adventure.

connection.

reflection.

Our traditional adventure programs are open to all youth and teens. They are customized to guide small groups into the natural world for experiences that are wholesome and joyful. Guided by our youth development professionals, the group culture is intentional, safe and supportive.

Taproot Therapeutic Adventures are designed to support the mental and emotional well-being of youth and teens. Guided by our licensed social worker, counseling is holistic, compassionate, and incorporates nature connection as a mode for healing and growth. Learn more about Taproot here.

positive childhood experiences

“PCEs greatly enhance a child’s emotional and psychological resilience.” - Maine Youth Resilience

Positive childhood experiences (PCEs) are relationships or environments that make a child feel nurtured, valued, and supported. (This is our specialty!) Our team of youth development professionals thoughtfully curate each experience so that kids feel seen, heard, and understood. While adverse childhood experiences like trauma or neglect can negatively impact development, research has found that the presence of PCEs is more significant than the absence of ACEs. (This is incredibly hopeful!) Adults with positive childhood experiences are more likely to build healthy relationships and effectively cope with life’s ups and downs, as well as model behavior and emotional support to the next generation, creating a cycle of positive growth.

Social Emotional Learning

"The most important thing we can teach our children is how to love themselves, and others." - Maria Montessori

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is a skill-development process through which we learn how to manage emotions, problem solve, and create positive relationships with self and others. The Hearty Roots team has mindfully designed our SEL curriculum aligning our approach with the national standards (set by The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning).

Nature Connection

“A joyful childhood, a healthy adulthood and a thriving planet depend on it.” - Children and Nature network

We’ve made a promise to let kids be kids! Playing outside is not a luxury, it is vitality. Study after study connects nature to happier, balanced, and more regulated kids (and adults for that matter). Nature’s calming embrace has ample opportunities for awe, and awe as it turns out, makes people more kind and generous. Time spent in nature as a child, particularly in activities or places that evoke an emotional connection, foster care and concern for the natural world, often leading to future stewardship.

Dedicated mentors

“People, not programs, change people.” - Janet Mann

The true essence of the Hearty Roots mission lies in the abilities of our top notch staff team. Through their own lived experiences, professions in the youth development world, or degrees and graduate programs, this group of folks understands how to run high-quality outdoor experiences with emotional wellness at the forefront of everything we do. Cohesive group management, relationship-building, positive culture, kind behavior, inclusivity, physical safety and emotional comfort - a recipe that has kids and families coming back for more programs and continued involvement. Because we have ample opportunities for kids to ‘plug in’ to an experience with us, we’ve become a steady mentoring presence in kids’ worlds outside (but supplemental) from their lives at home and school.