In the heart of Boerne, nestled on the sprawling 60-acre historic Herff Farm, sits The Nest, a unique, growing preschool. Assistant Director Holly Campbell shared her experience and what makes The Nest Nature School so special Campbell moved to Boerne from San Antonio in the ‘90s. She admits moving from the city was a difficult transition. “It was hard to fit in. Kids already had their friend groups. You know, small towns can be a little more cliquey.”
She remembers the comfort she fortunately found at The Cibolo Nature Center. “You didn’t have to be part of a group, a church, or some club. Just anyone and everyone could come.”
As she grew older, The Cibolo would continue to be a meaningful and welcoming place for her. This inclusivity, she believes, played a pivotal role in shaping her perspective on community and education.
As an adult, Campbell found a career in preschool education, running a playbased business that worked with 14 schools in the area. However, the onset of COVID-19 brought her business to a halt. It was during this transitional period that a friend suggested she explore The Nest.
She described her initial visit to the school: “I was hesitant at first because I liked running a business, and there were reasons I wasn’t working for a preschool. But as soon as I came through the gate, I knew it was different.”
She had observed a “narrowing” in education elsewhere, where children were pushed into a onesize- fits-all mindset. But at The Nest, she found a different story unfolding.
Holly was intrigued by the school’s approach to education, one that emphasized individuality and connection with nature.
“What really struck me was seeing a student here who I knew from a program I’d worked in during Covid,” she recounted. This student had faced behavioral challenges, leading to his removal from the program.
“We had some behavioral issues with him,” she said, “and because of their protocol, I was told I had to call his mom and let her know we could no longer have him in our program. And I hated that.
“This kid wasn’t bad; he just needed a little more focus from the staff. I remember his mom showing up in tears, frustrated because this would be the fourth preschool he’d been kicked out of.”
Campbell said no parent needs to feel like they are failing when they are trying to do what’s right for a child.
“And at the same time, this child was feeling that he’s a bad kid. I didn’t like it,” she said, as she left that job shortly after.
Her interest peaked when she was able to see how things went at The Nest.
“He still had behavior challenges, but I saw the staff working with him to meet his needs,” she said. “I ended up taking an assistant teacher job here, giving up on my business, because I felt this was the right place for me to be. And I got to watch this student flourish over the rest of the year.”
The core of The Nest’s philosophy is the integration of nature into every aspect of learning. The school breaks away from traditional criteria and rigid curricula.
Campbell explained, “We’re not basing curriculum off of generalized benchmarks that people think a child should reach. We use emergent curriculum to teach topics these students are interested in. We form activities that engage them in literacy, math, science, and hits the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) but feels like play.”
She admits that this requires a lot of work, patience, and adaptability from her staff. But she said she is proud of the effort and care they put in every day.
“We’re receptive to the feedback from local elementary teachers about our students. We’ve heard that they look forward to teaching Nest kids because of their independence, helpfulness, and comfortability in the classroom,” she said. “Little things like children tying their own shoes or handling their own backpacks and lunches are huge.
“We do hear from parents that their children do struggle adjusting to the amount of time they spend inside the classroom after they move on from The Nest,” she said, adding, “I can’t help but feel that that is an issue with education.”
Campbell spoke passionately about her vision for the future.
“I want to see K-12th students benefiting from forms of nature integration. I’d love to work with schools in the area to make that happen. That is my goal.”
If you are interested in learning more about our preschool, please visit Cibolo. org/Nest-Nature-School or visit The Nest Open House on September 30.
Bri Corpus is marketing coordinator at Cibolo Center for Conservation.
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