The school harnesses the truth and beauty of nature in its educational approach centered around forest school principles, project-based learning, and Waldorf-inspired philosophy.
Co-founder Delis Urdaibay has previous experience in the education industry and also co-founded Woodlands Treehouse Preschool and Kanguru, a bilingual preschool. Urdaibay also has a homeschooling program with families around Mexico and Latin America as well as a K-12 digital school.
“I love the education field, and I think with how the world is going right now with technology, I think that children, especially at a young age, need to be close to nature in order to develop properly,” Urdaibay said. “So that's our approach [at Woodlands Forest School].”
Urdaibay said forest schools are very popular across Europe and encourage a deep connection with nature, which people are often disconnected from in the modern world.
Located on five acres of forest, Woodlands Forest School is surrounded by the beauty of nature. The accredited private school offers three options for parents and children:
- Mommy and Me: One to two weekly sessions designed for parents with children aged 18 months to two years old.
- Early Childhood: Multi-grade classroom designed to enhance children’s natural curiosity about the world around them through imitative play.
- Elementary: A unique elementary program where education meets exploration in a natural setting enriched by Hokku Academy, accredited by Cognia.
Woodlands Forest School is an accredited academic institution and not simply a daycare. Young learners at the school have the opportunity to learn through creativity, play and imagination. In addition, Woodlands Forest School doesn’t measure by grades or numbers—it measures by ability.
“We believe kids are not just here to learn intellect—they are whole beings with a spirit and heart and body, and we take everything into consideration for their development," Urdaibay said. “Every child is unique, and we respect that. We set an environment for them to develop appropriately at that age.”
To achieve its unique style of learning, Woodlands Forest School staff gives children open-ended materials such as blocks, paint and twigs, which allows children to learn through play and exploration.
Urdaibay said open-ended materials give children the opportunity to change items into something else and develop their imagination.
“Childhood is a sacred stage, and we encourage them to use their imagination,” Urdaibay said. “We encourage creativity and magic...they are under the stage of pretend play.”
In addition, Urdibay said it’s far more important for early ages to play outdoors and be creative than sit inside a classroom and learn by repetition, and the private preschool uses nontraditional methods to accomplish similar goals.
For example, instead of having children copy letters repetitively to learn how to write, Woodlands Forest School kids learn how to finger knit, which helps make connections in their brain and sets the foundation for them to be able to read and write.
“[They’re] learning what they should be learning for human beings at that age,” Urdaibay said.
By meeting children where they are developmentally and using a forest school method, Urdibay and her team enhance children’s natural curiosity, foster a deep connection with nature and instill talents for creativity and imagination.
Woodlands Forest School’s mission is to educate individuals with independent thinking who can approach life with wonder, courage, initiative and creativity. The school is also committed to providing coherent, valuable and meaningful education and acquisition of 21st-century skills.
Interested to learn more? Visit woodlandsforest.school for more information about the private elementary school in The Woodlands.
The above story was produced by Senior Multi Platform Journalist Summer El-Shahawy with Community Impact's Storytelling team with information solely provided by the local business as part of its "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team.
