BOISE, Idaho — While most students are preparing for a day inside the classroom, young learners at the Jim Hall Foothills Learning Center are getting their education from Mother Nature.

Students ages three to five at the City of Boise preschool are learning outside year-round, stepping out of traditional classrooms to explore the seasons through hands-on lessons in the dirt.

"We are by and large outside all of the time, rain, snow, cold weather," said Mary Jo Surges-Prokop, early education specialist.

On Monday, students baked mud cakes, climbed trees, and dug into their surroundings as they returned to the trails for the new school year.

WATCH: How outdoor learning builds confidence and friendships — Boise preschoolers learn year-round in nature's classroom

Surges-Prokop said the

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