Southern California’s First
Language Immersion Forest School
Serving Ages 3 - 6
Established 2018
Preschool Reimagined
Led by a Harvard-educated researcher and located in the magical primordial woods of local parklands, Aventuras is the first preschool in Southern California to infuse language education into a nature school model. Our play-based emergent curriculum is meant to deepen children’s empathy, natural love of learning, and engagement with the living environment. Spanish is woven seamlessly into everything we do -- from story time to discovery treks and imaginative play.
★★★★★
5-Star Average Rating
Learning Like A Human
Aventuras kids spend their entire school day outdoors in LA's most magnificent parklands. Children are curious by nature, and in this natural setting their curiosity is truly boundless. Towering redwoods and majestic palms shelter their play areas. Songbirds and an ancient spring-fed brook provide a rich sensory environment that rewards both quiet attentiveness and derring-do. This living, breathing environment is precisely what has nurtured the growth of our species for millennia.
There are no screens or plastic toys here. Instead, the children use their limitless imaginations to engage with each other and with the many natural materials available to them. Aventuras kids enjoy unparalleled inspiration for play and opportunities for scientific observation of the diverse flora and fauna that surround them, including slider turtles, butterflies, flowers, lizards, squirrels, grasses, koi, tadpoles, hummingbirds and more. In this rich environment, children learn with all of their senses engaged.
A Natural Language Laboratory
The research is conclusive: bilingualism provides powerful cognitive and experiential benefits throughout childhood and beyond. As seasoned education researchers, teachers, and parents, we have seen and experienced these benefits firsthand.
Aventuras uses a 90:10 Spanish immersion model in our outdoor learning lab. Sensory-rich environments like ours are known to increase children's capacity for imaginative play, which in turn has been shown to increase vocabulary. Our collaborative meal times and group explorations give kids the chance to use their new language skills with each other -- multiplying the benefits tenfold.
This Very Moment Is Our Greatest Teacher
Forest education sparks the innate love of learning inside all children, while simultaneously encouraging their physical and social-emotional development.
At Aventuras there is no arbitrary curriculum to "get through." Instead, our educators pay close attention to the children’s interests and curiosity, building curriculum to meet the moment. Our mixed-age classes create myriad opportunities for students to help each other, taking on leadership roles where appropriate. Aventuras learning is self-directed, engaged, and effortless. As a school founded by an immigrant, and a person of color we have a strong anti-bias emphasis. We believe children have limitless potential for caring, learning, and achieving. We strive to foster connection, courage, and curiosity with the lightest possible touch. If we do our jobs right, the children tell us, "We did it all by ourselves!"
“Enrolling into Aventuras Forest School is the best decision I’ve made for my son! The teachers are beyond amazing.”
“Both of my daughters love Pilar and this school. It’s a breath of fresh air, literally, as they explore all the fun stuff nature has to offer. BONUS: they also learn Spanish.”
“The kids don’t even realize this is school, as they are experiencing the world around them naturally.”
Caring for Ourselves
Caring for Each Other
Caring for The Earth
Locations
Main Base Camp
Fern Dell, Griffith Park
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Office
1370 N St Andrews Pl
Los Angeles, CA 90028
School Hours
Monday–Friday
9am–1pm
Phone
(213) 295-3292
Email
aventuras@iks.center
“We wanted a place that would foster kindness, openness of feelings, friendship, problem solving, conflict resolution, and care and concern for others. We wanted a place that saw a child as constantly learning how to engage with the world around them and a place that gently and respectfully guided him as he learns to navigate more complex emotions and situations. So far this school has been extremely helpful in this area. I value a school that sees the many strengths in children and allows those strengths to naturally unfold, while also providing us strength-based and important feedback on the challenges and areas that we as parents can continue to help guide and build upon at home.”
— Diana G
“Our son had an incredible experience at Aventuras preschool. It was his first experience with school and he loved it. His Spanish language vocabulary skills progressed quickly as did his enjoyment and appreciation for the outdoors. In this time of uncertainty, being outdoors is no longer a nice to have, it's an essential attribute to a safer learning experience. Pilar runs a structured, respectful class with a wonderful team who have a true gift with children. We can't speak highly enough of the program.”
— Victoria G
“Aventuras helped our child become more curious, more socially engaged, and more self-reliant. It’s a program I would - and do - recommend to everyone I know with a child in LA.”
— Jessica R
“I cannot say enough good things about Aventuras. I believe it is the best choice you can make for your child.”
— Emily E
Follow our journey.
Flow of the Day
9am - Arrival & Free Play
9:30 - Circle Time & Morning Snack
10:15 - Free Play & Nature Exploration
11am - Discovery Trek
11:15 - Lunch & Story Time
11:45 - Art & Free Play
12:30 - Yoga & Meditation
12:45 - Return Hike
1pm - Dismissal & Pick-up
*While drop-off and pick-up times and mealtimes remain the same every day, some of the other activity times are flexible
2024 - 2025 Calendar
Aug 19 - First Day of School
Sep 2 - Labor Day
Oct 14 - Indigenous People’s Day
Nov 11 - Veteran’s Day
Nov 25 - 29 - Thanksgiving Break
Dec 16 - Jan 1, 2024 - Winter Break
Jan 20 - Martin Luther King Day
Feb 17 - Presidents’ Day
Mar 31 - César Chávez Day (observed)
Apr 14 - Apr 18 - Spring Break
May 26 - Memorial Day
Jun 11 - Last Day of School (tentative)
TBD - 4 Personal Days
Summer Camp Dates for 2025 TBD
Aug 18 - First Day of School for 2025 - 2026 School Year (tentative)
“Aventuras is a bold experiment whose time has come.”
