WHY

OUTDOOR?

love

for her community and her environment

rooted

in what is local

dirt

with endless possibilities

development

at his own pace

time

for unstructured play and child led lessons

ratio

of 1 teacher for every 5 children

1½ cups

Butter

3 cups

Flour

3 cups

Blueberries

My journey with Palouse Roots began at the first gathering of parents & children with the founder, Darci Deaton. Darci’s vision resonated with some of my dearest aspirations & I knew right away that I wanted to be involved. I grew increasingly connected with the outdoor school, & when I started volunteering & then substituting I knew I had found my calling. I accepted a position as assistant teacher & began intermittently serving as lead teacher in Spring 2020. In Summer 2020, Darci fully passed the leadership to me & I took over as Palouse Roots Lead Teacher & Director in Fall 2020. I could not have dreamed up a more fluid transition into my current position & am completely in love with my job!  

Teacher Misha

As a child I spent the majority of my playtime outside & went barefoot whenever possible. I often spent hours in my neighborhood creek looking for salamanders, collecting stones & leaping from rock to rock. If there was a tree nearby I was in it, up as high as I could get & upside down when possible. Grassy hills were for rolling, running, & sledding; the woods were for obstacle courses, forts, & endless pretend play. Those years nurtured a relationship with nature that was both playful & curious. This deep connection led me to a graduate degree in ecology & a career in environmental education. 

Exploring nature with children is intuitive for me, & has also become a delightful part of the time I spend with my family and friends. My work experience is an unusual mix of environmental ecology, teaching, & nonprofit leadership. I am most naturally drawn to working with children and have been a nature center kids’ program leader, children’s science museum teacher, home daycare provider, & camp counselor....

WHAT

age?

Ages 4-7

​

HOW

much?

All are encouraged to apply for Tuition Assistance. Full tuition by the month is $640 for four days and $320 for two days per week. 

WHERE 

is it?

PCEI 

Nature Center

AND

when?

Monday - Friday

8:30am - 12:30pm

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF

AN EARTHWORM

Arrive 8:30 am

8:30-9 hike together to find our earthworm home base

9:00 get settled in

9:15 circle (songs and stories pertaining to season and current interests)

9:30 Child-led play and learning

10:30 Snack

11:00 Daily Adventure

11:30 Tea Time

12:30 Pick up

Children have a natural curious and creative nature that I have always loved to be around, and I think these qualities are best nurtured in the outdoors. The students’ kindness, resourcefulness, and enthusiasm for knowledge is inspiring and constantly
teaching me how to be more kind, resourceful, and enthusiastic in my life. Palouse Roots is a program that I feel is incredibly valuable to its students and to the communities they will touch throughout the rest of their lives. I know that I will be a great fit for the role of assistant teacher, and I am excited for this chance to inspire
and educate the children in our community!

Teacher Fiona

As a child to two botanists, I was destined to love the outdoors. Nature and

conservation played a very present role in my upbringing. I grew up in subtropical

Florida, teeming with life in every corner and endless opportunities for curiosity and

hands-on interaction. My time spent wandering the cypress groves and swamps

instilled within me a deep connection and sense of peace with nature.

In January of 2019, I drove across the country to begin pursuing a bachelor’s degree

in mathematics at Washington State University. The snow was a shock, but the

rolling hills and the community of Moscow, Idaho immediately captured my heart. In

the fall of 2020, I was introduced to Palouse Roots as a substitute assistant teacher

and was delighted by the opportunity to inspire and educate young children about

nature by being directly in it!