Toddler Forest School at Cumming Nature Center
For ages infant to 4 years old | Thursdays or Fridays
Forest School recognizes the intrinsic relationship between children and nature. Toddler Forest School provides parents and children (ages 0-4) with a safe space to nurture their relationship with nature through unstructured play and curiosity-driven learning. The toddler program prepares students and their families for the adventures awaiting in the longer day of regular forest school.
Instructors invite participating families to observe the small miracles occurring around us every day. Outdoor play allows the children to honor their strong developmental need to jump, twist, tug, pull, balance, roll, run, climb, dig, sort, build, weave and create. This play also develops fine and gross motor skills, executive function, spatial awareness, balance, coordination, kindness, and empathy. Forest school teaches students to be resilient, self-reliant and confidently inquisitive.
For information on weekly outdoor programs for ages 4-12 or 13-15, please see below:
Forest School (ages 4-12)
Field Studies Program (ages 13-15)
Register for Toddler Forest School
Thursdays, January 13 to June 9
Cost: $323 per child
MORNING SESSION (10:15AM - 12:15PM) - SOLD OUT
Fridays, January 14 to June 10
Cost: $323 per child
MORNING SESSION (10:15AM - 12:15PM) - SOLD OUT
AFTERNOON SESSION (1:15PM - 3:15PM) - SOLD OUT
Spring 2022 Schedule (19 sessions)
Thursdays: January 13 to June 9, except February 24, March 17, and April 14
Fridays: January 14 to June 10, except February 25, March 18, and April 15
Scholarships are available!
Email this completed Scholarship Application form to Member and Visitor Services at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. **If you are submitting a scholarship application, you do not need to sign up via the registration links above. Your scholarship application will hold your spot once received.**
Meet Your Instructor
Elisabeth Cowley
I am Elisabeth and I will be your Forest Friend at Toddler Forest School. I am so looking forward to meeting you, getting to know you better each week, and for us to explore and get dirty together in the woods. I am tall, my hair is a little bit silvery, and I speak with an accent. Speaking with an accent means that I also speak other languages, like owl, chickadee, and bear. I like to sing and I hope you do too! I absolutely adore butterflies and I love flowers. My favorite color is warm yellow. I will tell you a little secret: sometimes I see fairies and sprites in the woods, and if we get to become really good friends, one day I might even tell you the story of the Little Green Stone Eater.
About the Cumming Nature Center
Cumming Nature Center is a dynamic, 900-acre environmental education facility that celebrates the unique landscape and culture of the Finger Lakes region through experiential learning opportunities and thoughtful exhibits. Educational programming at CNC explores the complex relationship between humans and the natural world. These programs are designed to inspire innovative and creative thinking among participants and provide them with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to take action in the face of local, regional and global challenges.
