anticipate severe weather for the majority of the day. We do NOT close as often as schools do, we are often open when local schools are closed!
Parent Communication
At the end of each day, the teacher team writes an email to share with that day’s families. The daily email shares a recap of the day’s learning and play. It is a great springboard for questions and conversation at home. Examples of emails we previously sent are HERE.
We post to Instagram daily, including children whose parents have signed off on permission to do so.
Once per year, we offer parent/teacher conferences. These are a great chance to connect more deeply with one of your child’s NatureYear teachers if you choose to sign up for a conference!
Once each season (fall, winter, and spring), we offer Parent Tag-Along Days. On these days, a parent or other special adult is invited to join their child for a partial or full day of NatureYear! Many parents look forward to these days as a way to see some of the special things their child tells them stories about.
A Typical Day at NatureYear
Part of the philosophy behind the NatureYear program is to not let schedules get in the way of authentic learning. Our daily structure is flexible depending on the weather, child interest, or what is happening in the forest or on site at any given time. However, we know that all children benefit from routines and from knowing what to expect.
Our half day HAWKS group enjoys a modified version of this schedule and will also have a balance of child-led play time and teacher-led activities.
Arrival
Arrive dressed for the weather and ready to play outside! A teacher will be waiting by the parking lot for curbside drop off from 8:50 AM – 9:20 AM, or parents are welcome to park and walk their child to the farmhouse anytime after 9:20 AM.
Morning play
Immediately after arrival time, children make their way up to the cabin and have time to enjoy morning play in the forest. This is an important time to make social connections, engage in imaginative play, and connect with our outdoor space. Children also have the option to participate in morning helping jobs. Examples include splitting firewood, gathering kindling, caring for farm animals, and watering in the garden.
Morning Meeting and Snack
After morning play time, we gather and greet each other and talk about the things that are happening on the farm and in the forest – this is our “Nature Note” time, and it is one opportunity to learn about the seasonal happenings in nature. Morning meeting is also when we talk about the teacher-led activities that will be offered. Children have a hearty snack (brought from home) during this time.
Teacher Led Activity Time
Teachers offer activities each day that take advantage of the season and the interests of the group. Our older groups (Owls and Ravens) have a choice between two daily activities and our younger groups (Robins/Bluejays) will have one activity for their group of 10 - 12 children. Activities are a combination of instruction, exploration, learning, and discovery. Some activities are more skills-based and teacher-directed (for example, learning how to split firewood with an axe), and some start with inspiration from a teacher and then follow the children’s interests (for example, a hike to a vernal pool to check out salamander eggs that turns into following fox tracks in the mud and building forts in nearby brush). We might eat lunch in our small activity groups and then meet back at the cabin around 1 PM, or we might wrap up activity time and rejoin the larger group for lunch.
Free Time and Child Led Activities
Most afternoons include time for free play and child led activities. Child led activities are often inspired by our morning adventures. Examples have included games, nature arts (nature masks with mud and leaves!), imaginative play (make a tree stump band and a bakery!), and extended time with the farm animals, garden, and wetland. This time helps develop leadership skills as well as cooperative decision making and social skills.
Journal Time
All of our age groups use journaling time to encourage students to reflect on their day. Examples of journal prompts include: What was something new that I tried today? What did I learn today? What was challenging for me today? Something I am proud of is…. Students may write or draw in their journals and teachers provide support as needed.
Closing Circle and Dismissal
At the end of our daily adventures, we gather and close out our time together. The pick-up window is 2:45 PM – 3 PM.
Is it all unstructured play?
Each day includes free play time, teacher led time, and kid-led time. Free play times are unstructured (but not unsupervised – boundaries and reasonable choices and teacher supervision always apply). Teacher led times have many opportunities for student choice and voice, and students are expected to make a choice and participate in the activity they choose. Child led times usually revolve around play, and students can choose the activity they are most interested in.
Is NatureYear Right for Your Child?
NatureYear can be a great fit for children who:
Are curious and like to ask questions and explore, both with friends/adults and independently. A core practice of the NatureYear program is allowing children time for unstructured and independent exploration and play in nature. Teachers are highly mindful of safety and supervision, but will not always be physically proximate to children.
Are interested in learning and playing in nature. Nature can be fun in all seasons and weather and teachers help make sure children are comfortable and that we are taking weather related breaks as needed. In order to keep children safe in all weather, we need them to be willing to wear the needed layers for the day’s conditions (rain pants, hats, gloves, etc).
Are homeschooled OR whose families are ready to help them meet academic expectations associated with missed days of school. Our homeschooling families integrate the NatureYear experience into their learning in various ways. For children enrolled in public or private school, the school and the family typically agree on what work needs to be made up. Common Ground provides daily attendance reports to parents, and to schools upon request. While we have lots of learning goals, the NatureYear program does not do any specific academic assessment or reporting.
