Vision, Mission and Methods

Deep in the forest a boy at summer day camp enjoys his primitive hut

Forest Floor has served the Asheville Area with Nature-Connection Mentoring programs since 2011.

We work to reconnect youth and adults with the natural world, while also coalescing a vibrant nature-based community.

Vision

WE ENVISION a nature-connected community of humans living their full potential in relationship, reciprocity, and cooperation with the natural world.

Mission

OUR MISSION is to raise our children to be the nature-connected leaders of tomorrow by tracking and supporting their journey through childhood, adolescence & beyond.

Happy campers and counselors gathered at forest's edge for summer camp day

Strategy

OUR STRATEGY is to lead a wide variety of nature-connection programs, including:

 

  • Summer Camps
  • Weekly Homeschool Programs
  • Saturday Programs for Teens
  • Community Gatherings
  • Open House Days
  • Mentor Training for Adults
  • Teen Fire Nights
  • Invitational Programs
Kids at nature camp playing in the mud

Methods

WE UTILIZE a distinctive and highly effective educational approach called Nature-Connection Mentoring, which uses children’s inherent enthusiasm for the natural world as a context to actively engage them in the learning process. Children are guided by the mentor towards the empowering experience of curiosity-driven discovery instead of simply being inundated with information. This in turn sets the stage for them to be led by their own innate curiosity (and the gentle nudging of the mentor) to discover the natural world for themselves.

Using the subtle Art of Questioning children are brought to the edge of their knowledge and awareness, then enticed by a further mystery to grow beyond that edge. With the help of what we call Universal Child Passions, we create a learning environment that is motivated by the natural inclinations of the children themselves. Combining a modern understanding of brain patterning and habit creation with these other more ancient methods of mentoring, the children find themselves immersed in an “invisible school” with the forest as their ”classroom”. The goal of such mentoring is nothing short of helping each individual reach their full potential.

Homeschool student at fall nature program successfully starting a camp fire

Our Core Curriculum:

  • Outdoor Safety & Awareness
  • Animal Tracking
  • Edible and Medicinal Wild Plants
  • Bird Language
  • Wilderness Survival Skills
  • Ancient Crafts
  • Ecology, Community, & Self Discovery
  • Storytelling and Singing
  • Fire, and much more…

Our core curriculum is based on the patterns and cycles of the natural world. The eight-directional model we use accounts for the innate rhythms of individuals and their environment, providing a seemingly effortless but remarkably effective trajectory for learning.

Enjoy this short video of kids in action at Forest Floor.