Days and Hours: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays 8:30 am to 12:30 pm.
Meeting Place: Upper City Park, Iowa City
Group Size: Six children with two adult teachers

The Fall 2025 session runs from September 2 to November 18, 2025
Mondays $550, Tuesdays $600, Wednesdays $550

The Spring 2026 session runs from March 23 to May 27, 2026
Mondays $450, Tuesdays $500, Wednesdays $450

Sprouts ride in the “Lorax,” our 15-passenger Ford van. Families provide a car seat or booster, which can be installed each day or left in the van for the session.

The Sprouts Morning Program gives young children fun, quality time in nature with gentle, loving guidance. Sprouts spend the morning playing, exploring, dancing, conversing, and learning all sorts of stuff in an atmosphere of kindness, respect, friendship, and nature. Taproot Sprouts teachers are experienced shepherds of young children. Sprouts practice using their own voices to express their feelings and needs, and listening to the feelings and needs of others. Daily destinations will depend on the weather and what’s happening in the natural world. Just like the other Taproot programs, Sprouts is outdoors in all but the harshest of weather, so weather-appropriate clothing is required (We don’t want kids to be miserable though, so we’re realistic and compassionate about things).

Potty awareness and control are very helpful for Sprouts but not absolutely required.