Would thrive in a program where we focus on ownership, leadership and being part of a community. NatureYear has many opportunities for children to follow their individual interests, and children are also asked to practice the skills needed to build strong community. Community is built through circling up and listening to teachers and peers at daily group meetings, through participation in group activities, and through intentional modeling by teachers of collaborative decision making. Ownership and responsibility are developed through helping with daily chores. Children care for farm animals, cut fire wood, water the garden, tidy the cabin, and work together to care for our campus. Child-led activities are a great opportunity for practicing decision making and leadership skills.
Including children with needs that require accommodation
Special care plans and accommodations are made in conversation with parents, based on the unique needs of each child.
Medical needs: We see many children in our programs who come with epi-pens and/or inhalers. We are highly allergy aware and have careful procedures and training to account for food allergies. Staff are trained in the administration of epi-pens and inhalers. We do NOT have a nurse on staff for school year children’s programs and may not be able to meet all unique healthcare needs. We are always happy to have individual conversations to talk about what is possible.
Social, emotional, and developmental needs: All of our programs at Common Ground welcome and include children who have social, emotional, and developmental needs that are different than their typical peers. Enrolled children include those with ADHD, anxiety, autism, and other needs and diagnoses. While our child to teacher ratios are small, we are not routinely set up for one to one support. Children are safest and will gain the most benefit from the program when they can participate in groups with other children, follow safety directions, make transitions and choices among the offered activities, and stay with the group and within designated boundaries. We are not a fenced campus, and children regularly participate in activities like tool use and campfire cooking that require attention and compliance with direction. We know that each child’s needs, strengths, and behaviors are unique, and are happy to talk with you about how your child’s needs may be able to be met in our programs.
Vaccination requirement: Our policy for drop-off programs requires participants to be up to date on childhood vaccinations (those that are required for school). Medical exemptions are accepted but personal or religious exemptions are not.
Program demographics: Who is enrolled in NatureYear?
Homeschoolers and children enrolled in school: We welcome a mix of homeschoolers and children from public and private schools across the State. Our typical enrollment has been about 25% homeschoolers and 75% children enrolled in school.
Gender: We aim for gender balanced groups, including male, female, and non-binary children. Science and nature are for all children.
Age: We create enrollment rosters for each day carefully, aiming to have a good age balance in each group. Even in mixed age groups with a wide range of ages, we seek to avoid an outlier student who may not feel that they have a natural peer because the rest of the group is significantly younger or older than they are.
Race and culture: We seek to enroll a racially and culturally diverse group of children. Nature is for all, but people of color have been and continue to be marginalized in the environmental movement and in feeling safe and welcome in outdoor spaces. We wish for the children and staff in the program to reflect the broad and varied diversity of our New Haven community. Our average BIPOC enrollment is 39%.
Level of experience with nature: Some of our students come from families who already enjoy lots of outside time. Many come from families who enjoy the occasional hike but would not define themselves as “outdoorsy,” and some come from families who do not have experience outdoors at all (but those parents know it is something that their child is interested in!). So, families entering at all levels of outdoor experience and knowledge are very welcome. We love that we can help provide an experience for some children that is not part of their usual family routine, and celebrate the parents that are seeking to help their child explore their individual interests!
Campus and Staff Team
Our campus
Our campus includes abundant opportunities for learning and playing in nature. Our students enjoy the farm, friendly farm animals, learning garden, wetland, honeybees, mud kitchen, trails in West Rock Park, and multiple creative nature playspaces.
The Farmhouse has a teaching kitchen where we can make delicious food from the farm, and a classroom we can use for activities if we need a break from challenging weather. The farmhouse is heated and has traditional bathrooms (no outhouses or temporary bathrooms).
We share our campus with Common Ground High School, an environmentally themed public charter high school for 225 students in grades 9 – 12. While children’s programs have their own spaces and teachers, we all benefit from the shared campus and are part of the same organization. CGHS students join us for internships or volunteer opportunities and everyone enjoys the multi-age learning and leadership opportunities.
Our staff
Our teachers are professional educators who bring a wealth of outdoor education knowledge to the program. They are a team who are ready to teach fire craft and beekeeping, cook over the campfire, read a story, help friends talk out a disagreement, join kids in sledding down hills, warm-up cold toes, and follow deer tracks through the woods.
Our team is a mix of full time and part time staff. Everyone at Common Ground is fully background checked we participate in ongoing professional development on a wide range of topics. We see ourselves as educators, and also as caregivers. We love sharing new knowledge, skills, and adventures with children, and also take very seriously our role in keeping children physically and emotionally safe and well cared for. Our NatureYear groups are staffed by one or two teachers (depending on overall size of the group), plus an assistant teacher with each group. Our staff to child ratio is 1:6 at the most, with some groups having smaller ratios.
