Testimonials

“Ms. Tamar is the most courageous, generous and uncompromising caregiver imaginable who goes above and beyond to provide a nurturing and adventurous setting for children to thrive. In collaboration with Ms. Tamar, as longtime parents we feel so lucky our two little ones (now 7 and 4) spent their preschool years with Ms. Tamar and her supportive team both at homebase and in the forest. It is hard to describe Ms. Tamar without using the word magic. She is magic and truly has a gift with young people. She is uncompromising and will do whatever is right to support the needs of any child. Her presence is calm, nurturing and makes children feel at ease as they grow into themselves. I once picked my child up early from the forest and approached the group napping in hammocks by the edge of a lake in Prospect Park. The lake sparkled as a backdrop to kids dozing in their cozy nests slung between trees. Ms. Tamar held and rocked one child who was having a hard time sleeping. My son was sitting with his head poked out of his hammock calmly waiting for me. The sight put tears in my eyes, thinking about how lucky these children are to have this experience during such a difficult time. And I am forever grateful Ms. Tamar had the courage to make it all happen. Both my children adore Ms. Tamar, and my little one still asks to see her daily. Ms. Tamar’s time and care has given our children and family lifelong gifts. We are forever grateful.”

“Our family has felt so fortunate to be with Ms Tamar for 4 years, seeing both our kids through her special program. She is extremely experienced and skilled with young children and provides such a unique magical experience for them. She is someone who can really speak the "language of children" and provides such a warm, nurturing, imaginative and safe space for them. She is also very observant and was instrumental in recognizing a slight developmental problem our older child had that would have gotten much worse had it gone on much longer and we are so grateful to her for this. Both of my children have an intimate connection with nature and have even taught me a thing or two because of all they have learned from her! I cannot think of a better program for young children and can recommend it highly.”

“We loved having our 4-year-old, at Honeytree Forest. He would return every day full stories about sharing, nature and collaboration with the other children. We feel he became more more in tune with nature while being at HoneyTree”.

“Ms Tamar is pure magic. She and her wonderful team have such a beautiful and caring way with the kids. Our Damir was an apprehensive soul; he wasn’t much of an outdoorsy person and afraid of bugs. HoneyTree Forest school changed all of that and brought out the adventurer in him. He now begs to spend time outside and will bravely pick up little critters. He recently brought a cicada home with him (to my surprise) and, to our delight, will occasionally sing a song from his time with Ms Tamar. We are forever grateful for the magic of HoneyTree Forest school”.

“We had a great experience with Honeytree Forest preschool during the summer session. Ms. Tamar and her team of teachers turn Prospect Park into an outdoor classroom. Our 4-yr old was a bit nervous at first, but she quickly came to love the teachers, make new friends, and tackle new challenges — physical, social, and in learning about the world. The kids are encouraged to explore the ever-changing landscape of the park and work and play together in an uninhibited way, with support and encouragement as needed. Our child’s particular love of singing was noticed and turned into lunchtime entertainment for the class. Quiet rest time in hammocks is a unique touch. And Covid precautions and other administrative and safety concerns are handled in a very organized way, which is especially impressive for a small team. Overall a magical community for kids and families”.

“For anyone looking for a Prospect Park forest school for the fall, we can’t rave enough about HoneyTrees Forest school. We used the program for the summer and our 4 year old loved it. They take hikes in the park, get nice and muddy, and walk over to the lake to feed the turtles. They have an amazing, Waldorf-inspired approach, and everyday our daughter comes home tired, satisfied, and with new questions on her mind. And the pièce de résistance — rest time in a HAMMOCK among the trees! Sorry parents, for kids only! :) The school meets near the Nethermead. The director, Ms. Tamar Grimm-Feeser is a longtime educator, and has an absolutely magical touch with the children”.

“Honeytree Forest school has been such a beautiful gift we were able to give our daughter.  We sent our 3 year old for the spring and summer. She loved it! She was able explore nature and have adventures in new ways. They’d go on hikes, feed the ducks, swans, and turtles. Made friends with not just her class mates but also with worms and ladybugs. She wasn’t afraid to get dirty, and had such awesome imaginative playtime. They even did a lovely  trip to the zoo one day, a major treat and highlight. Ms Tamar and her staff gave the children such a magical experience, all the while keeping them safe. One of the coolest parts was nap/rest time in hammocks, and she actually did sleep. I can’t say enough wonderful things about this program”!

