FAQs

We are so lucky to have the weather of the treasure valley as the backdrop to our educational method. It is a place that rarely displays weather worthy of missing out!  That being said, there are those outlier days that make outdoor learning more challenging than useful. If the ambient temperature outside is lower than 19 degrees for more than 90 minutes of class, class will be canceled and a make up class will be added to the end of the semester.  What this looks like is if we have a 25 degree day that is overcast and super windy, making it feel like 17 degrees, class will be cancelled.  Likewise, if it is a beautifully sunny 17 degree day that feels like 22 degrees, class will go on! Don't worry, you don't have to figure it out on your own, if class is canceled, your teacher will notify you the day before class.

The Idaho Outdoor School is not affiliated with any religion. 

One of the big perks of homeschooling is being able to set your own schedule and have more control over you family time. By holding class three weeks out of the month, we are leaving a block (or two!) every month to be able to catch up with any schoolwork, spend time as a family, have a down, chill week.  It also helps to prevent burn out for students and teachers alike, keeping the novelty of outdoor school alive.

Multi-age classes have many many benefits and while they may be a bit more chaotic, it is doable! Our job at The Idaho Outdoor School is to present the information in a fun and engaging way and offer activities to help the students put the lesson into practice. The student's job is to participate.  Classes are taught in a way that asks more of the older students and offers more assistance for the younger set.  For instance: when doing map work, younger children might receive words to trace and older ones will need to find the correct colony by searching the map, matching the colonies and then writing it down.  For math, when the kids do their measuring, the older set is being asked to convert different measurements, they are being asked to multiply, the younger set is being asked to add and given more assistance.  

How much you teach out of the classroom is entirely up to you! Homeschoolers span a wide range of teaching styles and methods and your family will not be asked to do any additional work outside of the class.  We want to give families the opportunity to continue the lesson at home if they desire to do so.  At the end of the class day, emails are sent out to our families detailing what was done in class and questions that could be gone over and can help you to understand what is being done at school. That being said, if you are an unschooler, perhaps those questions are enough for your family and you have no need to teach additional math. If you prefer a more structured curriculum plan, perhaps you build lessons surrounding the work that was done in class.  Or maybe you prefer to stick with your curriculum and use this class purely as a supplement.

Our drop off classes have about an 8-9 students to 1 teacher ratio. Our camps will have an 11 students to 1 adult ratio.

After you have registered for class, 50% of your tuition becomes non-refundable. After 3 classes, your student is considered fully registered at tuition becomes 100% non-refundable.

We love to have a variety of learners and believe that outdoor educating can be an awesome tool for neurodivergent kids. That being said, our number one priority is the safety of our students and that is the space we operate from first. Some students may require an aide, some students may not! the best thing to do is to reach out to us at info@theidahooutdoorschool.com or 2085462918 and discuss your particular child’s needs!

We want our students to have the best possible experience in our classes and camps and part of that experience is making sure that we have enough children to create a lively class atmosphere.

Minimum class/camp sizes:

4-5 year olds: five students

6-12 year olds: eight students

9-14 year olds: six students

If your camp/class does not have enough people to make a class happen, we will notify you one month before the start of the class or camp. Every attempt will be made to get your child into a new program and if none will work out, you’ll be given a full refund.