About

About Taproot

Taproot was founded in 2007 by Elesa and Zac Wedemeyer. The program serves hundreds of families each year in the Iowa City area through diverse programming for children ages 3-18.

Taproot’s mission is to foster a generation of people who know, love, enjoy, and actively care for our earth and all of its citizens. After over 15 years and countless experiences, we have learned to trust the wisdom and power of Nature.

The Benefits of Connection with Nature

Kids thrive when they get to spend time outside; after all, it’s our natural home! These days, though, kids have a more difficult time getting to the great outdoors. Our lifestyles are busy, and during the downtime, computers, video games, and television have a powerful attraction. We must make a conscious choice to make space for our children to explore and play in direct and friendly contact with the earth.

As global climate change, pollution, and habitat destruction threaten our planet’s future, our children are the best hope we have. Taproot programs place great emphasis on teaching our kids to be responsible world citizens by developing “systems thinking,” or seeing that everything in the world functions as a part of an expansive system of connections. We seek to provide experiences and discussions that teach children how they fit into those systems, and how their actions can have wide-ranging effects.

The quality time that Taproot kids spend in nature also benefits their attention, learning, and behavior, and it gives them the opportunity to strengthen their innate bonds with each other and our earthly home. We hope to help the children sink a deep and strong “taproot” into the soil of our planet, a root which will support and nourish them throughout their lives. In turn, we believe these children will grow into adults who love and respect their fellow human beings, and who will actively care for the Earth that sustains us.

Interpersonal Learning and Independence

During our forays into nature with the Taproot kids, we lead activities that emphasize guided exploration, unstructured play, and quiet observation and reflection. We go outside in all but the harshest weather, as an important goal of the program is to teach kids to feel comfortable and safe outdoors. We aim to build confidence and self-sufficiency in age-appropriate but impactful ways.

Time in nature, outside of the routine environments of the home and classroom, can be an exceptional opportunity to reinforce and grow values of respect, kindness, and cooperation. Taproot emphasizes civil and kind interaction, effective communication, peaceful problem-solving, and personal responsibility. We expect children in Taproot programs to be polite and considerate of others at all times, to learn and use each others’ names, and to choose their words carefully when communicating. The small size of Taproot groups allows our teachers to provide immediate and gentle guidance in these matters when conflicts arise.

Our curriculum is not rigid. We adapt the day’s activities to the unique needs and interests of each group of kids as they explore and play in a self-led way. Nature sends us a constant stream of lessons, and we let those lessons guide us.

We see amazing interactions between kids in the Taproot program. Their excitement and curiosity are contagious. Their experiences are memorable. Their learning is authentic and their growth is substantial.

Testimonials

Brenna Eldeen, mother of Everly, Anden, and Hutch
I have had all three of my children in taproot at various points in their lives. They have all loved literally every minute that they have spent with Michele, Zac, and the rest of the amazing group leaders. They come home just how you want your kids to be after exploring outside—filthy, exhausted and happy as can be! I feel that Taproot teaches our kids lessons and a love for our earth that they will carry their entire lives. Worth every single penny.
Rya Dunnington, mother of Aubryn and McCall
We have been fortunate in our 13-year stint as parents to find amazing teachers for our children; people who are able to offer our children skills, awareness, and understanding about the world and themselves that not only harmonizes with our personal viewpoints but goes way beyond what my partner and I are able to accomplish on our own.
Zac, Elesa, and the entire Taproot staff are such teachers, and, as a family, we are in their debt...
Read more
Dawn Anderson, mother of Kelby and Erin
Our son, Kelby, did Taproot ASP from kindergarten through sixth grade; and our daughter, Erin, has done Taproot ASP from kindergarten until now (fourth grade). Both kids have done summer camp nearly every summer. We have felt so fortunate that Taproot has been such a big part of our children’s lives. It has been one of the major defining influences on their young lives – what they know about nature, how they appreciate and respect nature, how they can play and explore nature without structure, and how they interact with others... Read more
Jennifer New, mother of Bella and Tobey
One day I was walking in town with my then-six-year old son and out of the blue he pointed to a tree and said, ‘That's a hickory.’ I looked it up and down and decided he was probably right. ‘How did you know that?’ I asked, ever amazed by what he's managed to figure out thus far in life. ‘Zac Wedemeyer,’ he said. And that was all. Because those two words pretty much mean the gospel when it comes to nature and adventure for my kids. They've been Taproot Kids for two years, and I am so thankful and relieved... Read more
Claudia Corwin, mother of Max, Ava, and Ben
Zac's approach to outdoor education is holistic. He manages to teach important basic life lessons and skills, while at the same time helping the kids experience the very basic pleasures of being outside. … Respect is a constant underlying thread, for both nature and people … Taproot is pure nourishment, an incredible way for the kids to unwind after the rigors and expectations of the school day. It is their time to soak it all in, all the while laughing and running. Rain, shine, snow, or sleet, nothing really stops them... Read more

Financial Aid

We believe that every child deserves a chance to explore and learn from nature. If finances are a barrier for your child’s participation in Taproot, reach out to Zac to talk about financial assistance. We will work with you to come up with an affordable payment option. We will not turn a child away if their family cannot pay the tuition.

Support Taproot

We are honored to receive donations that allow us to offer financial assistance for families, because we believe every child deserves to explore nature and learn its lessons.

If you’d like to help a child attend Taproot, you can make a tax-deductible donation here.

sapling-camp_52143963957_o

Contact Taproot today!