Red Oaks Forest School children crawl on a fallen tree during free play at Red River Gorge. Photo by Tina Brouwer
While walking several years ago on Auxier Ridge, a trail at Red River Gorge in Stanton, Kentucky, Tina Brouwer, called for her daughter to hurry and catch up with their group of friends. She had become captivated by moss, a “big cushy gorgeous green carpet,” according to Brouwer, and insisted her mother join her in feeling it between her toes. Reluctantly, Brouwer joined her daughter and curled her toes on the moss. It was a simple moment but an important one to Brouwer, one that stuck out and helped open her eyes to the joy and connection that nature can bring.
Fast forward to today: Brouwer is the executive director of Red Oaks Forest School (Red Oaks), a non-profit nature and art center that values and encourages moments like these among children.
Founded by Brouwer and Melissa Rudick in 2014 and inspired in part by European “forest schools,” Red Oaks aims to help children “foster a deep and lasting relationship with the natural world through exploration and education.” After beginning modestly as a group of friends eager to spend time outdoors with their kids, Red Oaks has expanded its offerings greatly over the past four years.
“In the beginning, it was just exploration,” Brouwer explained, adding that the parents would “back off and let them [their children] handle their conflicts and curiosity.” Those who attended the casual meetings engaged in unstructured free play, which took place in various areas of Red River Gorge and allowed the children to interact with nature in a loosely supervised manner.
Today, the organization offers homeschool classes, workshops, guided hikes and other programs, serving over 70 kids from pre-K to high school. Red Oaks recently added a new, semester-long preschool session, with the inaugural fall session selling out in one day. The preschool has a waiting list for future sessions.
The offerings still focus on the tenets on which Red Oaks was founded: exploration of nature, free play and child-led play. Organizers say this type of interaction offers children an educational way to thrive that the typical seven-hour school day model doesn’t.
“Free play is stimulating all kinds of learning, even if it’s not directed by an adult. We want them to dig; we want them to play; we don’t want them to tear trees down,” Brouwer stressed, adding that a level of destruction is necessary in nature. “You can’t interact with nature if you treat it like a museum.”
Families enrolled in Red Oaks often travel to local nature sanctuaries and parks. In this image, a child learns about knot tying at the Raven Wood Nature Sanctuary. Photo by Tina Brouwer
The benefits of free play in nature are boundless, she added. Children not only learn about environmental education, but they also learn interpersonal skills, build boundaries, develop fine motor skills and test their physical and mental limits.
“You test your balance, your strength, and build strength. [You build] your presence of mind and ability to focus. The inherent comfort and confidence you build is going to increase as the danger increases,” Brouwer informed.
Outside of the educational aspects of Red Oaks, the organization has integrated community into its mission and aspires to create a “safe haven” for families that are committed to regular time in nature.
“The friendships and the bonds that [my daughter] has made with her friends from playing in the woods I know will impact her for the rest of her life. And outside of them, a group of adults that care for her and look out for her and want to protect her… they are just as invested in my kid as I am in theirs,” Brouwer reflected.
Red Oaks has recently expanded its programs to reach more local and regional communities in Kentucky. Where Thursdays are dedicated to classes serving as enrichments for homeschooled children and Fridays feature the organization’s new preschool program, Red Oaks now offers free Saturday workshops once a month, which are geared toward families that are interested in becoming more involved with nature.
The family workshop events will cover topics such as “Seedy Characters,” in which attendees will learn how plants “launch their DNA into the next generation” and how other organisms participate in that process. Although Brouwer values the educational features of the upcoming workshops, she feels the true significance of the program lies in providing an outlet for families to step out, build their own community and connect with each other and nature.
“All ways we can connect people to art and nature is our primary goal. We are so structured in our society. We have our classes, that’s what most people are comfortable with. If that’s the stepping stone into stepping out of that box of comfort and structure, then we will provide that,” said Brouwer.
More information about the organization and its offerings can be found at www.redoaksforestschool.org.
Upcoming family workshops taking place at Red Oaks Forest School
Things That Go Bump in the Night • Oct. 20, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Habitat Helpers • Nov. 17, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Winter Wonderland • Dec. 8, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.