The Blog

Getting outside every day is one of the best ways to keep children’s bodies and our minds healthy. With schools and recreational amenities currenly closed across the province, we’ve come up with some simple ideas for parents and children to enjoy nature and outdoor play together.

When there is fresh snow on the ground, The Nature School Primary students arrive to our outdoor classroom with a renewed sense of excitement and wonder. What will we make? What will we build? How will we play?

Winter 2020: Self-regulation refers to children’s ability to regulate emotions such as frustration or impatience. These are large tasks for preschoolers to learn — but being outside in nature can help promote self-regulation skills. There are fewer stressors, more space, and the freedom to explore and play.

Fall 2019: Storytelling is an important part of the Nature School experience. Through storytelling, children learn about themselves, their friends, and the world around them.

Fall 2019: Play may be kid stuff, but as we’ve observed at the Nature School, it’s also an important form of learning that can lead to physical, social, emotional and cognitive development.

Fall 2019: The beginning of September saw us return to our Nature School. Our returning students greeted us and each other warmly, and then engaged in play, taking up — seemingly without a beat — where they had left off last spring.