We are so thankful to our donors! 

Click here to view a current listing of participants in the Woods Campaign.

The Woods Conservation and Nature Education Campaign

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Children’s Place is looking to their friends and family, as well as the greater Houston community, to help preserve our “Little Woods in a Big City”. Through your support, St. Andrew’s can increase the quantity, quality and benefits of children’s outdoor play experiences and conserve a precious green space and lush play area for all— families, animals, trees and plants.

History of The Woods:

 In 1977, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church of Houston, Texas, designated the park area at the southwest corner of their grounds a “green area” for recreation, especially for children. Today, the space remains in its natural state as a woods. The Woods is a permanent and integral part of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and the Children’s Place preschool.

Reconnecting Children with Nature:

In 2003, the position of Outdoor Classroom Coordinator—one of only three in Houston area preschools—was established to enrich the outdoor play of St. Andrew’s children. Aided by Urban Naturalists from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Forestry Service, St. Andrew’s Children’s Place identified areas for improvement within the Woods, with the outcome to be a strengthened ecology with an emphasis on native plants, and on preservation of the Woods’ ‘wildness’.  A comprehensive nature education curriculum will support the hands-on experience of guided and free play in the Woods as well as professional staff development opportunities. General aesthetic and accessibility improvements will be incorporated. The Woods campaign will create a successful play and learning environment through child- and teacher-initiated activities and serve as a model for outdoor environmental care.

The Woods Campaign Goals:

Official Wildlife Sanctuary Designation ▫ Green Space Conservation ▫ Enhanced Learning Evironment and Curriculum ▫ Professional Development ▫ Forestry Management ▫ Accessibility and Beautification ▫ Connecting Children with Nature

Questions? Contact  campaign coordinator Cara Pauloski at 832.814.6555 or see Sharon Young, Outdoor Classroom Coordinator.