- Dr. Josue M Gonzalez, creator The Encyclopedia of Bilingual Education
Commitments Beyond Childcare
Valuing Our Educators
Early childhood education is not a lucrative field in the US, but this year Aventuras has stepped up our commitment to fair wages and benefits. We're proud to lead the field with a combination of fair pay and top-flight health, dental and vision insurance offerings for our educators.
Respect For Place
Aventuras is situated in a fertile canyon known by its original inhabitants, the Tongva, as Mococahuenga. Originally drawn by its mild climate and freshwater springs, the Tongva people held tribal meetings in this sacred place. The Tongva were removed from this region by violence and disease imported by European conquistadores and industrialists. The last owner, industrialist Griffith J Griffith eventually gifted it to the City of Los Angeles on the condition that, “It must be made a place of recreation and rest for the masses, a resort for the rank and file, for the plain people... I consider it my obligation to make Los Angeles a happier, cleaner, and finer city. I wish to pay my debt of duty in this way to the community in which I have prospered.” We acknowldege that this gift we enjoy does not constitute reparation for the wrongs done to the Tongva people, and we support the ongoing preservation and revitalization of Tongva culture. To that end, we are proud to partner with Tongva educators like Cafe Chia Collective, who share the rich traditions of environmental stewardship with our teachers and students.
In our continuing efforts to soften our impact on the natural world, we have moved our administrative headquarters to Second Home Hollywood, and are proud to power our entire operation with 100% green energy.
Factsheet
2024 - 25 Tuition Schedule: $1,850 per month (5 days/week)
Payable with ACH bank transfer (no fee) or credit/debit card (2.75% fee)
$125 Application Fee
One month deposit to hold your spot
No Hidden Fees!
12-Student Limit
1:4 Teacher:Child Ratio
100% Outdoors
No Screens
No Plastic Toys
Fair Wages
Teacher Benefits
Offices Powered By 100% Green Energy
FAQ
How do I enroll?
We’ve streamlined our application process into 3 simple steps!
If you are invited, accept the enrollment invitation that will be emailed to you and pay your deposit
When inviting families, we consider date of application, participation in Parent & Me, and the balance of ages and language backgrounds. We also carefully review each application to consider the fit between our school and the family. Most invitations are sent in late winter/early spring for that summer or fall, although they may go out at other times depending on availability. We have one immediate opening for the 2024-25 school year. We do have wait lists already going for 2025 and 2026 so please apply early!
What is the tuition schedule for 2, 3, 4, or 5 day enrollment?
Aventuras’ 2024 - 25 tuition (including Summer Camp) is $1,850 per month for 5-day/week enrollment. We do not offer part-time enrollments.
Children need predictability in their schedule and deserve the opportunity to build strong bonds of friendship with their peers. We’ve found that part-time enrollments simply aren’t compatible with these goals. Many Aventuras students are Spanish learners, and studies show conclusively that target language acquisition requires a minimum of 20 hours per week of exposure. As of this writing 100% of Aventuras full-time students have gone on to pass the local Spanish fluency evaluations when applying to elementary schools.
Does Aventuras cover any of the things taught in a typical preschool or kindergarten?
Yes. We use an emergent curriculum that follows children's interests, including STEM content such as animals, seasons, weather, and physics. Our educators use natural materials to help children practice Spanish, literacy, mathematics, art, and music, among other things, all integrated into child-led activities such as free play, nature discovery treks, and explorations of art materials. Unlike most forest schools, we also set aside time each month to explore cultural and social topics such as Native American Heritage Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month, Asian American-Pacific Islander Heritage Month, cultural holidays, Pride Month, and People with Disabilities, drawing on our teachers' and families’ experiences whenever possible.
As experienced researchers, our passion for scientific discovery infuses many of our outdoor activities. We encourage children to ask questions of themselves and the natural world, and seek answers through observation and real-world experimentation. Mathematics is the language of nature, and our unique setting provides an endless supply of mathematical marvels to stimulate our children's analytical and predictive skills, such as counting, patterns, and fractions.
Our entire day is conducted in Spanish, and we promote Spanish development, literacy, and vocabulary through songs, finger plays, books, narration of children's activities, high-interest books, modeling, yoga and movement, and routines. From the branches and pine cones on the forest floor to the ripples on a pond, a day at Aventuras is all learning, all the time.
How do you look out for the children’s safety?
Our educators encourage children to cultivate the powers of self-awareness, independence, and observation every day, allowing them to better assess risk during active play. Research shows that letting children take and manage reasonable risks is an important life skill that can actually help keep kids safer. Aventuras kids will sometimes get scrapes or bruises; these experiences are essential to the process of learning about our bodies and navigating our physical world. Please see the Parent Handbook linked above for detailed safety plans.
What do you do if it rains?
We generally only cancel school in extreme cases of flash flooding. We provide families with a Gear Guide and constant text alerts about what kind of clothing to bring for the weather. As they say in Scandinavia, “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing!” We also have access to a shelter for eating and breaks from the rain. Playing in the rain is a wonderful sensory activity, both fun and educational!