Children exploring outdoors in a natural San Diego landscape
San Diego, CA

A nature-based education community for children, families, and educators

Rooted in San Diego's beaches, canyons, and year-round sunshine. Children grow through outdoor play, families participate in shared experiences, and educators build programs of their own.

Explore the Nature School Join the waitlist
Our ethos

A living learning ecosystem

We believe children grow through connection: to nature, to community, and to real, lived experience. Our programs nurture curiosity, resilience, emotional awareness, and a genuine sense of belonging in the natural world.

We honor neurodiversity and every child's own learning pathway, creating environments where kids are supported as whole people and development happens through relationship, exploration, and experience, not worksheets or a rigid academic structure.

Our ecosystem includes:

  • A 9-month Nature School program
  • Seasonal outdoor camps
  • Play days and family nights
  • A platform for independent educators to lead their own nature-based programs
A parent and child exploring outdoors together
Find your path

However you'd like to join us

For families

  • 9-month Nature School
  • Seasonal camps
  • Play days and family nights
Explore family programs

For educators

  • Independent 1099 educator model
  • Program creation and community support
  • Room to grow your own teaching practice
Become an educator

For community

  • Seasonal events and pop-ups
  • Open offerings throughout the year
Get in touch
Now enrolling

9-Month Nature School Co-op

Children in the Nature School exploring outdoors

A seasonal, immersive outdoor learning journey for early and middle childhood, guided by rhythm, connection, and a parent-participatory cooperative model rooted in San Diego's natural landscapes.

  • Weekly immersion in beaches, canyons, and local ecosystems
  • Child-led, play-based learning
  • Small group sizes that support safety and real relationships
  • Family participation built into the learning community
Learn about our Nature School
Short-form and flexible

Seasonal camps & play days

Children at a seasonal camp or play day

Flexible, short-form outdoor experiences for children and families to explore nature, build connection, and take part in seasonal, play-based learning.

  • 2–5 day seasonal camps exploring beaches, canyons, and local ecosystems
  • Drop-in play days with potion making, water play, and nature-based creative stations
  • Parent-child experiences, including outdoor cooking and hands-on learning together
Learn about camps & play days
Member badge, Association for Nature-Based Education, established 2016

The Salty Sunflower is a proud member of the Association for Nature-Based Education (ANBE).

Our program is license-exempt under California regulations.