Discover the Joys of Nature Based Education with Gilbert Nature School!

Get up close and personal with nature's magnificent creatures. Our students spend time observing  a variety of wildlife including wild rabbits, water fowl,  birds of prey (Cooper's hawks! Bald eagles!), a variety of insects and arachnids, and more. Students draw and take notes in nature journals, practice tracking and identifying scat, and deep-dive into biology while they learn about the amazing creatures they discover.

Our academic program is based on the teaching of Dr. Maria Montessori. A true Montessori school, Gilbert Nature School emphasizes independence, child-led learning, and provides a beautiful learning environment that inspires students to learn more about the world around them. 

  Our afternoon program provides the carefully structured Language, Mathematics, Cultural, Sensorial, and Practical Life lessons hallmark of authentic Montessori education. 

We believe that peace begins within.  Students are exposed to a variety of mindfulness practices for mind and body and we model respect for all living beings (especially our students!)

We foster nervous system regulation through mindfulness practices such as guided listening and breathing exercises to help our students feel safe, grounded, and ready to learn.

Dr. Montessori believed that a self-reliant and independent child is a happy child, and so do we. Our motto is "Help Me Do It By Myself," and our students are encouraged and supported to learn to carry out daily tasks on their own. From buttoning sweaters to knot tying and reading maps, our students take on meaningful tasks as they grow in their own abilities.

Our founder is a Suzuki-trained violinist and vocalist with over 15 years of music-teaching experience and nearly 30 years of violin and voice training under her belt. She guides our students in developing their inner musician with pitch-matching and ear-training exercises, listen-and-repeat games, and vocal training with choral based music classes that children love!

We are passionate about place-based education that honors the cultural traditions of this land. Cultural Studies encompasses history, geography, geology, and sociology. We engage with these fields in a respectful and inquisitive way that encourages our students to blossom into informed and empathetic citizens of the world. 

At Gilbert Nature School, we believe that a knowledge of plants is imperative to being a happy and healthy human being.  

As proud recipients of the Seed Grant from Native Seed/SEARCH, we grow traditional Sonoran heirloom desert-adapted plants in our large organic garden.

 Seasonal gardens highlight the plant life cycle, teach uses of traditional Sonoran crops, encourage healthy eating, and help student understand and appreciate where food comes from.

Students are exposed to a variety of art forms and mediums ranging from mark making and drawing with crayons, pencils, markers, and found objects to painting (watercolors, tempera, and acrylics ) to sculpture with clay and paper-mache and found objects and extend to the messy side of the art world with sticks, stones, feathers, leaves, and mud!

We use eco-friendly art supplies wherever we can and support all of our students with their unique artistic expression.

At Gilbert Nature School, we know that a key to a fulfilling life is feeling connected and helpful to the wider community. That is why our students engage in various Service Learning Projects through out the year, ranging from restoration projects to trash-pick-up.

We schedule field trips to local community centers and utility providers because we want our students to truly understand how Gilbert operates and functions and to be inspired to contribute to our community in a meaningful way.