St. Francis Nature Academy (SFNA) is a fully outdoor, all-weather, drop-off program for fully potty-trained children between the ages of 3 and 8 (as of September 1 of the relevant academic year). We are currently in the 2025-2026 academic year, so your child must be between the ages of 3 & 8 as of 09/01/25. ​

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The program is offered 9 AM to 2 PM Monday – Friday during the months of August – May. Pick your own schedule between one and five days per week. Parents choose which days of the week their child(ren) will attend the program. Whatever schedule parents choose at registration will remain consistent for the entire semester. Our teaching ratio is no more than 10:1.​

 

At SFNA, children learn through play, discovery, and hands-on experiences in the natural world. They build resilience, independence, and self-esteem as they balance on logs, dig in the dirt, build forts, observe wildlife, and make art from natural materials. Our program blends a play-based, child-led approach with a mentoring style that encourages exploration through thoughtful questioning rather than direct instruction. We guide by nurturing curiosity and supporting independent thinking.​

 

Each day follows a rhythm shaped by the children’s interest and the changing seasons, encouraging physical activity, environmental stewardship, and meaningful engagement with the outdoors. SFNA supports holistic development—social, emotional, cognitive, and physical—through authentic, nature-rich experiences.​

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We believe that time spent outdoors helps children grow in confidence, curiosity, creativity, and care for the world around them. Our program provides a safe, nurturing environment where your child can connect deeply with nature and with others, fostering a lasting relationship with Mother Earth.​ Our activities include: nature hikes, wildlife identification, caring for livestock, collecting rocks, leaf and tree identification, gardening (planting, watering, and harvesting vegetables and flowers), and scavenger hunts. Children will have supervised access to 10 acres of land, a sand pit, play scape, and water play. 

 

If your child has apprehensions about “getting dirty” while playing outside, please know that some kids start that way but usually grow comfortable as they see peers having fun and learn that dirt washes off but memories last.​​​

 

Due to the nature of the programing we offer at SFNA, we are not licensed by the State of Texas.