Give Curiosity Room to Run Wild
Where kindergarten readiness meets the wilderness of the forest
At Hidden Meadow, we combine nature-based learning with traditional early education. Your child gains academic foundations AND the confidence, creativity, and resilience that only outdoor exploration can build.
We See You, Parents
You want the best for your child.
You’re navigating work, life, and the pressure to make the “right” choice for their education.
You’re not alone.
“I need quality childcare I can trust”
You work full-time and need more than supervision. You need educators who truly care about your child’s development.
→ Master’s-level educators with 15+ years experience
“I’m exhausted and need a break”
Whether you’re managing pregnancy fatigue, chronic health issues, or just the relentless demands of parenting. You need time to rest.
→ Safe, enriching care that gives you guilt-free time
“Too much screen time is breaking my heart”
Afternoons dissolve into another TV episode because you’re overwhelmed. You want better for your child but don’t know how.
→ 4 hours of outdoor exploration, zero screens
“Will they accept my neurodivergent child?”
You’ve faced rejection from other programs. You need a place that understands sensory needs, different learning styles, and celebrates differences.
→ Special education expertise, truly inclusive approach
“I’m worried about kindergarten readiness”
Is outdoor learning enough? Will my child know their letters and numbers? You need reassurance this isn’t just “playing outside.”
→ Nature + academics = kindergarten-ready confident learners
“My child needs friends and social time”
As an only child or isolated at home, your child is lonely. They need peers to learn collaboration, empathy, and friendship.
→ Small mixed-age groups foster real relationships
Serious Academics Through Nature-Based Learning
We know exactly what kindergarten expects, and we teach it better outdoors.
We combine rigorous kindergarten preparation with the proven benefits of outdoor education. With 15+ years in kindergarten classrooms, we know exactly what it takes for children to succeed, and we teach every essential skill through hands-on nature exploration.
16-Acre Outdoor Classroom
Master’s-Level Educators
Comprehensive Academic Preparation
Truly Inclusive
Bottom Line:
Your child will enter kindergarten confident, capable, and prepared for success, with all the academic skills they need AND the love of learning that will carry them through life.
How Children Learn Here
We teach every essential kindergarten skill through nature.
Here’s what your child will master:
Early Literacy Skills
Phonemic Awareness: Sound recognition, rhyming games, syllable clapping
Letter Knowledge: Letter names, letter sounds, name recognition
Pre-Writing: Tracing skills, drawing, journaling about nature discoveries
Storytelling: Sequencing events, retelling stories, vocabulary building
Early Numeracy
Number Skills: Rote counting, number identification, counting objects
Mathematical Thinking: Measuring with sticks, comparing sizes, sorting by attributes
Problem Solving: Categorization, patterns, one-to-one correspondence
Science Exploration
Observing life cycles, weather patterns, ecosystems
Hypothesis testing, cause and effect, scientific inquiry
Asking questions, making predictions, recording observations
Social-Emotional Skills
Communication: Expressing needs and wants appropriately, active listening Problem Solving Together: Conflict resolution, collaboration, negotiation Self-Regulation: Managing emotions, patience, empathy, kindness Friendship Skills: Taking turns, sharing, helping others, working as a team
Executive Function
Focus & Attention: Completing multi-step tasks, following directions
Planning & Organization: Problem-solving, decision-making, planning activities
Working Memory: Remembering routines, recalling instructions, sequencing
Motor Skills & Life Skills
Fine Motor: Writing, cutting, buttoning, zipping, tying
Gross Motor: Running, climbing, balancing, coordination
Functional Skills: Hand washing, dressing independently, organizing belongings
Routines: Following daily schedules, transitions, classroom procedures
What Families Are Saying
Now when we’re outside, he points out birds, plants, bugs, and seasonal changes I never noticed him paying attention to before. He wants to learn how to cook, clean, and do laundry alongside me. His emotional regulation has improved so much.
