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Important Update Regarding Raintree School
Raintree School will officially close at the conclusion of the Spring 2026 semester, as our campus transitions to the Parkway School District. While this chapter is ending, our vision for a sustainable forest school continues. We are actively working toward a new future for our community and invite you to stay connected:
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Stay Informed: Join our mailing list for updates on our progress and future plans.
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Explore Our Values: We encourage you to browse our website to learn more about our educational philosophy.
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Contact Us: If you have questions about this transition, please reach out to our Director of Admissions, Peyton, at peyton@raintreeschool.org.
We look forward to making these final months on campus truly magical for our students and families.
a peek at our approach
Into the Forest We Go
a message from the educator micro-retreat
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Why St. Louis Needs Nature Based Education
Children are happier outside. Give a little one an hour in the sun to enjoy some fresh air and they will be more regulated, creative, and content. Allow a child to spend multiple hours outside, enjoying unstructured play and exploration - and you will have a forest school student. A child who is not just regulated - but has a strong sense of autonomy, agency, and understanding of the natural world (Sella et al., 2023). Our school structure allows for significant time outside,
Peyton Cope
The Seasons at Raintree
By Ashley Hummert The changing seasons are a large part of experiencing forest school. Our students and teachers welcome the elements as they are, gearing up in waterproof pants on rainy days and layering up in thick snow pants during the winter. We get a front row seat to the magic: watching the setting and weather morph each time we go outside to play, bringing us new experiences, play themes, and fascination. There is a special song that each class sings at Raintree when
Ashley Hummert
The Beginning of a Project
By Melanie Rodenbeck As a preschool teacher who works at a non traditional, Reggio-Emilia inspired forest school, I am frequently asked about our unique approach to academics. I enthusiastically describe our project work process as a response to these inquiries about Raintree’s philosophy. Oftentimes, people are left wondering, “How do you pick a project topic for such young children?” The answer is simple: I don't necessarily choose anything, the children lead the way. My
Ashley Hummert
The Power of Loose Parts
“ As long as materials can be moved, redesigned, put together, and taken apart in a variety of ways, they are classified as loose...
Ashley Hummert
Your Voice Matters
At Raintree School, we believe that everyone has a voice and that voice matters — no matter their age. It's a message that we send to the...
Ashley Hummert
The Making of a School Cookbook
By Katie Brown The mythical Raintree School Cookbook was whispered of and requested for years. We understood the importance, the wish to...
Ashley Hummert
An Investigation of Carrots
By Katie Brown What a journey we take at the lunch table each day! In this space we encounter new foods, develop conversation skills and...
Ashley Hummert
The Recycling Project
This Spring, the Hoppin’ Frogs Preschool class embarked on a journey through project-based learning. An interest in vehicles sparked...
ilya7690
The Sweet Side of Project Work
In the Reggio Emilia philosophy, there are two major principles woven together: Emergent Curriculum and Project Approach. The teacher’s...
Ashley Hummert
Seasonal Cooking Class
Building community is a high priority at Raintree School. Students and teachers connect every day, but it’s important for parents to meet...
ilya7690
No Bad Weather, Only Bad Gear
The cold weather is here to stay, so we turn to the famous Scandinavian saying: “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear.”...
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Small Acts of Sustainability
Sustainability is a word and an action that often feels overwhelming, challenging, or daunting. But none of those things have to be true!...
Ashley Hummert
Our Land Acknowledgement
“We respectfully acknowledge that we are on the traditional, ancestral lands of the Osage Nation. The process of knowing and...
Chef Katie
Celebrating Diversity and Cultivating Awareness
As educators we know that children are never too young to begin learning about diversity. In early childhood education, the practice of...
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The Magic of Mud
A little mud goes a long way, especially when you submerge yourself in a muddy puddle from head to toe! But at Raintree, we love the...
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Building Community
One of the best ways to build a school community is to encourage play and interactions across classes. While our friends often play...
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Symbols: Early Literacy
When most children first come to Raintree in their Nursery year, they are not yet able to read or write their names. Upon arrival, each...
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Dead Things
It was a beautiful Monday morning, and my class was outside on the playscape preparing to venture into the forest. As I went down the...
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Scrapping the Plan
The delights of children are not on any kind of time schedule. We take it when it comes and run with it as far as we can. So earlier last...
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Bread Day
What is in a simple slice of bread? At Raintree, it is packed with growth, learning, and connection. Bread Day is the standing Thursday...
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Operation Chickens
The Project Approach is a method of teaching where learning is integrated through the development of a student created and driven...
