Coming home to roost

Quick! Grab your kids, your grandkids or your neighbor’s kids if you’re allowed and head over to the new children’s discovery center in Coarsegold, The Nest.

Described as a “caregiver-present discovery studio designed for children and their grownups to explore together,” it’s the brain-and-love child of former classroom teacher and lifelong learner, Kelly Calcagno. It’s “curated for curiosity” in a space where “wonder takes flight.”

“I wanted to create a place where we could preserve some of those things that I think childhood needs now more than ever. And that became The Nest,” Calcagno said.

Before this, she spent 14 years teaching mostly early elementary, including at local schools in Eastern Madera and Mariposa counties. She earned her master’s degree in education with an emphasis in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math).

And Calcagno was teaching in the classroom when school ended this year in June.

Now, she’s opened a business that’s the talk of town.

“While The Nest is something completely new for me, the ideas behind it really aren’t,” Calcagno said. “They grew out of years spent alongside children, paying attention to how they learn, what captures their curiosity and what seems to help them really come alive.”

Shaping of a teacher

The daughter of a teacher, Calcagno knew from the time she was little she wanted to be one, too. Her everlasting wonder about the world shaped the kind of teacher she became.

“I think wonder often begins with really small things: noticing a feather, watching an insect, wondering how a nest holds together. There’s a kind of gratitude that grows when we slow down enough to notice those things.”

Over time the teacher found herself increasingly drawn to the moments when children were genuinely curious and deeply engaged.

“I loved weaving subjects together through big themes and experiences, bringing in science and art and stories and building and nature.”

And that’s what she’s gathered at The Nest. The Nest website explains a lot but sometimes the concept is a little hard to convey with just words and pictures — part of it is the feeling of being there — which is why you want to go IRL (in real life).

“The Nest doesn’t fit very neatly into one familiar category. It’s a little bit children’s discovery museum, a little bit play café, a little bit enrichment education, a little bit art and maker studio and a little bit community gathering place.”

The Nest offers a variety of experiences from quiet Open Nest time or a Discovery Session to a Wonder Workshop or Keepers of the Craft. Children, families, school field trips, home school groups and birthday celebrations are all part of The Nest menu.

Children can visit the Nestlings Nook for littler littles, Story Grove, the Creative Studio, Builders Workshop, Discovery Hall, Imagination Station, the Backyard and Community Commons.

The studio evolves seasonally through different Worlds with new materials, questions and experiences. Currently the theme is “Beneath the Waves.” The worlds will change, the studio will shift with them and the unexpected is not out of the question.

“Right now, I’m especially excited about getting Keepers of Craft rolling, where we invite people from our community who carry interesting skills, knowledge and traditions to share them with children and families. There are fascinating people all around us, and I want children to have opportunities to encounter them.”

Future plans

Calcagno has Team Talon raptor education center lined up for the future along with a visit from Coarsegold’s own Nature of Wildworks wild animal refuge center on the calendar.

Teena Hagerman will teach a movement class for the little ones this month. These are just some of the Keepers planned — check the website for details or give Calcagno a call.

With myriad educational opportunities baked into the existing programs at The Nest, Calcagno wants people to know the overarching purpose is simple — just play.

Through her experience with children, including two of her own, Calcagno said she became “really protective of play and its role in children’s development.”

“Children need places where they have time to wonder, pretend, imagine, make, investigate, get messy, change their minds and stay with something simply because it has captured their attention.”

In a rural environment like Eastern Madera County, many families are familiar with the riff, “what is there to do?” But kids don’t necessarily need more entertainment, Calcagno said.

“In fact, I’d be so bold as to argue that they need less. I think they need time, space and something that provides the spark. What happens after that can belong to them.”

What happens at The Nest is not only good for the goslings, it’s good for the goose and gander.

“I wanted a place where children could meet other children and play, but where the grownups belonged too. A place where a parent could have a cup of coffee and talk to another adult, get a little work done, read a book or get down on the floor and play with their child. Somewhere you didn’t feel like you were just waiting for your kid to finish being a kid.”

Pro tip: the wifi is free when you’re a “Nest Guest.”

Rather than being assailed by a barrage of primary colors, shapes and alphabet, visitors will find The Nest is decorated in soothing sage tones and there’s just the right amount of stuff so it feels abundant without being cluttered.

And the music playing quietly is less Seussical and more spa, which is sometimes just what Dr. Mommy orders (and needs). The Nest is carefully curated from corner to corner to invite exploration without excess stimulation. Parents and guardians have plenty of places to sit and ponder or participate as they prefer.

Added benefits

Calcagno said one of the greatest things about opening The Nest and leaving her full-time teaching position has been “getting to be a mom in the way I’ve wanted to be.”

“I loved being a teacher, but teaching asks so much of you — not just during the school day, but before it, after it, at night and on weekends. I was giving so much of myself to other people’s children while also trying to make sure I still had enough of myself left for my own.”

Being her own boss doesn’t mean she’s working less — Calcagno said she’s never worked harder — but now she has ownership over her time.

“I can build this business around being there for my family, too. That feels incredibly good. Another unexpected gift has been becoming part of this community from the small-business side. I’ve felt so much encouragement from other local business owners.”

And the Nest isn’t just for home school families or just for little kids, Calcagno pointed out.

“You don’t have to be a particular kind of family to belong here, to be especially artistic or outdoorsy or already know how to encourage open-ended play. Some children walk through the door and immediately dive into everything, while others need to hang back and observe for a while. However your family finds its way into wonder, there should be room for you here.”

Leaving her classroom job behind to own and operate a business was a big leap of faith for Calcagno but once she made the jump it all felt right.

“There was so much encouragement and excitement and I think that gave me the final push I needed to say, ‘Okay, maybe I really can do this crazy thing.’ Since then, one of the most surprising and encouraging things has been watching the word spread.”

Once The Nest is discovered the refrain becomes, “We really needed a place like this here!”

Coming to life

“As someone who created The Nest hoping to fill a need in our community, that’s an incredible thing to hear,” Calcagno said. “But I think what has meant even more has been hearing The Nest itself begin to come alive. There are the squeals of little kids discovering something unexpected, the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ and kids calling a grown-up over because they have to show them something.”

The soundtrack of The Nest also features what Calcagno yearned to hear: parents catching up with old friends, meeting new ones and conversations happening over coffee while children play and investigate the world nearby.

“It’s still very new and we’re definitely still finding our rhythm. But there have already been moments when I’ve stood back and listened to that beautiful hum of children exploring and grownups connecting and thought, ‘Yes. This is what I hoped it could be.’”

Membership is available but not required. The cost either way is favorable.

The Nest is located at 35572 Highway 31 in Coarsegold, between the Community Center and the post office in the building where Swan Integrative Health was located.

For more information visit www.thenestdiscoverystudio.com, phone (559) 580-8864 and follow on social media.