George Eliot
“We could never have loved the earth so well if we had had no childhood in it...“
A Waldorf-inspired nature immersion program for up to 8 year olds
KEW KIDS
FOREST SCHOOL
Veterans Day 11/11 and Winter Holiday camps are open for enrollment!
Sign up here!
WHO WE ARE
Kew Kids is the only forest school in Queens and the only one in New York City to offer a half day and full day all-weather, year-round forest program for young children. We are a mixed-age nurturing community of outdoor learners that value kindness, cooperation, curiosity, imagination, and respect for all living things. Here in the city where forest area is sparse, we are lucky to trek in Forest Park, the third largest park in Queens covering an area of 538 acres and containing 165 acres of trees. Numerous trails wind through native hardwood (oak-hickory) forest and canopies. Forest Park is our classroom, and Kew Kids use the landscape, the hills, the edges, the trees to encourage exploration, experimentation and development.
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We are part of the nature preschool movement and are proud member of Association for Nature-Based Education and Natural Start Alliance, an exceptional network of organizations dedicated to helping young children experience and care for nature. In 2020, we were proudly featured in Warner Bros docu-series "Becoming You," exploring cognitive and sensory domains of the children’s development from birth to age 5 all over the world. In 2023, we participated in an international climate change docu-series! See a short clip from a filmmaker point of view.
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Our teachers are creative, thoughtful, and trained for outdoor adventures. A small teacher-to-children 4:1 ratio enables teachers to dive more deeply into the exploration of the forest and into each child's personal learning journey.
WHAT WE DO
We offer a unique full day, half day and afterschool drop-off nature program and day camps that aim to cultivate in young children a love of the outdoors, hone a sense of wonder, provide healthy challenges that instill confidence, capability, and self-reliance. Through daily interactions with the environment, our program offers regular thoughtful opportunities for children to get to know and interact with outdoors and the world around them, to learn to look, listen, smell, climb, fall and get back up again, learn to be curious and to explore.
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Kew Kids allows children to lead in an exploration of the natural landscape and each other. Children are encouraged to explore, take risks and learn in a safe and open ended setting that seems just like play.
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Our children spend all of their time (except naps) outside!
WHO IS THIS FOR
Children up to 8 years old of all experience levels from expert salamander handlers to the novice trail blazers -- we invite young community members to enroll and experience the outdoor with us!
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During the school year, we enroll children from age 1 to 4. For camps throughout the year, children up to 8 years old are welcome. Our summer camps go up to age 12!
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SCHOOL HOLIDAY CAMPS
We are open on select school holidays for camps. Spend your school-day off outside with us!
Here is our typical line-up:​
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September before DOE school start - Join us for a imaginative Fairy Tale Camp!
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September - Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur - Slime Camp and Fairy Tale Camp
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October - Indigenous People Day - Mud Camp, Diwali
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November - Veterans Day - Enchanted Forest Camp (with gnomes and fairies)
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December - Possible Winter Camp between Christmas and New Years (let us know if you are interested)
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January - MLK - Winter Survival Camp
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February - Presidents Day & Midwinter Recess Week - Winter Survival Camp, Lunar New Year
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March/April - Spring Break - Spring Gardening Camp
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July/August - Summer Camp - Sign up early!
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Last week of August into Labor Day - Summer Mini Camp
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We want you to come find your place with us. Words can only describe our school so much. Come visit our space and learn about our curriculum, community impact, and how we support our children here at Kew Kids. Please send us an email to make an appointment.
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2025 Fall Season now enrolling
2:30PM to 5:30PM Monday through Friday
Add an all-outdoor, immersive learning experience in our open-air classroom of meadows and forest trails to your school day!
Our students breathe fresh air, explore their imagination and build connections to the land and each other throughout the year through a combination of story-based learning, multi-sensory exploration and age-appropriate social development.
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For the 2025-26 School Year:
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Ages 5 - 8
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2:30 - 5:30 PM Monday through Friday (2 or 3 days are possible)
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Families may choose 2, 3 or 5 days per week
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Pick-up possible from P.S. 99 or select bus stops
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Seasonal prepaid enrollment: Fall (September to November), Winter (December to February), Spring (March to June)
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Enrollments are non-refundable
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DOE calendar observed. Optional holiday camps available for additional fee.
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Second Sunday of Every Month at 9:30am
Weather Permitting
Teaching our children to appreciate Mother Earth and to be her responsible steward.
Join Kew Kids Forest School and NYC Parks Department on the second Sunday of each month to help clean our forest classrooms and maintain the trails in Forest Park. Volunteers will participate in a range of trail maintenance tasks for all ages and abilities. From digging and brush clearing to raking and litter pickup, there is something for everyone! Toddlers welcome. Weather Permitting.
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Volunteers will meet at Wallenberg Square, corner of Metropolitan and Park Lane South.
We follow NYC Parks guidelines for weather advisory. RSVP is required.