“We chose to send our 4 year old Teddy to Honeytree because we felt it gave him a much needed balance from the fast city life. The teachers were truly wonderful, patient and kind - it’s the kind of program you wish you had when you were a kid”!

“Our child Maceo has been with Ms Tamar for three years. During that time, Ms Tamar has provided a nourishing and warm environment allowing Maceo to explore his interests and develop into a thoughtful, energetic, and curious child. We always felt that Maceo was, first and foremost, safe both physically and mentally. A child has to feel safe to explore their interests and Honey Tree fosters that. Ms Tamar’s soft touch and understanding character acts as the grounding force giving the children the confidence to explore their environment, emotions, and feelings. More than anything, it was the the exciting daily recaps from our child that gave us the confidence that we made the right decision. Honeytree filled Maceo’s days with; birthday circles, dragon bread, the treehouse, napping in hammocks, vivid stories, and sweet songs. Ms. Tamar was the perfect soft beginning into our child’s school journey and we will be forever grateful”.

”Our family could not have asked for a better Summer. Our daughter was super happy and grateful exploring Prospect Park while learning and playing with new friends and teachers. She hiked, rested in hammocks, listened to birds, watched wild animals, and found many treasures in the forest. Zoe would come home filled with stories to share and would dream at night about her adventures. In the morning she would wake up with excitement about her new day. It was the everlasting joy of summer days! The HTF Team and their talented and loving teachers were amazing. They are caring, nurturing and always treat children with a gentle heart. They are Prospect Park experts and lead children to many mystical places they can wander with amazement and in safety. It is a small community and parents get to know each other. I trust them and know that my child is safe, rain or shine. Our daughter is moving on to kindergarten yet I know that she will keep in her heat the nourishment and comfort she received from HTF throughout her lifetime. Thank you HTF".

”We had a conundrum on our hands - after more than a year of pandemic-driven lack of interaction with other kids, we really wanted to have an option to do an outdoor program to help transition from the isolation of the pandemic. Our kid loved the "meanders" through the park, all the impromptu stops to study mushrooms and various bugs, and most importantly, the company of the other kids in the program. A great benefit was that they enjoyed being outdoors for a good chunk of the day which hopefully has reinforced an affinity for nature that they can carry with them. The naps in a hammock were a big plus, so much so that we ended up taking it camping! Ms. Tamar and staff were great, and our kid benefited from all the attention and encouragement. We were also glad that they paid attention to preferred gender pronouns and taught the kids to address them by their own”.

”Honeytree was the perfect match for our son-spending the whole day outdoors, exploring and discovering. He he came home happy and full of stories and learnings from the day. The team at Honeytree let kids lead through their interests and questions. Their gentle guidance fostered friendships and flexibility. Communication with families was excellent and we felt very safe knowing our son was in such good hands. He loved every minute. We are looking forward to next summer”!

“In Miss Tamar’s care, our son has had such a beautiful early childhood - one that I didn’t know would be possible living in a city!  Miss Tamar respects children and creates an environment where they can explore the world at their own pace. We never wanted our son in an environment where he would be shuffled through visually overstimulating “stations” full of plastic toys.  Truly, all our son needs is a stick and some mud to be happy for hours - and Ms Tamar understands this. Miss Tamar and her wonderful, loving teachers have taken such good care of our son, and instilled in him a sense of respect and wonder for the natural world that he will carry with him for the rest of his life.  Thank you, Honeytree Forest school”!

”Our son’s time at HTF for his Pre-K year brought such joy for him and us, even while we all navigated the challenges through the early pandemic. He would come home full of stories of animal and bug sightings, or covered in mud (to our delight, since he hated getting dirty before HTF!), or proudly carrying his latest stick which he’d turned into an imaginary chainsaw or radio antenna. C still tells us HTF stories out of nowhere, or another amazing animal or plant fact he learned from Ms. Tamar and her teachers. We feel so lucky that our family stumbled onto HTF, just as we all needed it.”

“Ms. Tamar and her team were calm, loving, and consistent throughout our time at Forrest camp, and they created magical experiences for the children. She made herself available when we needed extra help, and cares deeply about children and connecting with them on their level to help them grow and learn. She's known among many of the parents as their guru, and after experiencing camp I understand why. She is a gifted teacher, and mentor”.

”Honeytree Forest school was a extraordinarily gentle, inclusive, and warm adventure school that supported Wren in both her social and emotional growth as a very curious little person. Ms Tamar’s patience and kind spirit combined with the beauty and richness of Prospect Park made for the perfect place to leave Wren with excitement each morning. We absolutely loved it”!