Forest & farmyard time
At least three hours outside daily — in our own school forest behind the farmstead or at the yard with the animals. Breakfast outside whenever weather allows.
Free primary school · Bavarian Forest · since 2010
Learning under trees.
A small free primary school on an old farmstead at the edge of the Bavarian Forest. Sixty children at most, twelve per learning group, at least three hours of forest or farmyard per day. In any weather.
State-approved supplementary school per Art. 102 BayEUG.
60
Children, in 4 mixed-age learning groups
Pedagogy · four pillars
What children do with us.
We believe primary school children should not sit still — they should experience. That has consequences for the daily routine, the rooms, and what we expect from parents.
Free work, Reggio-style
In the morning children work with self-chosen material, in small groups or alone. Teachers observe, document, and run targeted lessons where it makes sense.
Mixed-age learning
Four groups: Hedgehogs (yr 1–2), Squirrels (3–4), Foxes (5–6), Bears (mixed projects). Older children explain to younger — and measurably get better at their own subjects.
Workshop & hand
One full workshop session per week: carpentry, garden, animal care, kitchen. Each child rotates through all four workshops in one school year.
A day with rhythm
Clear daily structure: morning circle, free work, forest, shared lunch, workshop or quiet time, closing circle. Predictable — but never monotonous.
Parents as participants
Eight parent evenings per year, plus two compulsory parent work days. We don't believe school works if parents have never set foot on the yard.
„You don't recognise a good primary school by its boards and tests — you recognise it by how a child comes home."
— Theresa Musterfrau · Headmistress & co-founder
About us
We have no illusion that every child here is happy. But every child is to know that they are seen — and that, daily. That is measurable pedagogical craft, not gut feeling."
Theresa Musterfrau and Hannah Musterfrau founded the Lernhaus in 2010, after meeting at a Munich reform school. Sixteen years later: a farmstead, four learning groups, sixty children, and twelve permanent staff.
„We are a state-approved supplementary school per Art. 102 BayEUG," says Bauer. „Which means our children fulfil compulsory schooling, transition into mainstream secondary schools after year 4 — and arrive there, as far as we can track, without breaks."
Musterstraße 1
15 minutes from Musterort.
We sit deep in the forest, at the end of a forest path. The beautiful side of not having been chosen by a real-estate algorithm — and the reason you should call before your first visit.