Our "unofficial" Forest & Nature School program

This programming has been evolving for the last 9 years in our classroom here at St. Mary's French Immersion Catholic School. The students and team members may have changed over the years, but my personal and professional goal has always been to take our learning outside or to bring nature back into the traditional classroom. Our students are so curious and when we are learning outside and in nature, I get the "warm and fuzzies" and sometimes even emotional. The growth in learning, especially in self-regulation and well-being is beyond words. Students who are typically quiet or reluctant to participate orally, have so much to say and share when they are playing, learning with, or exploring in nature. Students who typically struggle with "strong emotions" or disruptive behaviours in a traditional classroom are thriving in this program. The research is legit! Lots of benefits for both the students and educators alike! The documentation is plentiful and the family support has been amazing! Though our program is not formally recognized or "official" in any capacity by our school board, it has not stopped me from doing what I love as a Kindergarten French Immersion teacher and Forest & Nature School practitioner. I look for funding, self-promote the program, invite people to follow our learning journey online, and "share the learning" with others beyond our school board. I love our second classroom at St, Kateri Outdoor Learning Centre, and guess what...it's FREE to use as a board employee! I have been self-directing my outdoor education & forest school professional development for the past 9 years and I have all the tools and materials to run a Forest School Program connected to our Ontario Full Day French Immersion Kindergarten Program. The only thing we need to run our Forest School Program offsite is the cost of transportation! Full transparency, the cost is just under $113 this year for each visit. We are at St. Kateri OLC from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. for FNS programming. Over the last 9 years, our families have funded some trips, we applied for and received funding through joint ministry/board project funding (TLLP, LIFT, TLIA, Experiential Learning) plus we have also held a variety of simple fundraisers. When we "share our learning" with other classes in our school or school board, their families or school pays for the bus and we plan and guide the entire full-day experience for their students and classroom teams. Check back often and see what we're up to next! Stephanie