About
Helena Field School
Our School
At Helena Field School, students spend 100% of their day outdoors in our local environment exploring, playing, discovering, and creating. Our mixed-ages (5-10) allow for students to learn the skills of leadership, collaboration, communication, and solving problems together.
Our homeschool enrichment program assists families in providing their children with a well-rounded education. We use our own unique place-based curriculum that allows children to learn with the seasons and follow their interests. Topics include physical and cultural geography, ecology, hydrology, biology, geology, history, and art. As we explore place-based topics and use a cross-curricular approach, our projects overlap core academic subjects, such as science, language arts, mathematics, social studies, physical education, and art.
Meet the Team
Helena Field School was founded in 2022 by Lesly Valiton and Linnea Sando. Lesly is a mom of 3 who has been teaching outdoors, early childhood education classes since 2017. She earned her Bachelor's in Health Sciences from Carroll College and later specialized in Health Coaching. She is passionate about the benefits of nature in children's physical and mental health and development.
Linnea earned her PhD in Earth Sciences. She specializes in cultural geography, researching and teaching about the ways places become unique and how we can study them. She has developed curriculum that focuses on place-based projects in Helena for the local college. Mom to 3, she loves exploring landscapes with kids and seeing the wonder of each place through their eyes.
Together, they use their skill sets and passions to provide a space for kids to be free to explore, ask questions, solve problems, form friendships, and become active community members who care about their place and the environment.
