Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandra Rivas
Hi Sandra, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began my early childhood education journey teaching in traditional preschool programs, including a NAEYC‑certified center, and also taught Spanish to preschoolers. However, after having my own children, I realized these programs followed a one‑size‑fits‑all approach rather than meeting each child’s individual needs. My oldest child is autistic and has ADHD, so I knew that programs like those would not work for him. He needed something different—something that would support the way he learns and not mold him based on a fixed teaching method. That’s when I began researching alternatives to conventional preschool. This research led me to the Forest Schools of Europe. I fell in love with their philosophy and model of connecting children to their more than human kin. As an early childhood educator, I was already familiar with the hands‑on, child‑centered approaches of Montessori and Reggio Emilia methods. I decided to take what I loved from all of these education models and founded Peaceful Gatherings Nature School.
Peaceful Gatherings started in my friend’s one‑acre backyard in August 2019 with nine students, three of whom were our own kids. After five months, my friend was off on another adventure in a different state, and I was left contemplating what was next for Peaceful Gatherings. I didn’t want my dream to be over so soon, so I began reaching out to local parks and hiking trails. After contacting several with no luck, I got a “Yes” from Saluda Shoals Park! In the fall of 2020, Peaceful Gatherings Nature School started in its new home with ten students and two teachers. From there, it just grew—more students and more teachers. I also added new grade levels as my oldest son grew. As the program was growing, so was my knowledge of nature‑based education. I attended trainings whenever possible from organizations such as Association of Nature‑Based Education and the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina. By the time Peaceful Gatherings left Saluda Shoals in the summer of 2023, it had two programs serving ages 2.5 to 10. That summer, I once again began the search for a new location for Peaceful Gatherings. At the request of many parents, I decided to add an indoor infant and toddler program, a coworking space for work‑from‑home parents, and expand our elementary program to include more grades.
This was no easy task, but I stumbled upon a unicorn when my friend suggested Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church in Columbia. On the nine‑acre church campus, Peaceful Gatherings began the 2023 school year with childcare for infants and toddlers, office space for work‑from‑home parents, an outdoor preschool program, and an Agile Learning Community for ages seven to high school. This is the second year at the church, and I have started a community garden, partnered with Liberation is Lit for book clubs and an Adult Book Fair, and collected donations for our unhoused neighbors that share the space on the weekends. The new space has allowed me and my dedicated team to continue to connect children with their nature kin and fulfill my mission of creating a space where everyone is welcome and free to be themselves.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have been numerous bumps in the road to get to where I am today. One obvious challenge was finding locations to host Peaceful Gatherings. Another, less obvious challenge that comes up year after year is the differing philosophies and understandings of what “child‑led, play‑based” means to other educators and families. At Peaceful Gatherings, we are creating a radical and liberating learning environment for children. This means that we are pushing against social norms and what is typically expected in an education program. Our students are free to choose what they want to do each day, and we are there to guide them. A lot of what you’ll see in our programs may look like chaos, but as facilitators, we recognize the learning happening underneath. We encourage risky, messy play for all ages and believe that play is the highest form of learning for us all. We focus on social‑emotional growth over academic growth, because once a child is regulated and able to understand their emotions, they are ready to learn deeper and higher concepts. This is the opposite of most schools of thought and takes a big mindset shift to accept. Not everyone who joins our program is ready for that shift, and we understand that. We’re here if—or when—they decide to revisit a radically different way to educate our youth.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Peaceful Gatherings Nature School?
I feel like I already covered this in some previous questions. If you can’t tell, I’m passionate about this work and tend to get ahead of myself—Ha!
At Peaceful Gatherings Nature School, we believe that all children are equipped with a natural desire to explore and learn from the world around them. In our outdoor classroom, students are encouraged to trust their innate curiosity. Our child‑led, emergent curriculum gives students the opportunity to take control of their learning in a developmentally appropriate way. As learning partners, we guide students by creating lessons that speak to their interests and are driven by the seasonal changes that surround us. Nature‑based education lets students gain confidence in their own abilities by learning at their own pace. Children are provided a safe environment that encourages them to take risks and grow their self‑confidence. Our classroom will have students of varying ages, as many benefits come from multi‑age groupings. In multi‑age classrooms, there is a sense of family—students are not labeled according to their ability, and older students can become mentors for younger students. Our classroom is also bilingual, allowing the children to be immersed in both English and Spanish to authentically promote natural language development.
At Peaceful Gatherings Nature School, we are excited to be on this journey together. We are building a community where tender hearts and adventurous spirits, young and old, play to learn. Peaceful Gatherings is an anti‑racist, social justice‑oriented, LGBTQAI+ and neurodivergent‑affirming community. We’ve grown mostly by word‑of‑mouth, as we are known for providing support for neurodivergent children and offering an inclusive, secular space for families. We offer flexible schedules and income‑based sliding scale tuition plans for our Elementary to High School program. We want nature and the freedom to learn in your own way to be accessible to everyone. Last year, we were honored to be recognized as one of the Best Childcare and Coworking locations in the Columbia, SC area by COLAToday, which was a meaningful affirmation of the community we’ve built.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I would spend hours every day with neighborhood friends riding my bike—barefoot around the neighborhood—collecting items for potions, perfumes, and other concoctions. Large, brown acorns, bright dandelions, spiky sweet gum balls, fragrant pine needles, and purple bunches of wisteria would be crushed, ground, and cut and then added to water to become whatever I imagined—usually potions for whatever power I wished to possess at the time or a perfume that I would dab behind my ears and try to sell to my family and neighbors. I think this is where my connection to my nature kin and my love of just being outdoors began. Now, I watch my students doing the same, and it fills my heart with joy knowing that I can provide the same experience to children here and now.
Pricing:
- 2 Days a Week Nature School $177/month
- 3 Days a Week Nature School $273/month
- 5 Days a Week Nature School $415/month
- Agile Learning Community – Income Based Sliding Scale
- Infant and Toddler Childcare- Depends on days and coworking plan
Contact Info:
- Website: https://peacefulgatheringsnatureschool.weebly.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peacefulgatherings/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peacefulgatheringsnatureschool/
