A Natural Branch of Learning

05/08/2023

The creative, generous & absolutely loving Judith Peyton of A Natural Branch of Learning, passed away peacefully at home with her loved ones on April 24th at the age of 81.

To know Judith was a tremendous gift and to have witnessed her connection to the natural world and the inspiration she attained from nature was purely magical.

To watch Judith interact with children was absolutely incredible! Judith had a special ability to see each individual child as is and she made them feel seen, heard and loved. From morning meeting place, fairy village, ziplines, little house in the woods, treasure circles and every interaction in between, Judith was thrilled to be in those special places she created alongside the children and families she loved deeply. Judith put her whole heart into ANBL and created a strong sense of community with the families.

We shall find sweet Judith now in the setting sun, in windy tree tops blowing in the breeze, in the water flowing over the mossy rocks and in our hearts and memories.

Thank you Judith, for all of the love you brought out of each one of us who had the privilege to explore a sense of place in the forest and land you loved. And thank you for loving us and believing in us!

May peace surround.

09/01/2018

Greetings!! Mini Branches fall 2018 session will start this upcoming Friday, September 7th at 9:30 a.m.at the morning meeting circle! Our previous facilitators will be there to help guide the first session and introduce the trails to new families.

This season will be different than previously facilitated sessions as we are doing a more casual play group this year and will not have a facilitator to lead the program, we are encouraging parents to collaborate together and use the space for exploration and fun.

If you are interested in attending please make sure to fill out any registration forms available to print out on our website. The session is open to all families interested in nature based play and will be donation based if people are able to support the program.

For more information please check out: www.anaturalbranch.org or call the Peytons at 715 373 0688.

A one-of-a-kind forest play program for children ages 2 to 5 emphasizing social-emotional, intellectual, and physical development

06/15/2018

UPDATE: our last session will be held, Friday, June 22nd from 9:30 to 12:30!! Hope to see you along the trails!!
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Hi friends!! We are sad to announce that we are cancelling mini branches last session today! Due to thunderstorms, winds and heavy rains. We will let you know as soon as possible for when we will mae up the date.

We are looking at possibly Friday, June 22nd or Sunday, June 24th.

We hope that you are able to get out and jump in the puddles today!!

06/11/2018

Spring Mini Branches has one more week left! This upcoming week we are inviting new and old friends out to explore the trails, streams and special places in the forests and fields! Join us at 9:45 for morning circle and hike the trails with us! We hope to see you for our last spring session!

04/20/2018

Spring Greetings! Mini Branches spring 2018 session will begin on Friday, May 11th and run every Friday for six weeks ending on June 15th.

Join us in the forest along the trails for adventure and exploration as we watch the
forest wake up after it's winter rest.

Arrival will begin at 9:30am. Morning meeting circle will begin at 9:40 with song and dance. At 9:50 we will begin our hike along various pathways. We will eat lunch around 11:30 and finish around 12:30. Families are welcome to stay as long as they want after session.

To register for sessions please contact ANBL director, Dr. Judith Peyton at [email protected] or 715-373-0688

We look forward to seeing you soon!!

08/23/2017

Hello!

06/01/2017

Hi Friends! Tomorrow is our last Spring Mini Branches. We will meet at the morning meeting place and then hike back to the Meadow Lane so we can explore some trails and sites. We will be celebrating our time together this season by sharing food together with a potluck around lunchtime so if you are able please bring a small dish to pass. (we will have some coolers to put food in on arrival so you do not need to hike back in the forest with it :) ) It looks like it will be a warm day with blue skies and bright sun! We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!

05/19/2017

Good Morning! Just a quick update for those driving in today to our fourth week of Spring Mini Branches! With all of this rain Judith and Micheal reported that they have been working hard on making sure the road in is passable. Please go slow and stay center. Along the side of the road there will be red reflector markers that will show where the road eroded. We look forward to splish splashing again today and seeing how the rain changed the waterways on the land!

05/12/2017

Week two of Spring Mini Branches we explored the "seeing is believing trail". Along the path a child was captivated by an old fallen log that was covered in bright green moss.

child: "come here and smell the green with me"
M: "sure! I wonder what it smells or feel like?"
child: "smoooooottthhhh" (he gave the fallen log a great big kid hug)

04/26/2017

Hi Friends! Wild weather sure is out and about today from freezing rain to dancing winds. We are prepared to start our first day of Spring Mini Branches on Friday, April 28th rain or shine. (That's what rain jackets, snowpants and mud boots are for, right

04/09/2017

Interested in Spring 2017 Mini Branches? Enrollment forms are listed on the website. First session starts Friday April 28th and goes until Friday June 2nd. Let us know if you are planning on joining our adventures.

03/24/2017

Hello! We are preparing for Spring 2017 Mini Branches. To get geared up and ready we are reaching out to see if families and friends are up for lending a hand.

We have two work party dates set up for Saturday, April 15 and Sunday, April 16th starting at 10:00 a.m.

We plan to work on the trails, spruce up play sites and get the wall tent and meadow meeting place ready for our spring adventures. We invite you to join us if you can :)