Little Log Cabin Nature School
Little Log Cabin Nature School is a homeschool enrichment program. Founded on the pillars of active, free play and the power of fresh air, students gather twice a week at NOEL Farms.
Innocent. Curious. Capable. And always growing! This is how we see children. At Little Log Cabin, we support and nurture each of these in students - encouraging and building upon their curiosity, stepping aside knowing that small hands are capable ones, and guiding and delighting in their growth and achievements.
NOEL Farms
NOEL Farms gets its name from the initials of four siblings. It’s also a nod to the most glorious time of year (Christmas!) and the rows of young fir trees planted onsite.
The farm’s more than 60 acres is home to woods, a creek, a lake, meadows and more. Honey bees, chickens, and kittens call it home too! Owners Mark and Barbara view it as an ever-evolving project plot; space to be shared - the perfect home for Little Log Cabin Nature School.
A Day at Nature School…
Nature School days are organized into three parts:
Active Free Play.
Unstructured, child-led free play. It’s the best gift we can give our children.
Students take to the woods (Or the meadow! The pond! The creek!) to create play schemes of their own. All are free to play, explore and invent. While Mother Nature provides most all that we need, we do add open-ended pieces and loose parts - think rope swings, fort-building materials, and mud kitchens!
Group Work.
The full class comes together for a guided activity. This activity rotates between a nature craft, a farm chore, or an outdoor “explore.” Crafts are inspired by the season, and utilize natural, foraged materials. We don our work gloves for chores which include gardening in the school plot, tending the chicken flock, or splitting wood. “Explores” include everything from group hikes and stories, to pond studies and nature lessons.
Lunch.
Every day’s a picnic at Nature School!
We lunch together - outside of course! This time is rather fluid, and is part fuel, part free play. We believe deeply in resourcefulness and caring for the earth, so lunches are waste-free. (Photo and waste-free lunch inspiration is from Oregon farmer, cookbook author, and queen of healthy-kid-cooking, Andrea Bemis. We are captains of her fan club!)
Ready to join us?
Mike, Elise, Wes, Ruthie, and Nico - We’re The Little Log Cabin’s founding family. And we’re so grateful you’re here! A bit about us…
Hi, we’re the Trattners!
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Beach day!! Hands down.
Give us some water and we’re happy clams!
Our favorite “stuffies” are ocean creatures, we love to travel and arrange it around optimal beach time, and our best homeschool unit explored microplastic.
Wes just learned freestyle and is the king of “beach cleanups,” Nico’s car seat is perpetually full of sand, and Ruthie loves nothing more than a beach picnic.If you’re looking for us, you can likely find us at Weko :)
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God! Faith is our foundation; the center of all we do, individually and as a family.
Family dinners. Essential. (Bonus points for candles)
Low-tech (we’re TV-free and kids are screen-free).
Keeping our Christmas tree up as long as humanly possible.
Large, ceremoniously-prepared birthday cakes.
Messes. (We’re living, creating, exploring here!)
Hammocks.
Hikes.
Art and working with our hands. (Painting all surfaces - rocks, garden beds, etc. - that could use color.)
Kindness. Humility. Love!
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Wes: Hiking! And heading to the woods with a wheelbarrow full of tools. Splitting wood. Setting up scavenger hunts.
Ruthie: Completing scavenger hunts. Mud kitchen cooking. And the giant swing!
Nico: Watching the big sibs. Water table splashing. “Helping” in the garden beds (ie: playing in, squishing, eating dirt).
Elise (Mom): Anything at the beach! Dune hikes, swimming to sandbars, walking in the surf (ideally with a sleeping babe in a carrier).
Mike (Dad): Trail running and boogie boarding. Especially with Wessie and Ru!