We strive to be active members of our local community.
We are stewards of our local eco-system, the parks & places where nature lives.
At Sprouting Knowledge we follow both the Forest Schools Ethos & Principles and 8 Shields Principles
We are guided and inspired by the wisdom of listening deeply to our hearts and intuition. The beauty of working in nature is that it allows us the time and space to hear those messages, reflect and take action.
We are a not-for-profit society whose purpose is to deliver exceptional outdoor programming rooted in a thorough understanding of both human development and our local environment. The people we work with are experts in their fields and bring their skills and talents to our unique programs. We prioritize maintaining low educator to participant ratios and providing fair compensation, recognizing that these elements are essential for fostering meaningful connections, learning experiences, and sustainable practices within our community.
All programs run in Peterson Creek,
a culturally significant area to our local First Nation.
We respectfully acknowledge that we live and work on the traditional unceeded territory of the Secwepemc Nation and the Tkâemlups te Secwepemc people.
Mission
Our mission is to deliver high-quality, engaging, empowering, and educational programming to children, parents, educators, and community members. Through our initiatives, we aim to cultivate a profound and enduring connection with our local ecosystems, fostering understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of the natural world.”
Vision
We envision a community where members recognize their interconnectedness with the natural world and embrace a profound sense of stewardship and responsibility. Where we work collaboratively to enhance and enrich our local environment, ensuring its vitality for generations to come.
Core Values
We believe in developmentally appropriate practice in education that meets the needs of the children and families we serve. We strive to provide the highest quality programming possible by committing to forming strong relationships and using personal reflection as a tool for my own growth.
We firmly believe we are stewards of the land where we work and play. It is our responsibility, as stewards, to leave the eco-system better than when we found it and to engage in sustainable, ethical practices always in all ways, to give back to the land and our community in ways which show our gratitude.
“Unless we are willing to encourage our children to reconnect with and appreciate the natural world, we can’t expect them to help protect and care for it.”
David Suzuki
* This website is full of links and snippets of articles regarding the research, studies and articles that guide and influence our work.
Our Story
In 2009 I was reading a magazine and came across an article much like this one:
How to Parent Like a Scandinavian https://time.com/4968712/parenting-advice-scandinavian/
And I thought to myself, this is what I want for my kids.
My kids at the time were 6 and 3. One had just finished kindergarten and the other was headed there soon enough.
I was grappling with the idea that my children were going to be raised on auto-pilot in a society that didn’t reflect my values and was brainstorming ideas about how to remediate that.
I got an idea.
I had a friend who had 4 children and their latest nanny had just left.
The kids had been through numerous nannies and were pretty upset about losing this last one whom they loved.
“How about I be your nanny? Your last nanny. The only other nanny your kids will ever have.”
But there’s a catch.
“We’re not going to go inside until dinnertime. Ever.”
Fortunately she was game and my experiment began: 6 kids ages 3-10 outside after school, all afternoon.
The first day they were not impressed.
The second day was better.
And by the end of the week we were best friends.
Wandering the neighbourhood, parks and beaches became our pastime.
Learning new games, collecting sticks and watching plants grow were our after school activities.
It was the first time I experienced joy.
You see I didn’t grow up a happy child.
I was lonely, shy and weird.
I did NOT fit in.
My parents were just doing their best but I was truly miserable as a young person.
And so when I say it was the first time I experienced joy I mean it.
I remember every detail.
We were on a beach in the afternoon and I was sitting with the oldest girl.
The boys were playing in a hole to our right and the other girls were sitting just ahead of us.We were pondering over whether the glitter in the sand was mica or fish scales as we smeared it on our legs.
The oldest boy suddenly came up to me and tagged me on the shoulder, “tag, you’re it.” he called as he went tearing down the beach.
We all leapt up immediately and began running like wild animals along the shore.
Today it seems like such a simple thing.
And I have had hundreds of experiences since then.
But that day was the first day I felt free.
Not long after that I had a semi-mid life crisis and moved my kids who were now aged 4 and 6 into a van for 8 months.
We tried to settle down into normalcy but a few years later I moved us to a nearby valley so they could attend a Waldorf school.
That failed and we ended up back here which is when I started Sprouting Knowledge.
I’ve learned a ton about nature and children and teaching since then.
My blog is where I share a lot of my hard learned lessons with you.
And this organization is how I share my heart with you.
My passion for a childhood free of all that is awful in our society and filled with all that is good.
That is what I want for your children.
That is what Sprouting Knowledge strives to create each and every day one caring moment at a time.