Nature Kindergarten

There has been growing interest across school districts in the province in the Nature Kindergarten model.  Several school districts have started similar programs or are contemplating starting them in the near future.  Please follow this link to read a recent Times Colonist story about the Victoria School District.

http://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/victoria-board-considers-offering-nature-kindergartens-with-outdoor-classes-1.654783

Please see link for a recent Globe and Mail article on outdoor playspaces and outdoor learning (including Sooke’s Nature Kindergarten!)

www.theglobeandmail.com%2fnews%2fnational%2feducation%2fschools-looking-outside-to-inspire-students%2farticle14488735%2f

Interested in learning more about Sooke School District’s Nature Kindergarten … consider registering for The Nature Kindergarten Experience course at Royal Roads.  This year the course will be all day from 10 am to 3 pm on Friday, Dec. 6, Friday, April 11 and Friday, June 13th.

Please follow the attached link to learn more about the OPEN Conference at the Horticultural Centre of the Pacific on October 19th.

   Open the Door to a Greener Space

Last week, enid and I had the pleasure of meeting with Jon Cree who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the recently founded Forest School Association in the UK.  This non-profit association was established a year ago, and has grown to a membership of 500 in a very short time.

“The FSA is the professional body and dedicated voice for Forest School within the UK. We are devoted to promoting quality Forest School for all.”  (http://www.forestschoolassociation.org/)

Jon was in Canada carrying out Forest School training in New Brunswick and Ontario.  This training was organized by Forest Schools Canada (http://www.forestschoolcanada.ca), and was attended primarily by teachers and early childhood educators.  We look forward to further dialogue with Forest Schools Canada about future training opportunities in western Canada.

The school year has ended, and sadly this means that our first cohort of Nature Kindergarten students will move onto Grade One in the fall.  Thank you to all Nature Kindergarten parents who completed our two-page year end questionnaire.  We were pleased to receive 18 (of 21) completed questionnaires.  According to the parent questionnaires, the program exceeded parents’ expectations and their children had a positive Kindergarten experience.

So, what did parents feel their children learned as a result of their Nature Kindergarten experience?  Some themes emerged …

* Increased knowledge about animals, flora and fauna

* Improved physical stamina and endurance

* A greater desire to be outdoors in all types of weather and for longer periods of time

* An interest in First Nations stories and culture

* Empathy toward classmates and living beings found in the forest

* A stronger sense of self-confidence

* An increase in the time families spent outdoors, especially in poor weather

Some parent comments below:

“She is much more aware of the environment and how we all need to do our share to keep our environment/nature in good order for the future.”

“My child is the most physically fit he has ever been, he sleeps better, he eats even better, our family is even more active outdoors together.”

“I am now being out run by my 5 year old.”

“We are less likely to ‘wimp out’ about being active outside inclement weather!  We are also not shying away from active days with our kids.”

“He has drastically improved his self-regulation.”

“My son adores Miss Muriel, he loves Thursdays and loves learning all about the First Nations people.  He is constantly teaching our family facts about traditions, culture, music, language, and stories too.”

Last month, the Nature Kindergarten team was pleased to be invited to showcase the project at the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health.

At the Ministry of Education, recipients of the “Innovation through ‘Collaboration Action Research'” grant were invited to share the successes and challenges of their projects on June 14th along with educators from several other school districts around the province.   Lisa, Erin, Frances, Maureen and Enid did a formal presentation and then later participated in a ‘topic table’ discussion with educators whose projects had a similar outdoor learning focus.

Later in the month, Enid, Ulrich Mueller (UVic professor conducting Nature K research) and Frances were invited to present to the cross-ministries “Healthy by Nature Working Group”.  This group has representatives from following government ministries:  transportation, education, health, environment, and child & early development.  The group asked many important and thought-provoking questions, and we appreciated being given an opportunity to share photos, anecdotes and some video footage of the first year of Nature Kindergarten.

Please follow the attached link …  http://tinyurl.com/kx3sdxw

Toronto Star newspaper journalist, Andrea Gordon, spent two days with our Nature Kindergarten educators and students this spring.  Follow this link to order her e-book for $2.99 … it is well-written, researched, and informative!

http://www.stardispatches.com/single.php?id=37