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WILD LIFE FOREST PRESCHOOL at Earth Native

The vision of the forest preschool at Earth Native is simple - every child can find themselves in the forest.

OUR TEACHING METHOD

At Earth Native, our unique teaching method centers around the "Eight Shields Mentoring Model", a method of teaching and learning rooted in human history that puts student inspiration at the forefront of every experience. Our “invisible school” teaching philosophies are based on natural learning cycles that use your child’s passions and natural inspirations as the spark that drives their education in the outdoors.

Wild Life Forest Preschool at Earth Native is Central Texas’s first true forest preschool. Set in the hardwood forests of Bastrop along beautiful Cedar Creek, our forest preschool offers children ages 3-5 the chance to take their first steps towards long term nature connection.

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Like forest preschools in Europe and around the world, Wild Life Forest Preschool at Earth Native is play-based, child-led, and earth-conscious. Children learn as the mammals do, by following their satisfaction through play, by challenging their bodies, and by experiencing the patterns of their environment, both natural and social, in a forest they themselves care for.

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Numbers are learned by needing more rocks to build a dam. Shapes by squeezing sticks and stones through holes in logs. Colors by climbing the same tree again and again throughout the seasons. Your child will build the foundations of writing, science, math, art, and physical development – even confidence and happiness – by exploring the forest with their friends.

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Instructors will guide their exploration by engaging in each child’s curiosities, be it faerie home building, bug catching, or something entirely unthought of. We will stoke their fires, offer wisdom, security, and wonder, the tools of language, but never mandates, or rules without reason. Instructors will follow the children into their forest.

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And of course, Wild Life Forest Preschool will make certain your child’s first adventures are considerate, careful and safe. Nature connection, and ultimately all learning, happens best once a comfortable space has been established. We will start with trust, then work our way outward. Our adventures will start small, and just like our bodies, hearts, and minds, get bigger!

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The vision of the forest preschool at Earth Native is simple - every child can find themselves in the forest. We believe each child is already equipped with the tools to learn through play, exploration and natural curiosity, and that the best way to bring out the unique spirit of each child is to allow them to be free in the forest.

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Read a few "Stories of the Week" from our school year

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OUR PROGRAMS

CHANGE FOR 2025-26 SCHOOL YEAR!

​Box Turtles - Class 2 days a week on Tuesday and Thursday from September to May. See calendar below. - Program is full, Join Waitlist

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Tree Frogs - Class 2 days a week on Wednesday and Friday from September to May. See calendar below. 

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Spiny Lizards - Class every other week on Mondays from September to May. See calendar below. - Program is full, Join Waitlist

PROGRAM INFO

Location: Our beautiful wooded campus between Austin and Bastrop at 137 Woodview Lane, Bastrop, TX 78602. Click here to read more about our campus.

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Ages: 3-5 (Students must be at least 3 yrs by September 1, 2025 to attend the 2025-26 school year.)

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Class Times: 9:00am - 2:00pm 

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Class Dates: School year will begin in September and will end in early May. See program calendar below.

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Registration Fee: $200 or $300 non-refundable registration fee due at the time of enrollment.

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Tuition: See below section below in green labeled "TUITION"

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VISIT US

If you are interested in visiting Wild Life, please click here for more info and to sign up for a tour in March!

ENROLLMENT

(Enrollment for the 2024-25 school year is closed.)

2025-26 INFO

Calendar

2025-26 CALENDAR

​First Day of class:

Box Turtles - September 2

Tree Frogs - September 3

Spiny Lizards - September 8

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Last Day of class: 

Spiny Lizards - May 4

Box Turtles - May 7

Tree Frogs - May 8

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Spiny Lizard Class Dates

9/8, 9/22, 10/6, 10/20, 11/3, 11/17, 12/1, 12/15, 1/12, 1/26, 2/9, 2/23, 3/23, 4/6, 4/20, 5/4

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​Holiday Breaks - No Classes

Thanksgiving Break - November 24-28  

Winter Break - December 22-Jan 2

Spring Break - March 9-20

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2024-25 CALENDAR

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Last Week of class: 

May 7, 8 or 9

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Holiday Breaks - No Classes

Spring Break - March 10-21

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PROGRAMS

BOX TURTLES

Class every Tuesday and Thursday 

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TREE FROGS

Class every Wednesday and Friday 

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SPINY LIZARDS

Class every other Monday

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NOTE: If this is your 3 year old's first year with us, we ask that you only enroll in one program. If you have a 4-5 year old, and would like to enroll in two programs, you can enroll your child in either Box Turtles + Spiny Lizards or Tree Frogs + Spiny Lizards. We do not allow kiddos to enroll in both the Tree Frog and Box Turtle programs. Please reach out to info@earthnativeschool.com if you would like more information.

