A Nature-Based Education Community for Children, Families, and Educators
Rooted in San Diego’s beaches, canyons, and year-round sunshine, Salty Sunflower is a nature-based learning ecosystem where children grow through outdoor play, families participate in shared experiences, and educators build and lead their own independent programs.
We offer a 9-month nature school program, seasonal camps, drop-off play days and date nights, and a platform for educators to grow their teaching practice in community.
Our Ethos
Our ecosystem includes:
A 9-month nature school program
Seasonal outdoor camps
Play Days and Family Nights
A platform for independent educators to create and lead nature-based programs
In collaboration with local educators and community partners, we expand access to grounded, relational, and experiential nature-based learning across our local ecosystem.
The Salty Sunflower Nature Collaborative is a nature-based education community rooted in the landscapes of San Diego—its beaches, canyons, and open spaces.
We are a connected ecosystem of learning experiences for children, families, and educators, offering a 9-month nature school program, seasonal outdoor camps, drop-off play days and date nights, and a platform for independent educators to design and lead their own nature-based learning programs.
We believe children grow through connection—to nature, to community, and to meaningful lived experience. Our programs nurture curiosity, resilience, emotional awareness, and a deep sense of belonging in the natural world.
We honor neurodiversity and individual learning pathways, creating inclusive environments where children are supported as whole people and development is guided through relationship, exploration, and experience.
A Different Kind of Learning Community
Salty Sunflower is not a traditional preschool, camp, or enrichment program.
It is a nature-based learning community where children, families, and educators engage in meaningful outdoor experiences that support development through connection, curiosity, and lived experience.
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Learning here is not built around classrooms, worksheets, or rigid academic structure.
Instead, it unfolds in real environments—beaches, canyons, trails, and open spaces—where children learn through movement, exploration, observation, and relationship with the natural world.
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We center learning that is:
Grounded in outdoor, play-based exploration
Responsive to children’s emotional and developmental needs
Built through relationships, not instruction alone
Flexible, seasonal, and experience-driven
Inclusive of different learning styles and neurodiversity
Connected to family and community participation
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Across our programs, children may experience:
Guided nature exploration and open-ended play
Time in beaches, canyons, and natural ecosystems
Storytelling, movement, and sensory-based learning
Social-emotional development through group experience
Opportunities for families to participate in shared learning moments
Educators are not delivering a fixed curriculum—they are designing and facilitating living experiences shaped by place, season, and group dynamics.
This is a living learning ecosystem.
It grows through the environment, the children, the families, and the educators who are part of it.
Find Your Path in Nature
For Families
Outdoor programs that support your child’s growth through nature-based learning.
9-month Nature School
Seasonal Camps
Play Days + Family Nights
For Educators
Join a platform where you can design and lead your own nature-based programs.
Independent 1099 educator model
Program creation + community support
Opportunity to grow your own teaching practice
For Community
Stay connected to seasonal events, pop-ups, and open offerings.
9-Month Nature School Co-op
A seasonal, immersive outdoor learning journey for early childhood—guided by rhythm, connection, and a parent-participatory cooperative model rooted in San Diego’s natural landscapes.
How It Comes to Life
Weekly immersion in beaches, canyons, and natural ecosystems
Child-led, play-based learning experiences
Social-emotional development through connection and co-regulation
Small group sizes that support safety and meaningful relationships
Opportunities for family participation within the learning community
Seasonal Camps & Play Days
Flexible, short-form outdoor experiences for children and families to explore nature, build connection, and engage in seasonal, play-based learning.
Immersive 2–5 day seasonal camps exploring beaches, canyons, and local ecosystems through play and discovery
Drop-in Play Days in outdoor, sensory-rich environments featuring potion making, water play, and nature-based creative stations
Parent-child nature experiences, including outdoor cooking and shared hands-on learning in nature
Consistent rhythm of exploration, making, open play, and reflection grounded in natural settings
Small group environments that prioritize curiosity, connection, and emotional safety
Entry points into the Salty Sunflower ecosystem for families exploring deeper nature-based learning