Rooted Discovery

Rooted Discovery Rooted Discovery is an immersive summer nature experience for children ages 5-12 located in rural Eastern Iowa.

NEW: Pre-registration begins April 1st for Nature Discovery School, coming August 2026 🌿

Website coming soon!

Final day of Talon Trekkers 1 🦉I felt like a weather chaser (dodger, more like) with the amount of radar watching I did ...
06/11/2026

Final day of Talon Trekkers 1 🦉

I felt like a weather chaser (dodger, more like) with the amount of radar watching I did today, but we made the most of it!

We made it to the second season of camp programming before having to move everyone inside the house for safety, but this group did so well embracing the quick change of plans. Bracelets, coloring, and fidgets came in clutch as well as my own kids' toy box that hasn't been opened much in recent years. It made my heart sing to watch the kids have fun with the toys and use their imagination while we waited out the storm.

We eventually were able to hop in the camp van and head to the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History. Our favorite part of the museum was the Hall of Mammals, especially the bones.

We had a rainy lunch at Kent Park before heading back to base camp for more arts and crafts, imaginative play, and homemade ice cream to close out this first session of camp! We had kids who didn't want to leave, kids who promised to come back, and kids who begged their families for play dates with friends from camp 🌿🙌

Next week:
Monday - Little Sprouts Family Play Time
Peregrine Pals

Tuesday-Thursday - Eagle Explorers 1 🦅

Talon Trekkers 1 Day 2 🦉After greeting each other with hugs, we took off for Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area. We fo...
06/10/2026

Talon Trekkers 1 Day 2 🦉

After greeting each other with hugs, we took off for Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area. We found a bird's nest knocked out of the tree, learned about wild parsnip (NOT the hard way, thankfully! We try to be proactive!), climbed a tree, and watched the paddle boards out on the water. Then we fished with good old fashioned sticks, fishing line, and nightcrawlers.16 fish and 1 crayfish later, we left Pleasant Creek early to avoid severe weather, making it to Atkins before pulling over to safety. While watching the radar, we had a little camp van picnic and told silly jokes to keep things light. They handled it all like pros and before long, we were headed back to base camp.

Base camp was all about mud, water, spontaneous collaborative play featuring pretend puppies on the Bijou climbing structure, friendship bracelets, coloring, and geode cracking.

Our final day of Talon Trekkers 1 is tomorrow! It's gone by so quickly, but time flies when you're making friends 🌿

Talon Trekkers 1 Day 1 🦉Collaborative camp flag designSpillway Trail at Lake MacbrideFossil hunting and identificationBa...
06/09/2026

Talon Trekkers 1 Day 1 🦉

Collaborative camp flag design
Spillway Trail at Lake Macbride
Fossil hunting and identification
Bald Eagles and Great Blue Herons
Water play
Creek stomping
Hill rolling
Rock skipping
Mud

Bring on Day 2 ✌️

Our first ever Peregrine Pals half day camp was a smashing success! 🌿We attempted to explore the Heritage Wetlands Wildl...
06/08/2026

Our first ever Peregrine Pals half day camp was a smashing success! 🌿

We attempted to explore the Heritage Wetlands Wildlife Area but pulled up, took one look at the wild parsnip growing up on the trail, and decided to go to another public access and wildlife viewing area near Chelsea.

Once there, we stomped in puddles, studied the tiny creatures found in the water, and watched how birds used dead trees as homes. We saw wildflowers, bullfrogs, and snails. With the rain, we saw a fresh set of deer tracks headed west and compared the panicked squeak of a startled bullfrog to the loud chorus in the larger body of water away from the road.

When we returned, we got wet and muddy, of course!

Next up: Talon Trekkers 1

🐐🐎 Creature Feature🐈🐓 Want to know more about our critters? Every so often I'll be featuring one of them. They are a par...
06/04/2026

🐐🐎 Creature Feature🐈🐓

Want to know more about our critters? Every so often I'll be featuring one of them.

They are a part of our family and just one of the many ways we support our kids' slow childhood. Whether it's collecting eggs, doing chores, crawling up on Smudge, or going for a little free range run with the Goat Bros, we're always up to some shenanigans!

🌿The Camp Shed 🌿A solar-powered wonder. We tried to think of everything: Outdoor carpeting and vinyl flooring for muddy ...
06/04/2026

🌿The Camp Shed 🌿

A solar-powered wonder. We tried to think of everything:

Outdoor carpeting and vinyl flooring for muddy feet.
Changing area with total privacy, large enough for families.
Compostable toilet and hand washing station.
Nature Nook (which features all kinds of found artifacts including insect specimens, snake skins, indigenous tools, skulls, and more!)
Cozy reading areas.
Arts and crafts materials.
Learning Loft (aka The Birds' Nest!)
AIR CONDITIONING!

Plus merch and Adventure Backpacks for rent.

We're looking forward to seeing you on Monday morning for our first Little Sprouts Family Playtime. Check out our events for more info ✌️

🌿📚 LAST BOOK CLUB OF THE SEASON 📚🌿(We will return in the fall with more books!)Our focus will be switching to summer pro...
06/03/2026

🌿📚 LAST BOOK CLUB OF THE SEASON 📚🌿
(We will return in the fall with more books!)

Our focus will be switching to summer programming and building Nature School quite literally from the ground up.

Join us for our last book club meet up June 7th at the Blairstown Public Library from 4:00-5:30.

Don't have your book yet? Stop by the library for your interlibrary loan. This one was a quick read! (At least from my perspective. I devoured it in two days!)

Register here and I'll be sending you a copy of the discussion guide SOON:

https://forms.gle/TE5HM3YxjcFrjJ8r5

🌿💚🐐
06/03/2026

🌿💚🐐

Address

Keystone, IA
52249

Telephone

+13194309583

Website

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