Natural Nests

06/20/2026

Raising protectors. Raising innovators. Raising children to know their home.

“Let Nature be your teacher.” – William Wordsworth

“To raise a nature-bonded child is to raise a rebel, a dreamer, an innovator… someone who will walk their own verdant, winding path.” – Nicolette Sowder

“Nature is a tool to get children to experience not just the wider world, but themselves.” – Stephen Moss

Join us in-person in the area &/or follow for inspo and encouragement to get outside with your kids.

06/18/2026

The Summer Season of Backyard Classroom is officially FULL! Thank you 🙏🏼 to all of my returning and new families, referrals, and anyone who shared or liked a post. This homeschooling, homemaking, mamapreneur truly appreciates it!

🌞🌳 🌻 The Backyard Classroom Summer Half Day Camp still has spots though! The info is below or comment CAMP and I'll send you the info right to your inbox.

SUMMER CAMP - Drop-off program (or stay and work remotely &/or help out), Ages 4–11
🌞 SIGN UP: https://bit.ly/BCsummer26signup
🌞 LEARN MORE: https://bit.ly/BCcamp26

Get a sneak peek by clicking on my IG highlight titled Backyard Classroom -

🎯 THE BACKYARD CLASSROOM MISSION
Backyard Classroom nurtures curiosity, creativity, and connection through outdoor learning. By looking closer and digging deeper, children discover that even ordinary places hold wonder. Through exploration, creativity, movement, and play, they build friendships, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning—finding life’s greatest lessons right where they are.

06/12/2026

I can't get this cleaned up in two days but my summer season starts regardless. I was pretty darn ready for summer ☀️ but mother nature had a different idea 😔. No gale warnings 💨 here but evidently marine warnings apply to us but we didn't get any messages about that either. I just saw that in the forecast after the fact 😩. The storm was pretty tame but it started with a HUGE gust of wind which a neighbor thought was a tornado 🌪️!

Between all of this costly damage I'm going to be fundraising and collecting donations to help keep the running smoothly. I'm going to start selling handmade goodies made by me and the kids at class, native and edible plants, sourdough, vanilla extract, herbal infused oils, natural plant medicines, whatever I can. I had some at our spring field trip and it looks like I'll be doing that for classes and camp too. Send me your ideas! If you don't have registered kids in the program but want any of these goodies comment! A full product list is coming soon but for now, just tell me what you're interested in via comment!

DONATIONS of ANY AMOUNT CAN BE SENT TO:
Cash app - user $AbigailPari
PayPal - paypal.me/AbigailPari
VenMo - AbigailPari

Every $5 truly helps!

Funds will strictly be used to replace the canopies and provide much needed shade for the summer season. Any extra funds will go to help pay for the damage from the downed tree. Thank you in advance for supporting Backyard Classroom!

Even so, it will be slow going and the summer season is TWO days away! I was going to finalize lessons and activities but now I have to fit in yard clean up and the $$$ to pay for that.

I don't even know how to clean up the canopies because they are so bent we can't collapse them. I guess we have to figure out how to transport them to the dump 🤷‍♀️. This totally stinks 👎.

P.S. We only saw the canopy damage last night after a MASSIVE gust of one - literally one - and my husband and I ran outside during the storm to take the tent portion of. Otherwise it would act like a sail and potentially damage more property. Then we ran inside to avoid being struck by branches 😨.

Send a message to learn more

06/02/2026

Come on out to the first field trip of the year at Backyard Classroom! This outdoor classroom/suburban homestead is a place where the entire family can explore, create, and learn about how to live more sustainably and naturally, and while on a budget. Limited tickets available! 🎟 Register: https://omella.com/048bb

WHAT TO EXPECT
🌿 Dive into foraging and learn how to start today in common areas (no need to trek through the woods)

☕ Make and enjoy kid-friendly samples of our foraged goodies

🎨 Create beautiful art using natural materials - adults are invited to create alongside their children

🐔 Get a crash course on backyard chickens and how to actually get started

♻️ Discover how EVERYTHING in nature has a purpose (yes… even chicken p**p 💩!)

🌎 Learn simple ways you can help the ecosystem in your very own yard or neighborhood

📖 Enjoy Snack & Storytime (families should bring plenty of water and a healthy snack or packed lunch)

📄 Take home resources to reinforce and continue your lessons at home

Think of this field trip as part nature class, part homestead workshop, part foraging lesson, part art studio—all rolled into one! Families will head home with new skills, new creations, and a fresh love for the amazing world just outside our doors to help foster exploration in your backyard or local park. Fresh handmade goods will also be available for purchase such as organic sourdough baked goods, plants, seeds collected from the homestead, and more!

If you attended in Fall 2026, the line-up of activities and lessons will be quite different and we'll also have more time for Q&A and free play in the amazing outdoor classroom which includes:

🌳 Huge trampoline
🌳 Zipline
🌳 A big and little climbing dome
🌳 Ninja playground
🌳 Swings
🌳 Large mud kitchen
🌳 A big and little seesaw
🌳 Family-friendly ax/star throwing
🌳 Rock wall
🌳 Slide
🌳 Bikes and outdoor toys
🌳 Gardens
🌳 Chickens

This is your chance to slow down, connect with nature, and make unforgettable memories together 🌿 in the great outdoors.