REGISTRATION FEE

A $300 registration fee per program spot is required at the time of enrollment for Tree Frogs or Box Turtles.

 

A $200 registration fee per program spot is required at the time of enrollment for the Spiny Lizards.

 

This fee is non-refundable and non-transferable should you withdraw any time after enrolling for any reason.

TUITION

INSTALLMENT PLAN

SPINY LIZARDS, $121/month:

​After paying your $200 registration fee, your tuition can be paid in 8 installments of $121 each month from September- April.

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TREE FROGS or BOX TURTLES, $445/month:

​After paying your $300 registration fee, your tuition can be paid in 9 installments of $445 each month from September- May.

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PAY IN FULL

SPINY LIZARDS: Tuition is $888 PLUS the $200 registration fee per program spot, if paying in full at the time of enrollment or by 8/1.

 

TREE FROGS or BOX TURTLES: Tuition is $3915 PLUS the $300 registration fee per program spot, if paying in full at the time of enrollment or by 8/1.

Meet the 2024-25 Team

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BRITT LUTTRELL 

Preschool Director

Britt Luttrell is a native of Austin, Texas. Growing up he spent many an afternoon catching bugs or in some treehouse he had built with his nose in a journal.  His father worked for the Texas Agriculture Department and used to take him on ranch visitations where he experienced MASSIVE purple grapes on the trellis and corn fields with more ravens in them than corn. These trips, and others, bound Britt to the natural world in a truly significant way. 

 

Britt loves witnessing the wonders of nature, whether it be giant trees growing on the edges of sheer cliffs or the impossibly perfect adaptations of tiny insects. He loves challenging his body, finding nooks and crannies no person has ever been to before. The stories of an ecosystem captivate him… Are these ants coming or going? Who was here last night? Britt feels so proud to have retained his childhood sense of wonder about the world. He values green belts as much as huge forests and he believes every kid should have a safe place to connect to the Earth and its wildness.

 

Before joining the Earth Native teaching staff, Britt spent eight years practicing, learning, and teaching young people at Nature’s Way Preschool at the Austin Nature and Science Center. He was fortunate enough to study with some leading figures in play-based education, including Tom Hobson (Teacher Tom), International Play Iceland, and others. Britt has held the microphone on discussion panels for the Children in Nature Collaborative of Austin (CINCA) and led countless meetups in the greater community. Between preschool classes, summer camp groups, volunteer days, hiring and training new staff, and international trainings, Britt has shown his city the benefits of playing outside.

 

With over a decade of outdoor education experience, Britt knows that the best place for children to learn is in the woods, forests, and wild places. He is eternally joyful that he has the opportunity to continue to give children some of their first great adventures in nature at Earth Native.

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KIMBERLY YAX

Forest Preschool Instructor

Raised in Southwest Houston, Kimberly always wanted to trade the fast-paced city life for a life filled with wild animals and tall trees. Being the eldest of five, Kimberly always found comfort and peace laying underneath trees, watching the clouds go by. 

 

Growing up in a big city, it was hard to find green spaces to connect with as a child. Luckily, Kimberly was able to connect to nature through stories her family would tell her about growing up in a small town in Guatemala. Listening to stories about hiding in the trees, running through streams, and sleeping in hammocks underneath the stars always amazed her and she desperately yearned for a childhood like that. It was her family’s stories that inspired Kimberly to care and learn more about the outdoors. 

 

As she grew older, Kimberly spent a lot of holidays hiking and swimming at Brazos Bend State Park and Guadalupe River State Park. During these outings, she always felt a sense of belonging and never wanted to leave these dreamy state parks. These places felt magical and unreal to her and captivated her imagination unlike the city. 

 

It wasn’t until she was a student at Texas State University that Kimberly’s love for teaching others about wildlife and conservation exploded. Being able to learn about wildlife in Guatemala and Ireland in her college years made her realize how powerful first-hand experiences are and wanted to help others have those experiences. 

