Where childhood wanders.
Nature-led. Science-rooted. Made for wonder.
A childhood spent wondering, wandering & discovering.
At Dr. Dodge's, children spend their days in the woods, in the garden, at the water's edge — asking real questions and finding real answers. They track animals, build shelters, tend seedlings, tell stories, count acorns, and look closely at small things until small things become fascinating.
Underneath the mud and the wonder is a deliberate early-childhood curriculum. Every week's adventures quietly build early literacy, mathematics, scientific thinking, independence, and the social and emotional footing children carry into kindergarten and far beyond — without turning preschool into elementary school.
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The world is our classroom.
Learning doesn't stop at the edge of our property. At least twice every week, we load up and head out — to Maine's forests, beaches, tide pools, gardens, farms, preserves, and museums.
Field trips aren't a break from the curriculum. They extend it.
There is intention behind every adventure.
Each month, our school takes up one big investigation. Each week explores it from a new angle — through observation, stories, experiments, movement, art, and adventures. To a child, it feels like play. To a teacher, it's a carefully built arc of learning.
Our Place in Nature
"What makes our outdoor world a home for plants, animals, and us?"
Every month brings a new investigation. Families follow the current one, week by week, in The Weekly Wander.
Science + Inquiry
Observation, prediction, and evidence — the habits of real scientists, practiced with magnifiers, streams, and snowbanks.
Early Literacy
Letters, sounds, vocabulary, and storytelling woven through nature hunts, read-alouds, and a bookshelf chosen to deepen each week's investigation.
Early Mathematics
Counting, comparing, sorting, and patterning with the best manipulatives ever made: acorns, stones, shells, and sticks.
Social + Emotional
Belonging, confidence, and care — for each other and for the places we explore. Children here are genuinely known.
Motor Development
Hiking, balancing, climbing, carrying, digging. Strong bodies grow alongside curious minds.
Creative Expression
Art, music, building, and imaginative play with natural materials — the woods are equal parts studio and stage.
A day at Dr. Dodge's.
Our days follow a rhythm, not a rigid schedule — with room to linger when something wonderful is happening.
"I am kind. I am brave. I am curious. I can do hard things. I belong here." — our morning affirmation
Brave tries. Best friends.
Wild discoveries.
Small by design. Big in possibility.
Home base is four wooded acres in Woolwich, Maine — trails, gardens, a stream, a mud kitchen, a firepit, a climbing dome, a ninja course, and a nature obstacle course, all shaped by the children who use them.
When the weather turns wild, we gather inside our geodesic dome: a warm, light-filled classroom built just for the preschool, keeping us close to the outdoors even when we're in.
We stay small on purpose. In a class this size, every child is genuinely known — their interests, their worries, their next brave step.
A scientist who chose the woods.
Before founding the preschool, Andie Dodge skipped high school, earned her PhD in neuroscience at twenty-four, researched Alzheimer's and Parkinson's therapeutics at NYU and Tufts, and worked as an industrial scientist while teaching as a professor. She's also a lifelong competitive athlete — an East Coast kickboxing champion and ultramarathon runner. Then she moved to Maine — her father's childhood home — and found her real work.
Her science shapes everything here: how children build confidence, regulate big feelings, solve problems, form friendships, and become people who love to learn. Dr. Dodge's grew from a simple conviction — that early childhood can be intellectually rich without rushing childhood itself.
Nature, movement, play, and curiosity are not breaks from learning. For young children, they are learning.
"She's more confident, stronger, braver, and definitely a better climber than at the beginning of the summer! She clearly feels very safe and supported, and really seems to love both her teachers and friends. She is excited to get going every morning — even transitioning back in after vacation has been so smooth, which tells me she really looks forward to school each day."
— A Summer Camp Parent"My daughter wakes up every morning excited to go to school. She has a day filled with play, exploration, and learning with friends and teachers that truly care about her. It makes it so much easier as a parent knowing that she is in good hands having the time of her life!"
— A Dr. Dodge's Parent"My child absolutely loves going to school here! They are learning so much and having a wonderful time playing outside in all weather. The kids all seem so joyful and the staff shows great care for each child. Highly recommend!"
— A Dr. Dodge's ParentFollow what we're wondering.
Dr. Dodge's families receive The Weekly Wander — our family newsletter sharing the month's inquiry, the week's investigation, our adventures, the books on our shelf, and what all that play is quietly teaching.
It pairs with the Brightwheel family app, where photos and updates arrive throughout each day — you might watch the morning's tide-pool discovery before you've finished your coffee.
Together, they make the learning visible — one of the quiet privileges of being a Dr. Dodge's family.
Join our list for enrollment news and school updates.
Life lately.
Ready to wander with us?
The best way to understand Dr. Dodge's is to come see it — walk the trails, step inside the dome, and picture your child here. Enrollment is rolling, and spots are open right now.
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