KIND is a A One-Day-a-Week Outdoor Program from Roots Academy
For Children Ages 6 to 8 (Grades 1 & 2)
Wednesdays | Fall 2025 – Spring 2026 | Cape Elizabeth, ME
Your Child Deserves a Day Like This
What if just one day a week could help your child:
Move their body with freedom and purpose
Slow down, notice, and wonder
Build resilience through real-world challenge
Feel more grounded, connected, and confident
KIND is a one-day-a-week, all-outdoor enrichment program designed to reconnect children with the natural world—and with themselves. Through field-based science, physical movement, mindfulness, and seasonal exploration, KIND gives children a rhythm they can return to all week long.
Rooted in Research. Guided by Joy.
Place-Based Learning
Children deepen their connection to local ecosystems through immersive, inquiry-driven field studies.
Executive Function Development
KIND supports the building blocks of learning—focus, flexible thinking, and self-regulation—through real-world, hands-on experience.
Emotional Resilience
Movement, nature connection, and meaningful routines help calm the nervous system and support wellbeing.
Creative Expression
Children explore seasonal themes through storytelling, nature art, and student-led projects that give voice to their curiosity.
“When children develop a personal relationship with place, they learn to care for it. Stewardship begins with a sense of rootedness.”
David Sobel, author of Place-Based Education: Connecting Classrooms and Communities
Grab a Printable Copy of Our Information:
A Sample Day at KIND:
Morning Meeting & Movement
Mindful arrival, intention setting, nature walk
Field Study & Inquiry Block
Habitat mapping, soil testing, ecological art, journaling
Community Lunch
Shared outdoor meal and rest
Wilderness Skills
Shelter building, compost stewardship, knot-tying
Quiet Time & Reflection
Sit spots, storytelling, closing circle
Who Is KIND For?
KIND is a perfect fit for families who:
Value public education but want more nature and movement in their child’s week
Believe childhood should include challenge, wonder, and wildness
Want their children to grow stronger—physically, emotionally, and socially
Are looking for a developmentally meaningful supplement to traditional school or homeschool
Details
Location: Rotating Locations in the Greater Portland area
When: Wednesdays, September 2025 – May 2026 (30 program days)
Ages: 6–8 years old
Educator Ratio: 2 experienced place-based educators for 8–10 children
Tuition
We are committed to making KIND accessible while sustaining the real cost of a high-quality, one-day-a-week outdoor program. We offer the following tiered tuition options:
Tier 1: Supported – $2,275
For families who need financial support in order to participate. This tier is made possible by community contributions and families paying above the true cost.Tier 2: Sustaining – $3,250
This is the true cost of the program. Choosing this tier helps cover all direct expenses, including educator pay, site fees, materials, and coordination.Tier 3: Community Builder – $3,750+
For families able to contribute beyond the true cost. This tier helps fund scholarships, ensure equity, and sustain KIND’s long-term mission.
Apply for KIND Now!
FAQs
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Yes! KIND is designed to complement a child’s primary school experience, not replace it. Many families choose to participate by taking one excused day per week to invest in this nature-based enrichment opportunity. While it is the responsibility of each individual family to make arrangements with their respective school, we’re happy to provide you with an information sheet to share with your school about how KIND supports whole-child development.
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We embrace all kinds of weather as part of the experience—children come prepared with the proper gear, and our educators adjust the day’s rhythm accordingly. Our sheltered outdoor spaces and campus resources allow us to stay safe and engaged, rain or shine.
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KIND is a school-year, curriculum-supported program focused on building executive function, environmental literacy, emotional regulation, and community connection. While it’s playful and outdoors, it’s also intentional, developmentally aligned, and grounded in research—not just a day in the woods.
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Each KIND group is led by two experienced educators with backgrounds in outdoor education, child development, and trauma-informed teaching. Our team is committed to creating a rhythm of belonging, curiosity, and joy for each child.
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Children should come dressed for the weather with layers, rain gear, boots or trail shoes, a hearty lunch, water bottle, and a small backpack. We’ll provide a full packing list and help families prepare for the season ahead.
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If your child thrives outside, benefits from movement, or needs time to reset midweek, KIND may be the perfect balance. It’s especially supportive for kids who crave hands-on exploration, sensory-rich experiences, or a slower pace to connect and grow.
A note from our Funders:
"Partnering with organizations that support people’s connection to the natural environment has been a long-standing passion of mine and I’m thrilled about this new opportunity for young people to increase nature connection.”
“We are so fortunate to have a place-based school in our community that fully embraces nature-based learning and its benefits and the decision to collaborate with Roots on the KIND program was an easy one to make. People of all ages are spending significantly less time outdoors all while there is a growing awareness (and plenty of research) about the negative implications of living our lives mostly inside. This generation of young people deserve an opportunity to learn outdoors with passionate outdoor educators and alongside their peers. KIND is a wonderful way to augment the learning that occurs in a more traditional academic environment while young people can reap all the unique benefits of nature-based learning."
— Hannah Quimby, Quimby Foundation