PROGRAM DETAILS

Bell Creek’s First Grade program allows our forest school students to continue their educational journey in a natural outdoor setting. Academic lessons will be incorporated into exploration, experimentation, play, and place-based learning. Top priorities for our school-aged programs include fostering curiosity, kindness, self-confidence, and a love for learning. Find more curriculum details below or email us for a complete curriculum description.

Enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year opens on February 1st, 2025. Please email us at enroll@bellcreeknatureschool.com.

Bell Creek’s nature-based Elementary program is open to children ages 6-7; generally considered 1st graders. Please see our Forest Preschool, Kindergarten, and Homeschool Enrichment programs for additional age groups.

First Grade Schedule 2026-27:

  • Monday – Thursday 9:00am – 3:15pm

Tuition:  $9,900 (9 payments of $1,100) Please reach out for information about our sliding scale

Program Fees:

  • Annual Enrollment Fee: $100
  • Annual Material fee: $75

First day of School:

Bell Creek’s Nature-based elementary curriculum combines nature immersion, environmental studies, teamwork, socialization and interdisciplinary work. Some of our favorite curriculum resources include Project Learning Tree, Handwriting without Tears, Messy Maths, Wild Math, Wild Reading, Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature, Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State, and the WA State Core Learning Standards.

All lessons take place outdoors on our 5-acre campus and the adjacent riverbed of the North Fork of the Nooksack River. Our integrated and hands-on learning style promotes creativity, confidence, problem solving skills, and real-world application. This supports an understanding of how we can apply academic skills to everyday life which in turn provides a meaningful motivation for children to learn.

Bell Creek teachers are trained to develop a flexible curriculum that supports an interest-led learning environment. Developing a curriculum around the interests of students validates their ideas and individuality. It fosters the idea that their interests are worth learning about! Teachers are intentional in their planning by recognizing and taking into considering each child’s personality and preferred method of learning. The small class sizes and low student to teacher ratio allows for attention to detail and the ability to meet the needs of each student. Children will be given the chance to discover their likes, dislikes, and their own unique learning styles and personalities. While teachers will always provide instruction and guidance throughout each learning experience, they also recognize that it is important for children to practice and learn to rely on their own intuition and abilities. We also recognize that it is important for children to learn from each other.

Our approach to learning follows the Place-Based Education model:

  • Takes place on-site and in the local community and environment
  • Learning focuses on local systems, themes and content
  • Learning is personally relevant to the learner
  • Experiences that contribute to the community’s vitality and environmental quality
  • Academic subjects are incorporated through interdisciplinary work
  • Learning style promotes connection, respect, and love for one’s place

For more on our teaching philosophies see our About Us page.

The new Elementary campus, built in the summer of 2023, is located on the east side of the orchard. The main structure is a a 300+ sq ft open air classroom that can be converted into a cozy heated classroom on the coldest winter days. Other learning spaces are spread around the 5 acre campus and include covered areas for small group work, cedar groves for story times, nature trails, Bell Creek and the Nooksack River for science investigations, the orchard for gardening, free play, and physical education, and various shelters built by the students for quiet reading, writing, and reflection.

We’re fortunate to be located on an ideal piece of property in Deming, WA. Depending on the students’ interests and current lesson themes the class may embark on the following:

  1. Explore Bell Creek – here we’ll discover scores of fish eggs, tad poles, and miniature waterfalls; not to mention many gravity and water-based experiments
  2. Wildlife Quest – on 13+ acres we’ll search for salamanders, frogs, insects, and spot bald eagles and other birds
  3. Daily Hikes – on our series of ever-expanding trails we’ll get great exercise while finding different types of mushrooms, flowers, and ferns
  4. Nature Art & Recycled Crafts – utilizing recycled materials and what nature provides
  5. Natural Building – working together, we’ll construct forts, waterways, and natural obstacle courses

2025-26 School Calendar – Closures and Special Family Events:

  • Labor Day, September 1st, 2025 – No School
  • First day of school: September 2nd, 2025
  • *Family Event (K-1 only)* Wednesday October 1st – Owls Open House and Autumn Harvest  – 3:00-4:00pm
  • Wednesday October 19th – Kindergarten Parent-Teacher Conferences – No school for Owls (K-1 class )
  • *Family Event* Saturday November 1st – Annual Halloween Party – 2:00-5:00PM
  • Veterans Day, November 11th, 2025 – No School
  • Fall Break, November 24-28, 2025 – No School
  • Thursday December 18th – No School for First Grade – First Grade Conferences
  • Winter Break: December 22, 2025 – January 9, 2026 – No School
  • Martin Luther King Day: Monday, January 19, 2026 – No School
  • President’s Day: Monday, February 16, 2026 – No School
  • Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences – Date TBD – No school for Owls (K-1 class)
  • Spring Break: April 6-9, 2026  – No School
  • *Family Event*  Date TBD – Spring Family Potluck – 3:00-5:00pm
  • Memorial Day: May 28, 2026 – No School
  • The last day of school will be Thursday, May 28th, 2026
Loading...