TimberNook Central Oregon

08/02/2025

Registration is open for this Fall's Storybook Friday's!

07/26/2025

SUPER grateful and excited to have Erin 💚💛 continue to partner with me on this endeavor of bringing authentic outdoor sensory rich play experiences to our local community.

07/25/2025

After reading the picture book I Aint't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont about a child who covers themself with color today the children had the opportunity to do just that! It was one big, beautiful mess!

07/18/2025

SUPER excited to welcome Erin as my support staff

Big TimberNook Week! 🌿

We’re training 2 new schools and 3 new providers this week—and the energy is amazing! 🙌😊

Meet the newest members of the TimberNook family:

🍇 Kathryn & Katie – A powerhouse Physical Therapy duo launching TimberNook at a vineyard (The Vines) in Lodi, Wisconsin—our 4th Wisconsin location! Opening in just two weeks!

🌲 Erin – A nature-based occupational therapist joining forces with Robin in Central Oregon. She brings heart, expertise, and a deep love for outdoor play.

🏫 Seton Academy – This one’s personal! Angela Hanscom's son’s school is becoming a certified TimberNook school AND provider!

Led by:

Erika – Veteran Montessori teacher (30+ years!), who’s been attending TimberNook field trips for 7 years.

Josh – Physical therapist & new director (his wife’s an OT!).

Than – Longtime camp counselor bringing serious programming skills.

⛪️ Natalie – Bringing TimberNook to St. Francis School near Manchester. The goal? To expand to more inner-city Catholic schools over time!

This crew brought thoughtful insight and passion to training—we're so excited to welcome them into the TimberNook mission! 💚🌳

07/16/2025

Messy morning of outdoor PLAY! After reading the story Paddington at the Barber Shop by Michael Bond the children had the opportunity to have their own barber shop experiences.

06/30/2025

06/26/2025

🌿 Why Risky Play is Essential for Kids 🌿

In today’s world of parenting, we’ve forgotten a powerful truth: children need to take risks to grow.

Occupational therapist and author Angela Hanscom reminds us that risky play isn’t reckless—it’s vital. She writes:

“Children are wired to take risks. When we take away opportunities for risky play, we’re also taking away their ability to build confidence, resilience, and problem-solving skills.” — Angela Hanscom, Balanced and Barefoot

🤸‍♂️ Climbing trees, exploring the woods, balancing on logs—these aren't just fun activities. They're training grounds for learning how to assess danger, trust their instincts, and make decisions independently.

❗ According to recent studies, anxiety rates in children have risen by over 20% in the past decade. Many researchers now correlate this with decreased opportunities for unstructured, risky play—leaving kids unprepared to assess risk or manage uncertainty in real life.

“When we overprotect children, we teach them that the world is too dangerous and they aren’t capable of handling it.” — Angela Hanscom

💡 Developing the ability to use your own judgment is one of the most critical skills for adulthood. From navigating relationships to making career choices, the foundation is laid in childhood—on playgrounds, in backyards, and through scraped knees and daring climbs.

Let’s give our kids permission to explore, test limits, and yes—sometimes fall. Because in those moments, they’re building more than coordination... they’re building courage.

06/25/2025

Summertime Pop Up Pizza Party in the canyon nook 💚

06/13/2025

Summertime is coming! Let your children experience TimberNook's sensory rich, child-led play the TimberNook way

05/22/2025

TimberNook Central Oregon is celebrating 2 years of operation this month! I'm so grateful for the many children (including my own) that have had the opportunity to come and play the TimberNook way throughout the different seasons. It's been so fun to see the creativity, teamwork, collaboration and satisfaction that children have when they are given TIME & SPACE to simply do what they do best...play. This small business family endeavor has been well worth the work and I am looking forward to another year ahead of sensory rich child-led play experiences in the canyon ❤ Special shout out of gratitude to all those that have supported the program in one way or another :-)

05/16/2025

One of the core principles at TimberNook is this:
👉 Adults. Step. Back.

Sounds simple, right?
But wow—it's one of the HARDEST things for adults to do. Especially during field trips.

We're so used to hovering, correcting, managing, fixing, entertaining...
Because that's what society trained us to do.
We're taught that a "good" adult is always right there, directing the show.

🚫 But here's the truth no one wants to say out loud:
Kids don’t need us micromanaging their every move.
They need SPACE. Freedom. A moment without adult eyes analyzing every conflict, every pause, every climb, every choice.

When we over-control, we underestimate them.
We rob them of the chance to create, explore, take risks, and solve problems on their own.

If we want kids who can think for themselves...
We have to stop doing all the thinking for them.

So let’s challenge ourselves to do the hardest, most radical thing:

Be quiet. Watch from afar. Let them lead.
You’ll be amazed at what they’re capable of.

05/12/2025

OPEN FOR REGISTRATION! Limited spots.