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Sit, Watch, and Listen
We live in such a fast-paced world that our children sometimes struggle to slow down. At Raintree, we use Sit Spots to help us take an...
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Made with Love, from Seed to Table
One of Raintree’s foundational commitments is to serve lovingly cooked meals, from lovingly grown ingredients. This entails building...
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Loose Parts: Experimenting with the Unexpected
The founder of the Reggio Emilia approach said, “The child has a hundred languages, a hundred hands, a hundred thoughts, a hundred ways...
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The Peace Process
Young children are sponges who soak up knowledge from various resources. This includes, but is not limited to the environment around...
ilya7690
Exploring the Senses
Building a mind disposed to scientific pursuits involves exploring the natural world in a meaningful way. By using a variety of senses,...
ilya7690
Birthday Celebrations
At Raintree, we have many traditions to help us celebrate our students' birthdays. On their birthday, each child makes a special crown,...
ilya7690
Get to Know the Carrots
What a journey we take at the lunch table each day! Here is where we get acquainted with new foods, develop conversation skills and...
ilya7690
Autumn Provocation
Autumn is a magical time at Raintree. The forest comes to life with vibrant oranges, reds, yellows, and according to one student, “a...
ilya7690
The Story of the Lemon Tree
For those of you who don't know, Raintree has a lemon tree that lives next to the Kindergarten classroom. This is a resilient tree that...
ilya7690
The Peace Process Works for Grown Ups, Too
During our conferences, last week, we spoke a lot about the social emotional growth of your children and I have a story to share to...
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"Right Now" Learning
Speaking candidly, not all project times go as planned. And, as a teacher, we are planners. So, when times of learning and engagement do...
ilya7690
The Forest Inside Us
Forest day started like any other: fort building, leaf rubbings & story telling when, all of a sudden... "I heard a BOOM!" "I think at...
ilya7690
Beautiful Like the Creek
The forest is a refuge. Senses are sharpened, details are noticed and time slows to a pace that is more... natural. "I've never done...
ilya7690
Blazing Trails
To wander through the forest in search of mystery… to tread upon unknown ground… to experience a space for the very first time on a quest...
ilya7690
Eat Pretty
You know that old adage you are what you eat? Well, have you ever stopped to think exactly how true that is? Put simply, healthy eating...
ilya7690
Because it Mattered
Last Fall, a group of three year old’s took it upon themselves to protect all of the mini beasts found in the forest. They wanted a place...
ilya7690
The Art of Observation
Photography comes from two words - “photo” meaning light and “graph” meaning to write, literally translating into the delightful phrase:...
ilya7690
Whose House Is This, and Why Are We Here? The Pedagogy of Raintree School
Lois Malaguzzi, Rudolf Steiner, John Dewey, Johann Pestalozzi, A.S. Neill, Richer Louv, and Teacher Tom - these are all educators who...
ilya7690
The Rhythm of Forest School
“Make a circle. Make a circle,” so the song goes. And so goes the rhythm of our forest days at Raintree School. It begins with breakfast...
ilya7690
Alters and Nets: or How to Catch a Fish in the Forest, and What's To Be Done When You Do
Leading children into wildlands is fraught with mystery. The constant rhythm of forest school provides intimacy with nature, but nothing...
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The World is Big and Small: Lessons from Beasties in Raintree School's Forest
“How do you feel when a bug is stepped on?” Big ideas start this way. A simple question on a beautiful spring day full of the potential...
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What Are You Made Of
Wild lands creep into your bones. Cold morning air seeps in. Sunshine settles on your skin. Your eyes presume beauty, magic, toothy...
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School Days
Regular days. That slow pace of familiarity. One day to the next, regular days fill our time. They mark our bodies, so we don’t forget....
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Reminisce
The forest floor reminisces. Who has come? Who has gone? The reverberation of who is on their way. The ground constructs a story -...
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The Wonder of a Chickadee
The questions arrive unbidden. The wild does that; it forces questions. Perhaps gentle breezes coax the imagination to wake. Maybe...
ilya7690
Always Add Sprinkles
It starts on a snowy day. I suppose it always should. It keeps so many in, but not us. We are Raintree: school for the adventurous,...
ilya7690
The Needle and the Girl
You sew your own crown. That’s how it is done. Stitch by stitch, the pieces are put together. The fabric you’ve chosen takes shape –...
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Take a Peek
Rat? Cat? Marsupial habitat? There could be anything in there. In the forest, you can take a peek and tell stories of all the things...
ilya7690
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