Lafayette Nature Center
300 Old Laramie Trail E, Lafayette, CO 80026
Thorne Nature Preschool is based at the new Lafayette Nature Center, home to Colorado's first custom-designed nature preschool facility. Nestled next to Coal Creek Open Space, our preschoolers spend their days immersed in hands-on learning, surrounded by the abundant flora and fauna of this beautiful natural landscape.
A few exciting features of the new preschool facility include:
Innovative indoor and outdoor nature play features that are specifically designed to help young children develop their fine and gross motor skills – indoor bird nest and treehouse, sledding hill, and a custom nature playground including a nature-themed swing and slide.
Sandpits, log structures, and loose parts that afford beloved on-going outdoor activities like digging, climbing, and building.
More than 3,000 square feet of covered outdoor space to support outdoor learning in all types of weather.
The Lafayette Nature Center is adjacent to Coal Creek Open Space, which has been the program site for our Lafayette preschool since 2020. Our cherished outdoor classrooms at Coal Creek have giant cottonwood groves, year-round access to water exploration, unique plants and animals, and seasonal surprises that inspire our learning throughout the year. These wild outdoor spaces are only a pinecone’s toss away from our new center!