Schedule, Tuition, and Financial Aid
Schedule for the 2025 – 2026 school year
NatureYear runs early Sept - early June.
Each day has the same number of total operating days (planned closures are evenly distributed). The calendar of planned closures for the 26/26 year is HERE.
Groups are offered Mon - Fri.
Hours and Transportation
Drop off for NatureYear is anytime from 8:50 – 9:20 AM.
Pick up is from 2:45 – 3 PM.Drop off for the Hawk group is anytime from 12 – 12:20 PM.
We do not have earlier drop off available.
Children who attend NatureYear can also be enrolled in the Kids Unplugged after school program, and we will transition your child from one program to the next. Many families choose this option. Pick up from Kids Unplugged is from 5:20 – 5:30 PM.
We do not provide transportation. School buses do not drop off children for NatureYear and we do not have staffing to support bus arrival in the mornings (we DO have bus drop offs and staffing for Kids Unplugged bus arrival).
Financial Aid
Sliding scale financial aid from 10% – 75% off tuition is available to qualified applicants.
Financial aid is intended to provide reduced tuition for families who could not otherwise afford the opportunity, it is NOT intended to provide routine discounts for families who are able to pay the full tuition.
Financial aid applications can be completed anytime during the application period and must be completed by the application deadline of June 15, 2025 for priority consideration for the 25/26 program year. Financial aid will be allocated to eligible families after this deadline if funds remain.
The financial aid application is HERE.
Withdrawal and Refund Policy
Tuition is an annual agreement. If a child is withdrawn from the program, tuition for any remaining classes is still due and is not refundable unless we can fill the child’s spot in the program. Tuition policies are not intended to be punitive, they are essential to make sure that program costs are covered.
Refunds or credits for future programs will not be given if we need to close for snow days or other severe weather.
Tuition for the 2025 – 2026 school year
Tuition for full day groups is $2,885 to attend one day per week.
Tuition for the half day Hawks group is $1,445 to attend one day per week .
Adding extended care in the Kids Unplugged program from 3 – 5:30 PM: $640 to attend one day per week.
Payment Schedule
Tuition is paid in four installments of 25% each, one upon enrollment and then due on Oct 10, Jan 10, and April 10.
Eligibility and Application
Eligibility for 2025 – 2026 program
Children who will turn 5 by Dec 31, 2025 are eligible to enroll in our any of our FULL DAY groups or the HALF DAY HAWKS group.
While most students do not enroll past their 8th grade year, our upper age limit is flexible based on conversations with individual students and families and the availability of an appropriate peer group.
Homeschooled children and children who are enrolled in Public or Private school are all welcome.
How are children prioritized in receiving an enrollment offer?
We strive to make diverse groupings of children where students will meet new friends and sustain existing relationships. Currently enrolled children and their siblings are given first enrollment priority. Our goal is to offer an enrollment space to all children whose application is received by June 15.
Applying
We accept applications at anytime and welcome new students throughout the year when we have openings. When you apply, you will indicate any and all days of the week that could work for your family.
The application period for the following school year is from May 15 - June 15. Enrollment offers begin in early July (for a September program start date).
There is no cost or obligation to apply. The purpose of applying (rather than just enrolling) is so we can put together balanced peer groups that include both new and returning students and so we can do our best to meet family schedule requests. We are fortunate to have many highly qualified staff who love working in NatureYear, such that we can usually adjust staff schedules and number of groups to be able to offer enrollment to all families who apply in the priority period of May 15 – June 15.
If your child will be enrolled in public or private school, you will also need to speak with your child’s school about your child missing school one day per week to attend NatureYear instead. You do not need to contact your child’s school before you know if we will have an available program spot, you can communicate with your school after an enrollment spot has been offered.
Use the APPLY ONLINE button below to indicate interest in the current program year (25/26) and/or to be added to the email list to be notified when the application opens for next year (26/27).
Talking to your child’s school about this opportunity
We are happy to talk with parents more about any experience we may have had with your child’s school. We recommend you do NOT speak to your school about the opportunity until you know if we will be able to offer a program spot for your child. We have found that it can feel worrisome for a principal to receive multiple inquiries from parents, in a way that can lead them to be less open to the possibility because the potential numbers of participating children feel high. Having a principal consider the actual number of participating students has been more productive.
Some children receive weekly make-up work from their teachers and some receive no make up work. Those parts are very individual to each teacher and family.
It is important for each family to think about why NatureYear is important to you. What kind of learner is your child, and how will the NatureYear opportunity support your goals for your child? Sometimes those goals are academic. Sometimes they are physical, developmental, emotional, or social. Those are the conversations you will have with your child’s principal and teacher – explaining why NatureYear is important for your child, at this point in their development, considering both personal and academic growth.