05/12/2026

A snapshot at what we've been up to this spring 🌷. Homeschooling is a lot of work but a lot of people forget to mention the fun we have too!

✔️ Hikes and playground visits every 1-2 weeks
✔️ Homeschool Social Studies Showcase & our start with project based learning
✔️ Martial arts 3-4x a week
✔️ Kickball class/intro
✔️ Learning how to skate, skate meetups, skate parks
✔️ Gardening: weeding, mulching, planting, watering
✔️ Arts and crafts
✔️ Playing outside for hours nearly everyday and taking the challenge
✔️ Family dinners cooked from scratch every single night

"Children learn from anything and everything they see. They learn wherever they are, not just in special learning places."

- John Holt

If you want to see how children learn outside of the classroom, follow along on my journey homeschooling three kids all birthed within 5 years. No curriculums. No curated content or unrealistic aesthetic. Real life as a homeschooling crunchy mama who is finding a way to make it all work on a budget. And if you're in the area join us in real life! Link in bio for my locals only email list where I send out monthly homeschool focused meetups, hikes, enrichment classes, and more!

05/08/2026

The Spring Season of Backyard Classroom is officially FULL! Thank you 🙏🏼 to all of my returning and new families, referrals, and anyone who shared or liked a post. This homeschooling, homemaking, mamapreneur truly appreciates it!

🌞🌳 🌻 The Summer Season of Backyard Classroom's Classes and Day Camp still has spots though! The info is below or simply sign up for the newsletter and get it straight to your inbox along with info on our FREE meetups and hikes throughout .

SUMMER CLASSES - Caregiver attends with child, Ages 2–9
🌻SIGN UP: https://bit.ly/BCsummer26signup
🌻 LEARN MORE: https://bit.ly/BCsummer26

SUMMER CAMP - Drop-off program (or stay and work remotely &/or help out), Ages 4–11
🌞 SIGN UP: https://bit.ly/BCsummer26signup
🌞 LEARN MORE: https://bit.ly/BCcamp26

🎯 THE BACKYARD CLASSROOM MISSION 🎯
Backyard Classroom nurtures curiosity, creativity, and connection through outdoor learning. By looking closer and digging deeper, children discover that even ordinary places hold wonder. Through exploration, creativity, movement, and play, they build friendships, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning—finding life’s greatest lessons right where they are.

05/07/2026

If you have kids 9 and under in the DMV area, join the Backyard Classroom Crew on outdoor adventures, many of which are free! Join my email list for updates on the happenings. This month we...

🌷🦋🌸 Start our caterpillar/butterfly lessons with LIVE caterpillars which will metamorphisize into butterflies which we'll release in my outdoor classroom/suburban homestead later this month.

🥾🐢🚶 Hike through Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary with fellow homeschoolers with the aim to see turtles, otters, birds, and more! This is a little kid-friendly hike with lunch/snack half way through.

🛹🚴🛴 Skate, bike, scoot, mingle, and play at the playground at Tantallon North Neighborhood Park which has a paved loop. Last month kids brought kites and I'm bringing my parachute for 90s nostalgia and fun!

🌻🌞🌳 Last chance for the early bird discount of Backyard Classroom Summer Classes & Half Day Summer Camp: bit.ly/BCsummer26signup

Link up with fellow and get outside with us! Find your people, let the kids be wild and free, and get some much needed sunshine 🌞.

👉👉👉 SIGN UP at https://mailchi.mp/db3fb836d2e6/backyardclassroomcrew

I don't think I've ever sent than two emails in a month so don't worry about your inbox being flooded!

04/10/2026

Summer Registration is LIVE - Classes AND Camp at Backyard Classroom! This summer is especially meaningful because it’s my fourth season running Backyard Classroom, and I’m thrilled to finally introduce something many of you have asked for…the very first Backyard Classroom Summer Camp 🎉! This will be in addition to my weekly classes so you can sign up for classes, camp, or both!

Below are the two ways your kids can join us for this summer:

🌻🌻🌻 Backyard Classroom Weekly Classes (Ages 2–9)
Caregiver attends with child

🌻 WHEN: Mondays, 11:00 AM – 1:15 PM, June 15 – August 17

🌻 WHAT: Each week kids ages 2–9 take part in hands-on activities focused on our planet and the local ecosystem with a splash of other subjects such as history, social studies, language arts, and more. By intermingling micro lessons with art, experiments, making, nature exploration, movement, and group games, children better retain information while building curiosity, confidence, and friendships.

🌻SIGN UP: https://bit.ly/BCsummer26signup
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☀️ NEW: Backyard Classroom Half-Day Summer Camp (Ages 4–9)
Drop-off program

☀️ WHEN: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM

☀️ WHAT: Our summer camp is like an expanded version of our classes for ages 4-9 with a mix of educational lessons, play based activities to reinforce the lesson, and free play in our fun outdoor classroom to foster friendships. There are trampolines, a ninja playground, swings, a slide, two climbing domes, a large mud kitchen, zipline, playhouse, outdoor toys, and lots more! At camp there will be time for more involved projects such as plant-based fabric dying, process art, gardening and homesteading projects, foraging, and nature focused invitations to play.

☀️ SIGN UP: https://bit.ly/BCsummer26signup