Our story begins here.
We didn’t plan to start a school.
In 2024, our family packed everything we owned into an RV and spent two years traveling the United States with our two boys, Bentley and Wilder. We drove through old growth forests, hiked red rock canyons, and walked along ocean coastlines. But more than anything, we watched our kids.
Away from screens, away from schedules, away from the structure of a traditional classroom, they became different children. More curious. More confident. More willing to try things, fail at things, and try again. A bug under a rock could hold their attention for twenty minutes. A creek could occupy an entire afternoon. They were calmer, more themselves, and more alive than we had ever seen them.
We came back to Michigan changed. Gabrielle had spent years in early childhood education as a teacher, a preschool director, and an in-home preschool owner, and she had always believed in the power of outdoor learning. But seeing it firsthand, watching it transform our own children, turned a professional belief into a personal conviction.
We found our land in Linden, close to the community we love, and decided to give other children what we watched nature give ours.
Linden Wood is built on this.
Nature isn't a backdrop for learning. It's the curriculum itself. Every trail, every season, and every handful of soil is an opportunity to discover, create, and grow.
1
Nature is the classroom
Children are born curious and wired to explore. We honor that drive by creating space for wonder every day, trusting that a child crouching over a beetle is deeply, genuinely learning.
2
Wonder is a powerful teacher
Children thrive when trusted. Given space to climb, build, create, and take healthy risks, they develop confidence, resilience, and independence that no structured lesson can replicate.
3
Every child is capable
Community is part of the curriculum
The best learning experiences are enriched by community. We actively involve families, local voices, and build connections that extend beyond the woodland and into the town we call home.
4
Every season has something to teach us
With the right gear and thoughtful preparation, rain, snow, mud and cold become opportunities for discovery. Children learn to embrace the elements, adapt to changing conditions, and build a trusting relationship with nature in every season.
5
"I spent years in traditional early childhood settings. What I saw in my own boys outside changed everything I thought I knew about how children learn."
— Gabrielle DiPiazza, Founder