The Nature Institute — Attraction in Godfrey

My homeschool group met here today to learn about a specific subject. We create our own cirriculum and this was the perfect spot for us to go due to what we were discussing.

Unfortunately, shortly after we started, the director, Angela, came up to us and essentially said that groups cannot have anything formal unless spoken to the ones in charge. Understandable.

However, she continued on and essentially said that any group that is above 5 people are not allowed to meet there and this is stated ON the website.

** Before continuing on I will say that we HAVE spoken to people in charge before to find out more information about what classes they have to offer.

During that time we said that we are here with a homeschool group (which we then pointed to the kids) and NO ONE mentioned to us that we cannot be there because there were more than 5 people from our group. The bigger problem is if there WAS a major issue with the size of our group it should have been communicated with us several months back when we were there instead of now. **

After she mentioned this bit of information, I asked her if we could finish up with our lesson and she immediately told us no and suggested we go to another location in a condescending way. She could have easily told us that we can finish up in another location on the premises that was away from the children who they were teaching but instead we were met with rudeness and an immediate no. There was no, "I am sorry but unfortunately I cannot let you do that" or anything kind.

Another thing was that she could have easily asked to speak with me privately instead of saying it in front of everyone. I was extremely embarrassed but it would have been less of an issue if she spoke to me directly.

Once getting home, I looked up their specific rules and NO WHERE on the website does it state this. Either I am blind or she lied to us to get us off of the premises. Either way, she did not prove to us that this is stated anywhere on the website.

The last thing I will say is that my group was VERY respectful. We were not screaming, whining, crying or being rude in any way. Everyone was waiting to listen to me speak on our lesson and we were still asked to leave.

I will say that I do understand this is a private property. But to my knowledge anyone is welcome there during the hours it is opened. Even on their website it states, "we welcome students from public, private, and home schools, Scout, church and university groups, and hobbyists and naturalists of all ages."

According to this statement we are welcomed to be there. We have felt this way before, but unfortunately today we were not welcomed. I wish things played out differently and hopefully they are more communicative with people in the future about...

If I could give this 18372182 stars I seriously would. TNI helped us host my sons 6th birthday party this past weekend, and it was by far my favorite birthday party I have planned so far!!! To start off it is sooooo affordable as you get an hour on instructor led activities and then still have 90 minutes to eat and hang out at the park and do whatever! You have the option to pay for extra time which we did but ended up not needing. I promise you those kids were wore out after just 3 hours!! Here is the craziest part though, MOMMA WAS NOT TIRED!!! Yes you read that right, I survived a 6year olds birthday party and still felt energized!! That’s how easy TNI made planning and hosting this party for me! The instructor went above and beyond in the activities and helping with set up and clean up. The activities were perfectly age appropriate for all of the children in attendance, and he really finds a way to get them all connected and involved!!! The children get to learn fun facts about nature and get out and connect with other kiddos as well. The booking process was even much easier than any place that I have ever booked. Lauren was extremely easy, and communication was top notch! She even watched weather forecast and had back up plans ready to go!!! Even after not using all of our time or paying for extra kiddos that didn’t come, it was so affordable, fun, and most importantly accommodating for every child. There was more than enough seating indoors and outdoors. The best part was that my money went to both my child having a great birthday and to an organization that is absolutely worthy!! Seriously check out their birthday party packages as well as all of the other amazing programs they have for our youth in the community to connect with nature!!! So please before you drop $500 and every ounce of energy you have on 2 hrs at the trampoline park, check out The Nature...

This is a beautiful, well-maintained place with a fabulous staff. My kids have attended home school ECO events, pre-K forest playdate/ knee high naturalists and we have been to the trails to hike. I highly recommend all of the above. One kid went to summer camp and came home exhausted and excited to go back--every day. If you're wondering about the programs, the staff REALLY gets kids and is patient with questions. They also say if they DON'T know something, which is a fantastic example for the kids-- everyone is still learning, even adults.The young kids programs are open ended and allow for exploration, with an education focus that adults can appreciate, but kids won't realize. It's just fun to them. There's a playground with giant rocks, equipment, and musical instruments waiting to be explored. Remember the trail rules- leave no trace, which means they can't take rocks home in their pockets, and trash goes in the trash can- a bonus learning experience about taking care of the planet. You won't...