My kids don't spend their days in classrooms. They spend them exploring the woods.

Caitlin Conway is a mom of two in Colorado.

Courtesy of Caitlin Conway Caitlin Conway is a mom of two who lives in Colorado.

She sends her two kids, ages 8 and 5, to a forest school and homeschools them.

She says the impact on them physically and emotionally is unparalleled.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Caitlin Conway .

It has been edited for length and clarity.

Years ago, when my oldest was an infant, my husband and I had seen a documentary about outdoor schooling in Nordic countries .

It really resonated with us, but it also felt intense because we're not used to seeing that kind of setup here.

It was cool, but also terrifying — kids were using knives in the woods.

Then I found a forest school in Colorado, where we live.

We started forest school when my oldest was 4.5 We started my son on the coldest day of the year, in February, and I was nervous.

We sent him out, and when he came home, he didn't say anything about the weather.

He never even mentioned that it was cold; he was immediately engrossed.

It was his primary source of education until two years ago, through first grade.