He’s calmer when things don’t go his way and problem-solves before reacting. Every day he comes home excited to share stories about his adventures, and I can see him expressing himself with a confidence he didn’t have before.”
Why Families Choose Us
What makes our outdoor preschool different from traditional daycare in Olympia and Lacey
Experienced Educators
Our educators bring more than 15 years of teaching experience along with extensive, hands-on knowledge of outdoor and forest-based learning. With a deep commitment to child-led exploration, they know when to step back, when to support, and how to help each child build confidence, independence, and a lifelong love of learning.
Small Group, Big Impact
With a small group size in our current cohort, each child receives meaningful attention, personalized guidance, and a sense of belonging that’s hard to find elsewhere. This isn’t a factory, it’s a community where your child is truly known.
Rooted in Nature, Grounded in Learning
Our program blends the wonder of outdoor exploration with the structure of traditional preschool learning. Children engage in hands-on nature experiences while also building early academic and social-emotional skills. This balance helps every child grow with confidence, curiosity, and joy.
Designed for Diverse Learners
We welcome and celebrate all children, both neurotypical and neurodivergent. Our small, nurturing environment allows us to adapt to individual needs, learning styles, and sensitivities. Every child receives the encouragement, understanding, and support they need to thrive in their own way.
A Typical Day at Hidden Meadow
See how learning comes alive outdoors
About Us : A Space Created With Purpose
Our purpose is simple: to give every child a place where they feel safe to explore, free to be themselves, and encouraged to grow.
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Meet the Heart Behind Our School
Our educators bring passion, experience, and genuine care to every interaction. Led by Ms. Molly, who holds a Master’s in Early Childhood Education, our team creates an environment where every child feels safe, seen, and supported.
Molly O’Rear
Dani T
Jake O’Rear
Wilma
Choose Your Program
Flexible options for your family’s needs
3 – 6 years
Hours:
Monday – Thursday
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Days:
2 or 4 days per week
Tuition:
$500 – $900/month
Perfect for families wanting quality nature-based education with morning enrichment.
3 – 6 years
Hours:
Monday – Thursday
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Days:
2 or 4 days per week
Tuition:
$700 – $1,200/month
More hours to roam, build, and wonder, deep into the afternoon.
6 – 12 years
Hours:
Tuesdays
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Days:
1 day per week
Tuition:
$150/month
Wilderness and homesteading skills for school-age homeschoolers.
Now Enrolling
Have an Older Child? We Have Something for Them Too.
Our homeschool enrichment program brings school-age children onto the same sixteen acres, one afternoon a week, all year.
The work follows the seasons, because the forest does. Fall is shelter building while the rest of the woods prepares for winter. The cold months bring fire, cordage, and carving. When the meadow wakes up in spring, we learn what is growing in it and which of it we can use.
The bowl a child carves in January is the bowl they eat from in April.
Ten children, the same small group from October through spring, led by Jake O’Rear. He is a certified Wilderness First Responder who spent two years apprenticing in primitive skills and ethnobotany, and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with sixteen years working with children.
Month to month, with no contract.
At a Glance
One afternoon a week, October through spring.
The essentials
Ages 6 to 12
Tuesdays, 2 to 4pm
Starts October 6th
Through the year
Shelter building
Fire making
Carving
Cordage
Foraging
Wilderness cooking
Come walk the property with us at our open house on Tuesday, September 1st, from 2:00 to 4:00pm.
Questions? We Have Answers
The most common questions from families considering our forest school
Jake, our assistant director is a board certified Behavior Analyst who who focuses on early intervention and helping students with autism build communication and social-emotional coping skills. We’ll work with you to determine if we can meet your child’s needs.
Give Your Child the Gift of Outdoor Learning
Join families in Olympia, Lacey, and across South Sound who are choosing nature-based education that prepares children for kindergarten AND for life.
Questions?
Call or text: 360-259-7196
Email: Contact@HiddenMeadowSchool.org