The Sooke School District will begin a Nature Kindergarten program at Saseenos Elementary School in Sooke in September 2017.

Parents who are interested in registering their child for this program, should attend one of the following parent information sessions at Saseenos Elementary School.

Thursday, January 19th  6:30 PM

Saturday, January 21st  10 AM

Parents do not need to register for the information session.

There will be Parent Information Sessions taking place at Sangster Elementary School on …

Thursday, January 12th at 6:30 PM

Saturday, January 14th at 10 AM

It is very important for parents/guardians of prospective Sangster Elementary School Nature Kindergarten students to attend one of these two sessions.

If you are in the Winnipeg area, please consider attending the Manitoba Nature Action Collaborative for Children meeting on October 26th.  See details on the link below.

nature-support-poster-1610

Please visit the following link to learn more about the International Association of Nature Pedagogy and their upcoming conference in Scotland, UK on August 25th.  This organization was founded by Claire Warden who has published several books related to forest preschools.

https://www.naturepedagogy.com

Parent Information Sessions will take place at Sangster Elementary School in Colwood. Those interested in this program are asked to attend one of these sessions before registering for this program:

Thursday, January 14th at 6:30 PM

Saturday, January 16th at 10 AM

For more information on registering for Nature Kindergarten, please visit the Kindergarten page on the SD62 website.

To view the Nature Kindergarten TEDx Victoria talk, follow this link:

The event takes place this Saturday and registration is open via Royal Roads Cont. Studies.  The program is as follows:

                                            Growing More Knowledge

October, 24 2015

Royal Roads University

8:30 – 9:00 AM                   Registration

9:00 – 10:00 AM                 Keynote – David Sobel

10:00 – 10:15 AM              Break

Morning Session  10:15 – 11:15 AM

‘If you go into the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise’:  Exploring the invitational nature of an Ontario Forest School program.  Debra Harwood, Brock University

Moving Learning Outdoors:  Nature Kindergarten.  Lisa Lockerbie and Erin Van Stone, Sangster Elementary School, Sooke School District

Boys being boys?:  The challenge to eco-care in the modern world.  Laura Piersol, Michael Derby, Jade Ho, and Sean Blenkinsop, Simon Fraser University

Nature Based Education at Strawberry Vale School.  Lenny Ross and Kiersten Brookes, Strawberry Vale School, Victoria School District

11:30 – 12:15                      Panel

12:15 – 1:00                         Lunch

Afternoon Session I            1:15 – 2:15 PM

Reframing Risky Outdoor Play:  RISK – It’s not just a four letter word.  Chris Filler, Child Nature Alliance/Forest Schools Canada; University of Victoria, District of Saanich

Field and Forest Nature School (a ten year journey).  Ron Blatz, Discovery Children’s Centre, Winnipeg

What is Permaculture, and Why is it a Fabulous Way to Help Children Connect with the Rest of Nature?  Julie Johnston and Stephen Levesque, Gulf Islands School District

Forest Fridays – Getting Nature into every Kindergarten/Grade 1 Class! Bonnie Davison, Victoria Nature School Society

Afternoon Session II           2:30 – 3:30 PM

Toward the Outdoors – a cultural shift to increased student and teacher engagement in nature.  Jeff Baxter, Sangster Elementary School, Sooke School District

Abbotsford’s Nature Kindergarten Pilot.  Cindy Romanowski and Jenn Baerg, Abbotsford School District

Maple Ridge Environmental School Project:  Learning to Indigenize Practice.  Randy Bates, Mario Beaulieu and Clayton Maitland, Maple Ridge School District

Hands on workshop with David Sobel

3:30 PM                 Close

Please follow this link to learn who will be presenting at Growing More Knowledge.  Thank you to all of our workshop presenters!

Growing More Knowledge – Workshop Program

In addition to our keynote speaker, David Sobel, there will be twelve different groups presenting at Growing More Knowledge on Saturday, October 24th at Royal Roads University.  We have presenters coming from across British Columbia in addition to a speaker from Manitoba and another from Ontario.  Please register soon!  Registration costs $100, plus applicable taxes.  Please contact the Royal Roads Cont. Studies Department.

With the support of Royal Roads University and SFU, we will be hosting Growing More Knowledge on Saturday October 24th at Royal Roads University in Victoria BC.  Please follow the link below for more information on how to register.

Growing More Knowledge Symposium

If you are currently engaged in an outdoor learning program for the early years (ages 3 to 8), and are interested in presenting at the conference, please contact Dr. Enid Elliot at eelliot@uvic.ca by September 18.