About Us
A team of highly trained educators striving for a healthy work - life balance.
Blue Ridge Outdoor School is an entirely outdoor learning experience, all-weather program for children. It's a safe place for children to play, discover, dance, climb, take healthy risks, rest, write, build, and learn all through extended time in nature. Inspired by the Scandinavian model established in the 1950s, the outdoor school focuses on whole-child development; socio-emotional, cognitive, and physical development are all equally important.
Our Story
Blue Ridge Outdoor School was established in 2023 when director Rhianna Schlief returned from teaching internationally with her two young daughters and husband. She saw a need for children to have extended time in nature while learning. She started with the Adventure Summer Camp in 2023 which quickly grew in popularity. After extensive research, planning, dreaming, and brainstorming, the Forest Preschool started in fall 2024 and is growing again to include Forest Kindergarten in fall 2025. After visiting other forest schools in Virginia, we knew Lexington had the perfect backdrop for this type of learning for children.
Meet the Team
Our staff and teachers boast diverse backgrounds, extensive training and experience, and unrivalled passion for outdoor education.
Join the Team
Whether you are a wilderness guide, master gardener, or licensed teacher, there is an opportunity for you to share your passion with children. Professional development opportunities are available as well as competitive pay, and a positive, forward thinking work environment where new ideas are welcomed.
Complete the form below to be contacted by the director to learn more about opportunities to work at Blue Ridge Outdoor School.
FAQs
We often get questions from people curious about outdoor or forest schools. Below are some answers to questions we receive the most.
Bad Weather?
We follow Rockbridge County Public schools for inclement weather. More detailed protocals are in our Family Guidebook. We also have a required uniform found in our gear guide, for cold and wet weather.
Schedule
We roughly follow the public school calendar from August to May. We do offer seperate Summer Camp programs.
Teacher Certifications
All teachers are CPR and First Aid certified and complete all background checks and requirements from the Department of Education. The teachers also have a background in outdoor education or given training opportunites to further their learning.
Ages
Students are ages 3 years to 6 years. All children must be potty trained.
Class Sizes
Each class has two teachers and a maximum of 10 students. This ratio is more conservative than the state regulations stipulate, as we want to be extra vigilant about the safety of our classes in the outdoor environment.
Gear