 

During the school year, she was a Glass-Bottom Boat driver and would drive visitors around Spring Lake to show off the beautiful freshwater springs. During this time, she was also a freshwater aquarist and helped maintain the health of the Texas Blind Salamander and San Marcos Salamander. In the summer, she was able to chat with people from all over the world as an environmental interpreter at the Downtown Aquarium – Houston. Kimberly was also able to SCUBA dive for the aquarium to help maintain the appearance of the tanks and health of her fish friends. 

 

After earning her degree in Wildlife Biology with a minor in Geography from Texas State University, Kimberly joined the Earth Native Instructing team in order to pursue her dream of working outdoors full-time helping others develop a love of nature to match her own.

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MICHELLE NGO

Forest Preschool Instructor

Michelle grew up on the outskirts of Houston, Texas, where the suburbs of a big city left little room for nature. Still, her innate curiosity for wildlife, nature, and the world never wavered. In her free time, she would spend hours exploring her own backyard, digging up dirt to make clay bowls, and watching the tadpoles slowly metamorphosize day after day in the pond. Her fascination grew and grew, and she decided to explore the world even further by pouring herself into National Geographics, learning about every animal fact she could from wildlife books, and "traveling" across the globe from oceans and deserts to mountains and valleys through nature documentaries on Animal Planet.

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As she grew older, Michelle discovered a deep passion for working with children. Volunteering every summer at CAMP Camp, a summer camp for kids with special needs, fueled her love for education and childhood development, inspiring her to earn a degree in Early Childhood Special Education from Texas Christian University.

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After college, she embarked on a big adventure: moving to Madrid, Spain to teach at a bilingual STEM primary school. It was a life-changing experience that shaped her as a teacher, a life-long learner, and human in this world. During the weekdays, she honed in on her teaching skills, focused on creating an immersive, engaging, and loving learning environment for her students. While on the weekends, she spent her time exploring the world like she always dreamed of as a kid; traveling to new countries, making new friends, reconnecting to nature through wild adventures, and maintaining her child-like wonder and curiosity for it all every step of the way. 

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Upon returning to Texas, Michelle was determined to build a fulfilling life rooted in her passions for education, exploration, nature, music, and meaningful connection. Through many twists and turns, her journey led her here to Earth Native, where she found the perfect place to combine her passions and serve her students, community, and the world around her.​

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HANNAH MALDONADO-LOVELAND

Tree Frog Instructor

Hannah was born and raised on the crystal clear headwaters of the Guadalupe, deep in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. From an early age her dad taught her how to ID wildlife, forage, catch snakes, and read the stars. She spent many summer evenings swimming in the river with her brother and sister, and flipping over rocks to find critters. These intimate encounters with the natural world led to a deep love for the ecosystem we are all a part of.

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Hannah brought her love for the natural world with her when she studied Art Education at UNT, incorporating ecological themes into her body of work, and later when she took a three year break from art school, traveling and learning about sustainable agriculture.

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Her travels brought her to intentional communities in the piney woods of Pennsylvania, the rolling prairies of the Midwest, and the open skies of the Southwest deserts. Hannah continued her agricultural education as a farm intern on Shaw Island in the Pacific Northwest.

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While living and teaching in Mexico, Hannah fell in love with permaculture, and the concept of incorporating more native species into her agricultural practice. She learned traditional native farming techniques from experienced women in the rural village of Hostotipaquillo, Jalisco. The link between sustainable agriculture and native foraging was a big game changer for Hannah!

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Her time spent in Mexico working with kids inspired her to return to school to finish her degree. After graduating she worked as an Outdoor Education Instructor at Mo Ranch. She especially loved teaching native botany, freshwater ecology, gardening, and sustainability.

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She also spent several years teaching fourth grade at a Nature Based Charter School in Austin, where she loved hiking with her kids in the woods and teaching Math through the lens of Texas Animals statistics. Hannah is so happy to have returned to her roots as an Earth Native Instructor in her Central Texas homeland. There are few things she loves more than working with kids, playing in the woods, and inviting others to be curious about the beautiful world around us.

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512-299-8870

info@earthnativeschool.com

Contact Us

 

© Copyright 2017 by Earth Native Wilderness School

Find Us

 

WOODVIEW ENTRANCE

137 Woodview Lane

Bastrop, TX 78602

SHILOH 

ENTRANCE

921 Shiloh Rd

Bastrop, TX 78602

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