Spring River School

Spring River School Homeschool with us! Waldorf-inspired K-8 outdoor education program with 4, 2 and one day options

Spring River school is an all outdoors hybrid school program supporting families who have chosen home education. Our K-8 school offers hands-on, creative programming that is inspired by Waldorf Education, meeting each family with warmth and joy. Our students learn by doing - engaging the head, hands and heart. We offer flexible options for our Main Lessons (core academic subjects blended with art,

music and storytelling) and Special Subjects (Spanish, modeling, nature immersion, handwork and drama.) Our 1 day forest program is a truly immersive nature-based experience. Our classes are designed to engage the students' curiosity and imagination and spark a life-long love of learning in a fun, supportive environment. Programming is available for homeschooling students in grades K-7.

From the Archives 🌿These children are in high school now.Once, there were afternoons like this — sunlight through the tr...
08/25/2026

From the Archives 🌿

These children are in high school now.

Once, there were afternoons like this — sunlight through the trees, friends nearby, and plenty of time to play.

Childhood can feel endless when we are inside it.

And then, somehow, it isn’t.

Years pass. Children grow. But the moments that filled their days become part of who they are — the friendships, the freedom, the laughter, the places where they felt at home.

What a privilege it is to have known them when they were small.

And what a beautiful reminder to make room for childhood while it is here. ❤️

There are some things childhood still needs. 🌿The feel of bark beneath bare feet.The decision to climb a little higher.S...
08/24/2026

There are some things childhood still needs. 🌿

The feel of bark beneath bare feet.
The decision to climb a little higher.
Sunlight through the branches.
A scraped knee. A deep breath.
The discovery: I can do this.

In a world that asks more and more of our children’s attention, experiences like these can feel increasingly rare.

But children still need them.

They need places where nothing is asking them to swipe, click, hurry, or perform. Places where they can simply notice. Move. Wonder. Take a risk. Get dirty. Be quiet. Feel small beneath a very big sky.

Because connection to the natural world is also a way of discovering ourselves.

When children spend meaningful time outdoors, they aren't only learning about nature.

They are learning where they belong within it.

And perhaps one of the greatest gifts we can give childhood is the chance to know, deeply and instinctively:

I am part of this world. 🌎

We’re so happy to welcome Ms. Marleny back to Spring River! 🌿This year, Marleny returns as Teaching Assistant in Second ...
08/23/2026

We’re so happy to welcome Ms. Marleny back to Spring River! 🌿
This year, Marleny returns as Teaching Assistant in Second Grade alongside Ms. Kelli, bringing with her more than a decade of experience working with children and a genuine commitment to creating a classroom where they feel safe, valued, confident, and ready to learn.
Originally from New York, Marleny began her work in early childhood education in 2008. Over the years, she has supported children across a wide range of learning experiences—from literacy, math, science, and handwriting to creative play, small-group work, and social-emotional development. She holds an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education and is bilingual in Spanish.
For Marleny, relationships are at the heart of education. She believes strongly in creating nurturing environments and in building meaningful connections with children, families, and colleagues. She has shared how grateful she is to be part of Spring River’s outdoor community and to support each child’s individual learning journey.
And this year, she is taking another meaningful step in her own journey as an educator. Marleny is currently completing the Center for Anthroposophy’s Explorations, which she will finish in February—the first step in her Waldorf teacher education.
We are especially grateful when educators choose not only to return to Spring River, but to continue learning and growing alongside our children.

Welcome back, Ms. Marleny. We’re so glad you’re here. 💛

This is a classroom. 🌿Beneath the live oaks, under a canopy of Spanish moss, a lesson unfolds.There are tables and books...
08/23/2026

This is a classroom. 🌿

Beneath the live oaks, under a canopy of Spanish moss, a lesson unfolds.

There are tables and books, conversation and careful work. There is a teacher guiding, children listening, hands creating.

And all around them, the living world.

At Spring River, we believe a classroom is defined not by its walls, but by what happens within it.

Attention. Curiosity. Relationship. Discovery.

Sometimes the most beautiful classrooms don’t have walls at all. 🌿

WE GATHER. 🌿Festivals give rhythm to the school year—moments when we come together not simply as classes or programs, bu...
08/22/2026

WE GATHER. 🌿

Festivals give rhythm to the school year—moments when we come together not simply as classes or programs, but as a community.

We gather to celebrate.
To witness our children.
To share traditions.
To make memories.

Because community is something we create together.

And there is still room in our circle. ☀️

Enrollment remains open in select Spring River programs for Fall 2026. We’re currently welcoming families for tours and trial days—come experience Spring River for yourself.

