How do we dress for success?
Our PNWK Forest Preschool is 100% outdoors, rain or shine. Making sure your child is dressed appropriately for all outdoor activities is critical to the success of their education. This will require a commitment on the part of the parent/ caregiver to provide and maintain the proper clothing to ensure your child is able to fully engage in play and exploration.
HELPFUL ARTICLES:
REI’s Layering Basics
Layering Kids in Cold
GEAR DISCOUNTS:
25% off OAKI (on orders over $29.99) with code: PNWKFS
15% off Polarn O. Pyret (sign up through link to receive code)
*Check out our Family Facebook Group to ask questions of other PNWK Families and find what has worked for them!
NOTES:
If these brands are out of your price range, check out secondhand shops or resale sites online for layers 1-3 —they do not need to be brand new to keep your child warm (not recommended for waterproof layers). Just check the labels to make sure they’re wool or synthetic.
One full “forest school” outfit is plenty— they come to school wearing the same thing every day! Do not feel the need to buy multiples of these items unless you want to.
Cotton is not recommended — this is because cotton absorbs sweat/moisture and when wet, does not insulate! During the colder months, please do not send your child in cotton sweatpants/sweatshirts, as it will not do a good job keeping them warm and dry while they are busy exploring and playing outside.
Please label ALL clothing items! This makes it much easier for us to return your clothing to you when it gets lost. You can purchase custom name labels or just write your child’s name in their clothes.
SUMMER GEAR GUIDE
Layers are key for cold mornings that turn into hot days.
- Layer a t-shirt &/or tank top under a long sleeve, light jacket or sweater
- Long, lightweight pants or shorts that cover knees are preferred
- Add waterproof layer if rain is predicted
Shoes must be close toed. Trail shoes or sneakers are great. Clark county locations, water shoes recommended for creek play.
Sun hat that covers neck preferred. Apply sunscreen & bug spray before drop off.
*See insect & sun protection recommendations at bottom of page
SCHOOL YEAR GEAR GUIDE
LAYER ONE: BASE LAYER
Your child should have synthetic (polyester, polypropylene) or wool long underwear to go under their clothes and wool socks to keep their feet warm. Do NOT buy cotton for winter socks or long underwear, as cotton does not insulate well.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
LL Bean Synthetic Long Underwear Set
Ella’s Wool Long Underwear Set
Lands End Long Underwear
LAYER TWO: FLEECE LAYER
Your child should have a pair of warm fleece pants and a fleece pullover or zip-up jacket. These layers can be worn alone or under the Muddy Buddy during the fall, or underneath their insulation layers in the winter! Again, NO cotton—a cotton or cotton/poly blend sweatshirt will not keep them warm enough.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Mountain Warehouse Fleece
Columbia Fleece Jacket
LL Bean Fleece Jacket
REI Fleece Pants
LL Bean Fleece Pants
Mountain Warehouse Fleece
*may also be found at local stores such as Target, Costco, Walmart, etc.
LAYER THREE: INSULATION LAYER
Your child should have a down or synthetic puffy jacket (or ski coat) and a pair of snow pants OR a one-piece snow suit for days when it is especially cold or snowy (check thrift stores for snow gear.)
*If snow gear is not labeled “waterproof” it must be worn under a rain suit when raining or muddy out.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Primary Puffy Jacket (a lightweight puffy like this is good for transitional weather!)
Columbia Insulated Jacket
Mountain Warehouse Padded Jacket
LL Bean Snow Suits
P.O.P. Waterproof Snow Suit
Reima Waterproof Snow Suit
Mountain Warehouse Snow Suit
Lands End Snow Pants
Arctix (Amazon) Snow Pants
Mountain Warehouse Snow Pants
*may also be found at local stores such as Target, Costco, Walmart, etc.
LAYER FOUR: WATERPROOF OUTER WEAR
Waterproof Jackets with hoods paired with waterproof bibs or pants are great for the fall and spring when temperatures are warmer. Jackets with zippers are best, the ones with snaps can leak.
One-Piece Waterproof Suits are recommended for Fall, Winter and Spring - the best way we have found to keep children dry.
Please buy all rainwear big enough to fit layers underneath.
OUR REOMMENDATIONS:
Oaki Wear One-Piece Rainsuit
Oaki Wear Rain Bibs
Oaki Wear Rain Pants
Reima Rain Bibs & Sets
Reima Rain Jacket
*This is the most important layer and the only layer we encourage families to not buy used
LAYER FIVE: HEAD, HANDS, & FEET
Your child should have a fleece or wool hat, a fleece neck warmer, a pair of thin fleece, wool, or synthetic gloves, a pair of waterproof mittens, and a good pair of snow/cold weather boots. Your child’s waterproof mittens should have a cuff large enough to go OVER their jacket.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Hats:
Columbia Fleece Balaclava or Hat
Mountain Warehouse Balaclava or Neck Gaiters
Mittens:
Reima Rain Mittens (best for all seasons & worn over mitten/glove liners)
P.O.P. Rain Mittens (best for all seasons & worn over mitten/glove liners)
L-Bow Mittens (best for snow or dry winter days, not good for rain)
Boots:
Oaki Insulated Boots
Bogs Insulated Boots
For kids whose hands get very chilly in the winter, we recommend a two-part hand covering system & adding handwarmers! Use glove liners, such as a thin, knit pair of gloves or mittens as the base layer. Then, on top of the liner, put a large, insulated, waterproof pair of mittens with a cuff large enough to go over their jacket. Handwarmers can be placed between the glove layers.
This method allows for a few things: 1) for their hands to be covered always, even when they take their big mittens off to draw/write/eat a snack, etc, and 2) for a handwarmer to be safely slipped in to the big mittens without having a handwarmer on bare skin (not recommended).
ACCESSORIES: BACKPACKS, WATER BOTTLES, SNACK CONTAINERS
The #1 most important quality in a good backpack/water bottle/snack container is kid-friendliness. ALL of these items should be easily opened by your child, independently of an adult. Please give your child time to practice using it at home before sending it to class with them.
BACKPACKS:
Your child needs a backpack that is large enough (around 12-18 Liters) to fit their extra layers (their Muddy Buddy, a fleece, hat, mittens, etc) and a snack, and has an external water bottle pocket.
Chest buckles are extremely helpful in a backpack as well!
REI 18 L Backpack
Mountain Warehouse Backpack
WATERBOTTLES:
A water bottle for school can be pretty simple! Just make sure that your child can open it on their own, ideally with mittens on. Thermos’ with warm water or herbal tea are great for cold months!
Yeti Rambler Jr Water Bottle
Camelbak Eddy+ Kids
Thermos for Kids
SNACK:
Your child’s snack for forest school should be easy for them to eat on their own and enough to sustain them throughout class — examples: dried fruit, veggies, an applesauce/fruit pouch, a granola bar, cheese sticks, crackers. Their snack container should fit INSIDE their backpack and should be something they can open on their own without spilling.
Stasher Bag
Munchkin Snack Catcher
Zip Top Silicone Containers
LunchBots Box
INSECT-PROOF CLOTHING
Insect Shield provides two different products that are great for forest school families—bug repellant-treated clothing for sale, as well as the option to have your child’s clothing sent away and treated with bug repellant.
Bug Sprays also encouraged.
Repel Deet Free
SUN PROTECTION
Sunscreen must be applied prior to class and is not allowed to be sent in backpacks. Sun hats or caps with neck protection are great for keeping the sun out of eyes and avoiding neck burns. Please know that sunglasses tend to break or get lost when sent to class.
Reima Sun Hats with Neck Protection
Amazon Sun Hats with Neck Protection