Forest Spirit Learning: Nurturing a Love for Nature Through Hands-On Education

I haven’t yet visited Forest Spirit Learning, a nature-based educational space founded by Jyoti Raghavan in Haryana’s Sector 79, but when 13-year-old Aarush Gupta shows me his painting, I’m instantly transported there. His artwork, with its vibrant hues and intricate shading, beautifully captures the essence of this green haven.

As I admire his creation, his mother, Meenakshi, shares how rare it is for her neurodivergent son to express himself so fluently in words. His visual vocabulary has done it for him this time. She recounts his birthday visit to Forest Spirit Learning, a day when his imagination ran wild. “He wanted to draw the vegetables, the trees, the flowers—everything he saw. He even named all the shades of green he spotted in the leaves, wanting his painting to reflect them,” she explains.

Ever since, Aarush has returned to the nature school with intent—using his palette to bring the landscape to life. Jyoti interjects, smiling, “Nature has that effect. It helps you make sense of the world, no matter who you are.”

Forest Spirit Learning: A Space for Life Skills

Scrolling through the school’s Instagram page, I’m struck by an image of a barbet being cradled. The bird had crashed into a glass window and was brought to Jyoti for care. “Barbets feed on the fruit of peepal and banyan trees. The locals wanted it re-homed on the nearby peepal tree,” she shares.

A few days of rest, recovery, and food nursed the bird back to health. But this isn’t an isolated act of kindness. Over the years, Jyoti has extended the same care to snakes, barn owls, mongooses, squirrels, and garden lizards. Her goal is clear—to make nature a mainstay in everyday conversations.

Today, students from across Delhi and Gurugram flock to the space, reveling in its greenery and hands-on lessons. When they’re not learning about organic farming, they’re harvesting vegetables, and when that’s done, they feast on their bounty. More than just a farm-to-table experience, Jyoti sees this as a way to reconnect children with their roots.

Since its inception, Forest Spirit Learning has welcomed over 200 children. Some visit for a picnic, others as homeschoolers eager to learn new skills, and some even come to stargaze. On January 25, the ‘school’ saw 150 attendees—both adults and children—gathering to witness the rare planetary parade through a telescope. But even when celestial events aren’t unfolding, there’s always something happening on the land.

Sustainable Architecture: Learning from the Past

A typical student tour begins with an introduction to the school’s architecture, built by Jyoti with help from volunteers from Nepal, Italy, the UK, the US, South Africa, and Australia. The structure stands as a testament to sustainability, crafted from mud, bamboo, and beer bottles—sourced from Gurugram’s off-licences.

“I wanted this space to cause minimal damage to the land,” she explains. The construction follows a water-based method, using mud and bamboo coated with clay. This ensures durability while keeping the interiors warm in winter and cool in summer. The beer bottles embedded in the walls serve an aesthetic purpose, filtering sunlight and casting colorful shadows on the floor.

“Most of these children have only seen concrete and cement constructions,” Jyoti notes. “Here, they learn about sustainable architecture and why the only way forward is to look back at traditional techniques.”

Plant Identification: Reconnecting with Nature

Next comes the ‘plant identification tour.’ Jyoti fondly recalls her childhood, spent climbing trees and exploring gardens filled with guava, mango, jamun, and banana trees. “Back then, we didn’t have apartment complexes. Our single-storied homes had vast verandas where we could identify different plants. I want to pass this skill on.”

“Smell the leaves,” she urges the students. “The scent will help you distinguish toxic plants from edible ones.” She highlights a common irony—many children consume basil in pasta and bay leaves in biryani but cannot identify them in nature. Teaching them about their food sources fosters a deeper appreciation for what they eat.

This lesson extends to the kitchen, where students observe the organic waste lifecycle. Composting and bio-enzyme making are taken seriously at Forest Spirit Learning, reinforcing the ethos of sustainability.

Hands-On Learning: A Curriculum Rooted in Nature

Beyond farming and plant identification, Jyoti envisions expanding the curriculum to include essential life skills—cooking, sewing, mending, carpentry, electrical work, and plumbing. The children embrace these hands-on experiences, evident in the enthusiasm surrounding an ‘insect hotel building workshop.’

“Pollinators were emerging from hibernation, so we had children build a home for them—a little hotel for insects,” Jyoti explains. This concept of ecosystems is also reflected in the campus pond. “I love dragonflies, so I dug a pond. The stagnant water attracted mosquitoes, whose larvae drew dragonflies. Then came frogs, followed by kingfishers, and soon, other birds.”

From Garden to Plate: A Lesson in Mindful Consumption

The tours always end with a meal, but not before the children harvest their own vegetables. Overwhelmed by the idea, they often get carried away. “Take only what you can finish eating,” Jyoti reminds them. “Everything is a resource, and nothing should be wasted.”

The vegetable patch brims with cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, onions, potatoes, garlic, fenugreek, radish, brinjal, lettuce, tomatoes, and chillies. The freshly picked produce is served alongside traditional dishes—bajra rotis, chutneys, buttermilk, mustard greens, and lentils—prepared by local cooks.

Having nurtured this land, Jyoti has learned a fundamental truth: nature just needs one chance to bounce back. “If you give it that chance, you’ll witness magic.”

A Vision for the Future

Jyoti’s journey began long before Forest Spirit Learning took root. Having grown up surrounded by trees, she developed a deep affinity for forests. Her move from Delhi to Gurugram seven years ago ignited her advocacy for the protection of the Aravalli range—a mountainous region threatened by rampant mining. Her environmental efforts soon led her to a realization: “How can children be taught to save forests when they don’t even know what a forest is?”

This question inspired her to create Forest Spirit Learning, a space where education extends beyond textbooks.

As the tour comes to an end, Aarush, who has been sketching throughout, unveils his latest masterpiece. It is a vision of the world he wants to live in—one filled with shades of green.

And in that moment, it’s clear: Forest Spirit Learning isn’t just teaching children about nature. It’s inspiring them to dream of a greener future.