As I move towards a consultant space I engage in conversations with thoughtful educators who can be dismissive of the importance of the assessment tools that are (or should be) a part of outdoor education. While our relatively small groups of children using natural spaces as classrooms and playgrounds has much less impact than a … Read more
I saw Arrowleaf Balsamroot flowers in bloom on Friday during my afternoon hike. The appearance of this common wildflower is my cue to remind families to teach their children to not pick wildflowers. One of the hills where we play has a remarkable population of blue flax flowers. These flowers are extremely fragile and last … Read more
You may have noticed your child brought home a tiny slip of paper with their Nature Name on it. At the beginning of each session every child get’s a nature name from our very own Peter Rabbit. Nature names help us become more aware of the flora and fauna that exist in our local eco … Read more
It is all of our responsibility to care for the land, air and water that provides for us. Over the years it seems we have become disconnected from nature and no longer have an awareness of our impact. Here are some helpful guidelines that I hope become part of the culture of being Canadian. If … Read more
This week we will look at the many flowers blooming in our community. I couldn’t possibly include them all so I’ve gathered some of the most common and marked those which we can pick and those which are best left in place. You will need: Flower hunt list A container for flowers When you’ve gathered … Read more
Young children are increasingly engaged in structured activities such as dance, music, soccer and while these are good they are losing the opportunity for unstructured play and it’s hurting their development.
Playing in a playground where every tree is carefully planted has a different quality than play that takes place in a natural environment. Think back to a camping trip where your children played for hours barely supervised and imagine spending even an hour at the park that way.