Support Ranger Dan's Nature Preschool Dream

Hi,

My name is Daniel Vestal, also known to many kids as "Ranger Dan." My wife and I are in the process of opening a nature-based preschool program called Sprouts Nature Preschool right here in Fuquay-Varina. We are starting this school from the ground up (no pun intended). My personal goal is to get more kids back outdoors and reduce their time on technology. As parents ourselves, we want to create a screen-free start to our son's education - where nature serves as the guide to wild curiosity and fierce fascination that only comes with a hands-on, feet-in-the-mud kind of childhood.

My personal goal is to teach children that it is OK to be afraid, but there is no need to be terrified of bees, spiders, or even snakes once you learn more about each species and learn how to work with the natural world to avoid any uncertainty or accidents.

My hands-on approach that I have used when working with other agencies and even government municipalities is backed by a degree in Parks & Recreation from East Carolina University, a passion for workshops and programs that I attended while going for my North Carolina Environmental Education certification, and personal experience from growing up in Western NC. These tools have been my guide in creating and fostering future stewards of the Great Outdoors.

I want kids to intentionally get their hands dirty and their feet wet. I am currently developing months of curricula (themed) such as Living WILD: a series of weeks based on local native fauna. One week may be on snakes, one week may be on spiders, and so forth. During the week, the school will focus on different aspects of the STEAM approach as well.

This preschool will operate Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, which matches up with NC guidelines for primarily outdoor recreational programs. Participants will have access to free play, structured activity zones, lunch that their parents/guardians pack, guest speaker visits, and the possibility of field trips.

If you can donate to help get our school up and running, we appreciate you even if it is a $1 at a time. Thank you for your time and for reading this far. Let's get wild about learning!