Curiosity, play, and joy at the heart of outdoor learning

Raindrops Nature School serves preschoolers in the Lynnwood, Mill Creek, Bothell, and Everett communities.

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About Our Program:

Three girls examine a hidden moth in McCollum Park in Everett during their nature preschool class
Three happy children stretch rubber bands over pegs stuck into a pumpkin during their nature preschool class in the Everett and Mill Creek area.
A girl and a boy observe water trickling through pipes they designed at nature school in Mill Creek, Lynnwood, and Everett

Raindrops is a fully outdoor preschool program that serves children ages 2.5-6 years old on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings from 9am-1pm.

Mondays and Wednesdays are set in a beautifully curated backyard setting, while Fridays are for exploring the forest.

Rain or shine, our little explorers are ready for adventure, friendship, and learning!

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Program Details

Have a younger explorer?

A girl runs gleefully with a butterfly wing cape at nature school in Mill Creek, Lynnwood, and Everett
Two girls stand together, looking at the buckles on one girl's rain pants at nature school in Mill Creek, Lynnwood, and Everett

If you have a child 18-30 months old who isn’t quite ready for full mornings without their grown up, we are excited to offer the Bear Cubs Toddler + Parent Program!

Learn More: Bear Cubs
Blanche, the founder and lead teacher at Raindrops Nature School in Mill Creek, Lynnwood, and Everett, looks on as a girl with butterfly wings writes a letter. Another girl looks on.

Hi, I’m Blanche!

I’m the founder and lead teacher of Raindrops Nature School. Our outdoor preschool program cultivates future leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs. We aim to reframe the way society looks at play, our connection to nature and collaboration.

Our curriculum is specific to your child’s style of learning and interests through project-based learning, because we integrate proven pedagogies such as:

  • Project-Based Learning

  • Reggio

  • Forest

  • Waldorf

  • Montessori

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Inspired by play, rooted in science

Research shows that children who have uninhibited, ample time to play with open-ended materials in multisensory environments develop their executive function skills, their divergent thinking and build the confidence and the willingness to take cognitive, social and emotional risks.

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Join us and be the change your children deserve in this ever-evolving world!

A line of four preschool children walk along a fallen tree trunk in McCollum Park at their forest preschool in Mill Creek, Lynnwood, and Everett. Another child is attempting to climb up. A teacher looks on to support.

“Many days, our daughter would return home, beaming with pride about her adventures with Blanche...with many stories about what sticks she had compiled, the dirt piles she had dug, or the bugs she had rescued.”

-JoAnn + James, Parents

“I love Raindrops because I’m outside with friends all day!”

-Mina, age 6

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The Raindrops Mission:

To change the future by reframing education through the lens of play, connection to nature, and connection to each other.

Our mission here at Raindrops is to transform the teaching/learning paradigm. Too often children are entering into adulthood afraid to fail, afraid to take risks, thinking inside the prescribed box and having too small a comfort zone. By reframing the way we look at play, our connection to nature, the parent-teacher, parent-child, teacher-child, and child-child dynamic, we can begin to imagine a world that is relationship centric and uniquely transformed to address today’s and tomorrow’s problems.

Six children sit on the grass, working in their nature journals at their nature forest preschool in Everett, Lynnwood, and Mill Creek

By identifying, recognizing and engaging inner vulnerabilities, by celebrating failure as part of the cycle of inquiry and learning, by becoming problem seekers not just problem solvers, by emphasizing the importance of sharing ideas and collaborating, and by accepting that adults in this world do not have the answers to everything but we DO have the responsibility to more mindfully guide children to discover what we have yet to.

We advocate for mindful language that facilitates children’s personal reflection and growth. We advocate for uninterrupted and uninhibited play. Play is our origin tool for engagement, experimentation, and innovation. We advocate for the realigning of parents and teachers as co-constructors and partners in the path to reimagining education. We advocate for the celebration of the messy, the problems, and the mistakes that emerge from our humanity- because here is where creativity lies and is awakened!

How Do We Implement Our Mission?

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Meet the Team

  • Blanche Lonsbury

    FOUNDER & DIRECTOR

    I have a degree in Early Childhood Education from San Francisco State University and have been teaching in forward-thinking schools for 17 years. I am passionate about the developing mind; more specifically - sensory integration, creativity, resiliency, problem solving and problem seeking. My career has been focused on facilitating relationships with nature and rediscovering play as a vehicle for teaching and learning.

    I am passionate about the Reggio philosophy and child-led project based learning. I love helping children embark on journeys of discovery. Whether that is saving the forest and sea animals from balloons stuck in trees 50 feet off the ground or building a child-only Robot Clubhouse.

    I believe that children have the right to be seen and heard. It is an honor to walk alongside them as they develop initiative, embrace their failures, develop growth mindset, represent with their favorite artistic medium, learn to disagree and collaborate, become more mindful because relationships matter to them, and become problem-seekers rather than just problem solvers.

  • Joyce Oliveira Liu

    ATELIERISTA

    I have a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of History, I’m Brazilian, passionate about reading, writing, listening to stories. I grew up around parents that loved embroidery and woodworking so art, painting, crafts, dance and theater are part of me.

    I first came at Raindrops as a mom and fell in love with the methodology, the affection, the school's respect for the child. Adding Nature to my family’s life made me see how much it regulates our bodies and minds.

    It has been an honor to help guide and see how each child connects with the world and to have the opportunity to work towards a healthier and happier child development.

  • Emma Schumacher

    TEACHER

    I have a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Environmental Education. I am passionate about helping children build confidence, connection, and community. I support children as they communicate their needs, form friendships, and explore the outdoors with curiosity and joy. I love being creative and using that to deepen my approach as an educator by encouraging imagination and a love for the natural world.

    I am committed to fostering belonging in our Raindrops community. I hope every family finds Raindrops as a safe space where their children feel seen, supported, and free to grow.

    Outside of work, I love spending time with my dog Toni, going on outdoor adventures, and tending to houseplants. 

  • Wendy Safronoff

    TEACHER

    I hold a degree in Early Childhood Education and Development and bring over a decade of experience providing high-quality care and developmental support to young children and their families. My teaching approach blends Reggio Emilia's view of children as capable and full of potential with HighScope's active-learning, plan-do-review framework. I'm passionate about outdoor, play-based learning, where nature serves as a powerful teacher and supports creativity, resilience, and overall well-being. 

    I love creating spaces where children's voices are honored, play drives discovery, and families are welcomed as partners in the learning journey.

    Outside of work, I enjoy exploring nature, swimming, and spending time on creative projects like crafting, cooking, and reading. 

What Our Families Say:

  • Raindrops has really expanded my perspective on education in the best ways. Both of my kids have gained so much confidence since starting here. I love how connected they’ve become to nature and how supported they feel by their teachers. It’s such a thoughtful, heart-centered community.

    Kim, Parent

  • It is an amazing privilege to have someone as insightful and communicative as Blanche teaching and caring for our son. You have helped us to see him in new ways and modeled helpful ways to interact and play. We are truly learning from you, too.

    Rachel, Parent

  • One of the biggest strengths of Raindrops is that the teachers see kids for who they are, get curious about their behaviors, and work with the families to help everyone grow. I know my kids feel seen by you and the team, and even in hard moments, I know they’re not internalizing that they’re “bad” because of XYZ.

    Karin, Parent

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