Forest Lake Family Center is celebrating their 5th year as a certified Nature Explore Classroom.

Parents and volunteers continue to help maintain and develop the classroom each year. Forest Lake Early Childhood Center added a rain barrel to their space this year, purchased with funds donated through a Community Education mini grant. There is now easy access to water which allows little hands to help with the care and nourishment of the plants they watch over.

A  log bench, crafted by a parent in the preschool program, adds beauty and a place to sit and enjoy the sights and sounds of the classroom. A removable water pump was a delightful addition to the activity area, which allows children to benefit from the large motor activity of pumping and the sensory exploration of water.

Nature Stories were collected by parents during January-May 2011. These stories record family outdoor experiences and children's skill development as a result of those experiences. February 2011 Winter Week engaged all parents during a week of outdoor classes.

Thirty two ECFE/ECSE teachers and paraprofessional staff members participated in a Nature Explore research presentation on Parent Engagement at the Wargo Nature Center in September. Others also participated in focus group interviews and research updates with Dr. Dana Miller and Kathy Tichota of Dimensions Educational Research, during research site visits.

Vicki Bohling-Philippi and Cindy Saarela presented How Can Something This Good Be So Simple? Engagement in Children's Learning Outdoors at the Nature Explore Research Symposium in Nebraska City, NE in July. Both Co-Site Directors also attended a "Journey into Nature" workshop day at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.