Whole Child, Whole Family, Whole Community.
Apple Blossom Village creates joy-filled experiences in the outdoors that cultivate deep nature connection and bring wellbeing of mind, body, and spirit.
*We have 1 opening in our M/W morning Preschool, 2 openings in our full day Kindergarten, and 1 First Grade Opening.
Located in the outdoor space at Rail River Folk School
303 Railroad St SW Bemidji, MN
Land Acknowledgement
Apple Blossom is located in Mni Sota Makoce (Minnesota), the traditional homeland of the Ojibwa (Anishinaabe) and the Dakota (Sioux) People.
We express gratitude and appreciation for this land, and we honor the Dakota and Ojibwa People as its original protectors.
Want to support our work? We need your support to keep tuition and fees affordable and offer financial assistance to families in need. $1000 donors will get a tree planted in our orchard.
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Apple Blossom Village now offers:
Wonder filled, Earth Conscious, Screen Free, Hands On Learning in our Nature School which includes Preschool, Kindergarten, and Grades 1st - 4th, Joy filled Imaginative Summer Day Camps, Engaging, no tech Home School Enrichment Day, Nature infused Parent/Child Classes, Family Festivals and Events, Consultation for Educators on adding “Forest School” to their curriculum and how to balance Screentime with Green time, and Wellness Workshops and Retreats for Parents, Home School Educators, and Childcare Providers.
The Yurt classrooms are here! August 2022
Indigenous Scholarship Fund Opportunity:
Apple Blossom Village has been awarded a scholarship fund through the Earl and Kathy Hoagland Sacred Manoomin Fund to offer partial and full scholarships to Indigenous students beginning in January 2024. Apple Blossom Village is accepting applications for openings in our Preschool, Kindergarten, and First Grade at this time, and beginning a wait list for 2nd-4th grade.
Learning about mandaamin (corn) and hominy
Early Childhood Play Group this Spring
Gift for the Birds
More about what we are up to:
Storytelling and Puppetry are part of our weekly rhythm and Family Festivals are part of our seasonal rhythm
Apple Blossom Nature School offers outdoor immersion all school year with the purchase of 2 winterized yurts
Apple Blossom is earth conscious using solar panels for light, wood stoves for heat, reduced waste with litter free lunches, rain barrel collection, conscientious water consumption, and composting.
Located on the shores of Lake Irving we are immersed everyday in the natural world.
Keeping Traditions alive we teach:
whittling
campfire and shelter building
archery
tracking
bird watching
cooking over the fire
Planting
composting
harvesting
Food preservation
winter shelter building
ice skating *snowshoeing *skiing
Handwork such as sewing and knitting and seasonal crafts
Our Formal Academic curriculum begins in grade 1. Preschool and Kindergarten are play based learning programs, backed by research. We believe in a no screens approach to learning and Apple Blossom’s tech-free space preserves the wonder of childhood. Why Play Based?
Go Fund Me - Tuition Scholarship Fund
World and Indigenous Cultural learning, Spanish and Ojibwe language learning, German songs and traditions, French songs, field trips, and sustainable practices
Nature Immersion
We are located on the shores of Lake Irving and the Mississippi River along the Rail River Corridor, at Rail River Folk School in Bemidji, MN. We explore and create in the great outdoors with a focus on wellness and healthy living integrated throughout all of our programs. At 47 degrees latitude, our summers are warm but short lived. Apple Blossom Village offers imaginative summer day camps interwoven with the arts and nature immersion.
Click here for more information about our summer day camps:
Recommended Adult Reading:
The Whole Brain Child by Daniel Siegel
There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather by Linda Åkeson McGurk
Balanced and Barefoot by Angela J. Hanscom
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Opt-Out Family: How to Give Your Kids What Technology Can't
Apple Blossom Nature School offers a homeschool/private school hybrid option. We are a Micro-school with academic and enrichment programs. If you value small class sizes, a nurturing atmosphere, nature connection, experienced and long term staff, and the ability to be very involved in your child’s education, Apple Blossom Village is your place!
If you have always wanted to homeschool but need time to work flexibly, need support in covering curriculum topics, and/or you believe your child would benefit from social interaction and meaningful nature connection, Apple Blossom offers a variety of programs to meet your needs.
Kindergarten Classroom
Apple Blossom Village is located in the outdoor space at
Rail River Folk School Bemidji
303 Railroad Street SW, Bemidji, MN
Why did we purchase Authentic Mongolian yurts?
Mostly natural and organic materials
It’s more comfortable : with its unique construction and material, the yurt naturally breathes.
Easy to move and install
It has a spirit!
It is so wonderfully decorated, – it’s a hand made work of art. Nothing beats the felt for insulating this compact structure. It keeps it warm in the Winter, but maintains it cool in the Summer.
More energy efficient!
Maypole Dance at summer camp
Apple Blossom is committed to a learning environment of respect, honesty, and inclusion that celebrates differences beginning in Early Childhood. Our vision and purpose promotes the importance of diversity and inclusivity through world language and culture, and an anti-bias curriculum that grows and deepens as the children grow. It is our goal that each child will feel connected to their own culture and traditions, and that all children and families will feel honored and respected. We stand firm in our commitment to offer learning in an atmosphere of love, trust, and respect for all people. Please support our work by donating: GO FUND ME
Nature Inspired Arts and Crafts
Apple Blossom's environment and curriculum builds a strong foundation for the whole child, while also supporting the whole family with a small welcoming "village" in these critical early years. We share summer day camps, festivals, a holiday store, field trips, projects, Yurt Retreats, and Workshops with our whole community, getting to know the community in which we live.
From our First Day of School Ceremony to Festivals and Family Programs, Apple Blossom offers intentional ways to connect with each other and the wider Community. Join our Village of Joyful Learners!
First Day Flower Ceremony
Apple Blossom Village is located in the outdoor space at
Rail River Folk School Bemidji
303 Railroad Street SW, Bemidji, MN
