In June, members of our project team had an opportunity to visit Cedarsong Nature School on Vashon Island, WA (www.cedarsongnatureschool.org) and O.U.R. EcoVillage in Shawnigan Lake, BC (http://ourecovillage.org).  These visits were informative and helpful in shaping our thinking around a Nature Kindergarten in Sooke School District.  Thank you also to Liz, teacher at Wildflower School in Nelson, B.C., who joined our last Nature K meeting and shared her experiences of teaching in a multi-age, alternative classroom setting with us.

Currently, Lisa Lockerbie, a Sooke School District teacher, is in England experiencing summer forest school programs organized by a friend of hers.  We look forward to viewing Lisa’s video footage when she returns!

I am in Munich, Germany and will re-connect with the early childhood educator who taught in the Waldkindergarten Program (forest preschool) that inspired this project.

The concept of a Nature Kindergarten in the Sooke School District has been presented to various groups including the Board of Trustees, senior management, elementary principals and vice principals, and interested Kindergarten teachers.  A pilot Nature Kindergarten class is proposed to begin in September 2012.  At this time, our planning group is researching various forest preschool and outdoor school models.  We are planning a few visits to different sites during the month of June and also hoping to consult with some experts in early summer.  Our planning group is also currently focused on securing funding for this pilot project.  Last week, we were notified that we received a $12,500 Rural Innovations Grant from U.B.C.

We are meeting at Royal Roads University at 3pm on June 21 in the Grant Building, Room 204

We are meeting today at Royal Roads University at 3pm in Grant, Rm. 204.

Kids looking for creatures in the grass

Welcome to the Nature Kindergarten blog.  We will use this site to make announcements about the progress of the Nature Kindergarten initiative here at School District #62.

Take a look at our Proposal For A Nature Kindergarten.