There is so much of Spring River in this photograph. 🌹🌈Our first week began with the Rose Ceremony, a tradition that mar...
08/21/2026

There is so much of Spring River in this photograph. 🌹🌈
Our first week began with the Rose Ceremony, a tradition that marks a new beginning and warmly welcomes our children into another year of learning and growth.
At first glance, it is a joyful moment. But the photograph holds so much more.
In the background are Ms. Sierra and Ms. Julia, our Kindergarten and Eighth Grade Class Teachers—two educators who have been part of Spring River for nearly its entire journey. Between them stretches the arc of childhood we are privileged to witness in our 4 day program, from the earliest years to the threshold of high school.
Holding the rainbow silk are members of our leadership team: one beginning a new chapter with Spring River, and another who worked tirelessly through the summer to ensure our teachers and children arrived at a program ready to welcome them.
At the center, a child receives a rose from the eighth grader who will be their buddy for the year—a meaningful welcome into the grades and a new relationship of care, connection, and belonging.
Perhaps that is what makes this photograph feel so much like Spring River:
Those who have carried the school for years.
Those stepping forward to carry it now.
And the children at the center of it all—growing from one stage of childhood into the next, supported by the community around them.
A new school year has begun. 🌹

🌿 Peaceful Steps is back for the 2026–27 school year!Our Parent & Child class offers young children and their caregivers...
08/18/2026

🌿 Peaceful Steps is back for the 2026–27 school year!

Our Parent & Child class offers young children and their caregivers a gentle outdoor morning—a space to slow down, explore nature, build community, and experience the rhythms of a Waldorf-inspired early childhood environment.

Peaceful Steps is led by Ms. Ashlyn Tiberio, a Spring River Forest School and 2-Day Waldorf Program teacher and a mother of two. Ashlyn brings her experience as both an educator and a parent, along with a deep love of nature and outdoor learning, to these mornings with our youngest children and their caregivers. 💚

Designed for children ages birth–4 with a caregiver:

🍃 Thursdays | 9:30 AM–12:00 PM
📍 Atlantic Beach | All outdoors
🌼 Six-week sessions

2026–27 Sessions
• September 17–October 22
• November 5–December 17
• January 28–March 4
• March 25–April 29

Whether you're discovering Spring River for the first time or already part of our community, Peaceful Steps is a great place to start. 🌱

Enrollment is now open!

Learn more & register at springriverschool.org/peacefulsteps

Why handwork? 🤲🧶From first through eighth grade, handwork is part of the learning journey at Spring River—not simply bec...
08/17/2026

Why handwork? 🤲🧶

From first through eighth grade, handwork is part of the learning journey at Spring River—not simply because children learn to knit, sew, crochet, embroider, and create beautiful and useful things, but because of what happens within the child while the hands are working. 🪡✨
Handwork asks for attention.
A stitch is made. Then another. 🧵 A pattern begins to emerge. Mistakes happen and must be noticed, understood, and sometimes patiently undone. What begins as fiber and thread slowly becomes something through the child’s own effort.
Along the way, children strengthen fine-motor coordination, spatial thinking, pattern recognition, sequencing, concentration, and problem-solving. They are also practicing something harder to measure: perseverance. 🌱
There is no shortcut to making something by hand.
Across the grades, the work grows with the child—becoming increasingly complex and requiring greater independence, precision, planning, and artistry.
And perhaps that is part of the deeper purpose of handwork: children experience themselves as capable of bringing an idea into form. ✨
I imagined this.
I worked through the difficulty.
I made this. 🤲
In an increasingly digital world, there is something profoundly valuable about that experience. 💛

Meet Beatriz Restrepo 🍃There are so many interesting paths that bring educators to Spring River, and Beatriz’s is one we...
08/15/2026

Meet Beatriz Restrepo 🍃
There are so many interesting paths that bring educators to Spring River, and Beatriz’s is one we are especially excited to share.
💫This year, Beatriz joins Ms. Jess in our fourth-grade classroom as Teaching Assistant, bringing more than a decade of experience working with children—and an educational journey that has crossed countries, age groups, languages, and teaching philosophies.
🇨🇴Originally from Colombia, Beatriz earned her degree in education from the University of Antioquia in Medellín and began her career teaching Social Sciences to sixth- and seventh-grade students.
Since then, her work with children has taken many forms. She has taught Spanish, worked in both lead and assistant teaching roles, studied Montessori education, and most recently served as a lead teacher in a Waldorf kindergarten in Medellín.
🍃Her continued interest in Waldorf education also led her to further study in anthroposophy and artistic work through the Mikael Humanistic Center in Medellín.
💙At the heart of all of that experience is something wonderfully simple: Beatriz loves working with children.
🌸She believes in creating a bridge of trust between school and family and in surrounding children with care, consistency, and an enduring love of learning.
🎶⛺And when she isn't with children? You are likely to find her enjoying many of the things we love at Spring River, too—nature, animals, music, camping, and hiking.
Beatriz is also a mother of two, and she says she is excited to begin this new journey at Spring River.
We are equally excited that her journey has brought her to us. Welcome, Beatriz. 💛

Address

51 Pine Street
Jacksonville Beach, FL
32233

Opening Hours

Monday 8:45am - 3pm
Tuesday 8:45am - 3pm
Wednesday 8:45am - 3pm
Thursday 8:45am - 3pm
Friday 8:45am - 3pm

Telephone

+19048661222

Website

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