"Teaching children about the natural world should be treated as one of the most important events in their lives."Thomas Berry
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"Teaching children about the natural world should be treated as one of the most important events in their lives."Thomas Berry
Awarded Outstanding EE Program in 2021 by AAEE & Educator of the Year in 2022 by AZGFD & Outstanding Inclusive EE Program in 2024 by AAEE.
ECO began its mission to get more children outdoors to experience nature and learn about their natural world in 2017. The program began in Atlanta, Georgia and launched in Phoenix, Arizona in 2019, after the founder relocated due to health reasons. Since 2017, ECO programs have assisted over 400 children in connecting with the natural wor
ECO began its mission to get more children outdoors to experience nature and learn about their natural world in 2017. The program began in Atlanta, Georgia and launched in Phoenix, Arizona in 2019, after the founder relocated due to health reasons. Since 2017, ECO programs have assisted over 400 children in connecting with the natural world. And ECO has offered over 3,000 hours of outdoor program options.
ECO is a 100% outdoor education, place-based program that is similar to the "forest school" programs prevalent across Europe, minus the forest. Instead we have a wondrous, beautiful, and biologically diverse desert to explore, so we now refer to our program model as a "desert school." We are one of the few 100% outdoor desert schools across the world. Our mission is to immerse children in connecting with the natural world. Through ECO, children learn about and explore nature through cross-curricular, hands-on, experiential activities, so that they will develop knowledge about, love for, and dedication to nature's wonders.
The majority of our programs take place in North Phoenix at this time.
There are 4 program options for our semester/yearly-based desert school programs (you can enroll at anytime and we will prorate the tuition):
The majority of our programs take place in North Phoenix at this time.
There are 4 program options for our semester/yearly-based desert school programs (you can enroll at anytime and we will prorate the tuition):
In addition to our semester/yearly-based desert school homeschool programs, we also offer weekend and evening programs for non-homeschool families, as well as private programs for groups (school, after-school, scouts, birthdays, etc). We also offer a variety of ala carte class options for families who are unable to commit to our semester/yearly-based programs.
These include:
View our calendar below, and check back often because we are always adding programs.
We do accept Arizona Empowerment Schoalarship Funds through Class Wallet.
In 2022 we launched Gwyn and Rowyn's Cabinet of Curiosities, a one-of-a-kind nature study subscription box. This nature swap subscription box was created in memory of founder Kathy Balman's two teenagers Gwyn and Rowyn who passed away on November 7th, 2022 in a car accident. Gwyn and Rowyn had a love for collecting items they found on
In 2022 we launched Gwyn and Rowyn's Cabinet of Curiosities, a one-of-a-kind nature study subscription box. This nature swap subscription box was created in memory of founder Kathy Balman's two teenagers Gwyn and Rowyn who passed away on November 7th, 2022 in a car accident. Gwyn and Rowyn had a love for collecting items they found on their many nature outings. They enjoyed swapping items with others and purchasing items to expand their collections. And they loved sharing about and showing their collections to others. So it only seemed fitting to create something in their memory that will continue encouraging budding naturalists around the country to get outdoors to learn about and explore the natural world!
We are hoping to open a desert learning center in memory of Gwyn and Rowyn, because they are the reason founder Kathy Balman found her passion for environmental education. The center will be called the Wynsum Desert Learning Center. Wynsum is a word that means joyful or childlike and has the "wyn" that was in both of Gwyn and Rowyn's name
We are hoping to open a desert learning center in memory of Gwyn and Rowyn, because they are the reason founder Kathy Balman found her passion for environmental education. The center will be called the Wynsum Desert Learning Center. Wynsum is a word that means joyful or childlike and has the "wyn" that was in both of Gwyn and Rowyn's names. You can learn more here www.wynsumdesertlearningcenter.org. Right now we are working on getting funding from grants, donors and investors so that we can purchase land. In the meantime we will offer programs at public local nature areas like we always have.
We are honored to be awarded the 2021 Outstanding Environmental Education Program award!
Kathy is honored to be awarded the 2022 Educator of the Year Award award!
Kathy was selected to be a NASA PLACES Case Writer for 2022-2023.
We accept Arizona ESA scholarship funds through Class Wallet.
Media Coverage:
Cronkrite News Article: Heat deaths hit record in Maricopa County, but there are ways to stay safe
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Mon | 09:00 am – 02:00 pm | |
Tue | 09:00 am – 02:00 pm | |
Wed | 09:00 am – 02:00 pm | |
Thu | 09:00 am – 02:00 pm | |
Fri | 09:00 am – 02:00 pm | |
Sat | Closed | |
Sun | Closed |
Monday - Friday: 9:00am - 2:00pm
Saturday - Sunday: Closed
Please allow us 48 hrs to responded to messages.
Copyright © 2020 Educating Children Outdoors LLC - All Rights Reserved.
Educating Children Outdoors website contains affiliate links, such as Amazon Associate Associate links.
Wynsum Desert Learning Center and Gwyn and Rowyn's Cabinet of Curiosities are subsidiaries of Educating Children Outdoors.
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