HUDDLESTON, Va. – Movie theaters, bowling alleys, gyms and more are closed and families are all looking for ways to keep kids entertained.
You can now rent out eight acres of land for just your family.
ONE Forest School is in Huddleston. They usually have multiple kids there for pre-school during the week. The entire school day is outside where kids can play in a mud pit, sandbox and other obstacles.
They aren’t opening the school right now, but families can reserve time in the forest at Deerhead Nature Preserve.
“During these really scary times being in the forest helps reduce that stress, fear and anger that everyone naturally is feeling,” said Catherine Eubank, ONE Forest School director of education, founder & CEO. “We’re not charging that much. I think the main thing right now is to get people out and in the forest, getting some kind of normalcy back in their family unit. We still have scholarships for families who can’t afford us. We don’t want money to be a barrier to coming out here. ”
Eubank runs the school and says they wanted to find a way for families to be safe and still come out and enjoy nature.
They’re wiping everything off after families leave to make it safe for the next group.
She says parents can get to know their children a little better by seeing what they like to do in the woods.
“I know that there’s a real huge important movement right now to keep restaurants alive but we have to also think about other businesses like ours that don’t have food, or anything tangible that we sell. We’re offering an experience,” said Eubank.
To keep everyone safe, families will have to sign a waiver that no one in their family is experiencing any symptoms.
You can book a time window of 2-6 hours and they’re working to keep it affordable for families. Eubank says a block of time starts at $25. You can also donate to keep them in business.
You can learn more about ONE Forest School here. You can email them 1forestsml@gmail.com