Alternative Schooling

Have you heard of schools that teach outdoors? Have your kids ever attended such a school? I have done a little research into this area and found that there are a number of countries that teach outdoors and have seen the benefits of this unconventional method.

I discovered via a shared post on Facebook an Environmental School in Maple Ridge. It is an outdoor school for grades K - 7. Yes you heard me right, outdoors, there are no class rooms, they build fortes and learn in a natural environment no matter the weather conditions. Unfortunately I am outside the school district and the area I live in seems to be one of a few that does not have such a program but I am hoping this project will prove a success so that it expands. I believe there are other schools similar in North Vancouver and Richmond.

This video below is a Forest School in the UK.

Having had one of my kids in a Forest School in the UK I have an understanding what these schools provide. They love to be outdoors as much as possible, learning to sit quiet on a log or patch of grass, near a stream etc, learn to listen to the sounds, what is around them, observe their surroundings. You will be surprised how hard kids find it to be still and quiet. Reading stories, learning about nature, how to work with nature. Build hotels for bugs, create art from nature, climb trees, build fortes, working as a team. Kids work differently outside too and another side of their personalities come out, even the quiet and timid seem to blossom when they have space. You may be pleased to know Forest Schools have now been bought to Canada.

As I have mentioned in an earlier post I went to a one day training program for helpers who wish to participate at the school. It was a wet, cold, grey English day but we dressed for the weather and we had a fabulous time. I felt fresh and alive and I had energy, I also slept like a baby that night too. I have also met Jon Cree the Chair of the UK Forest School Association. He can climb trees better than anyone I have ever seen.

To get an idea of what it is all about and see some of the videos visit their site here.

Colony Farm Nature Walk

Today we went on a nature walk at Colony Farm. The kids thought we were going on an actual farm to pet animals but when I explained what it was this is what they said.  "What are we going for? What is there? But there is nothing to see". I had to sell it to them by saying there will be birds to see, flowers to smell and we can play Pooh sticks too. They were suspicious and not totally convinced. I told them they could take pictures and collect things along the way. They started to brighten up to this idea. 

I packed our bag with a camera for the kids, my own camera and snacks and a small bag to collect found things. Once I gave the camera to them and the collection bag they really got into it, they started to observe what was around them. It was lovely. 

We sang songs, skipped, took pictures, played Pooh sticks, had a break and a snack, climbed and I had to bribe them with hot chocolate on the way back home. 

 Colony farm is a lovely place to visit and a great place to take a bike which is what we will do next time.

Here are some of the pictures we took.

School Strikes in British Columbia

BC school teachers are striking, I don't blame them but it is frustrating and not fair on the kids. Here is a letter from a teacher, it will give you a teachers point of view. I do not want to get started on this so I will focus on my kids.

The kids have an extra long summer vacation. What is a family to do when the kids are off? I am lucky that I can work from home but I can't always justify paying a few hundred dollars here and there not since I have spent a small fortune on summer camps plus all the day trips we will have together.

Today I decided they needed an activity to keep them occupied where they do not need to rely on my input or help. I got them Lego. They have been busy building for a few hours now and they are playing with the characters. Phew! Today I have managed to keep their minds active. But what about tomorrow and the next day, I need to build a lesson plan, a calendar, a routine of sorts. Each morning they help with chores. They have to read each day, that is a given. We either read to them or they read to us or both. They of course get to play, imaginative play is the best, afterall they are only little once.

They like to play in the carport where they make mud pies and play on their bikes and scooters, they can do this in all weather and often do. I plan to take them on forest walks with bear spray in hand. They love to be outdoors and there are plenty of free activities to do, hiking, spray parks, outdoor pools, cycling and scooter-ing. I also have the support of family who can take them off my hands on odd days.

I have a birthday party to plan which is particularly challenging because I can't pick up any surprises while the kids are with me.

Hopefully the next few weeks will not be too bad for all.

Pro-D Days

During professional days (pro d days) when the school is closed I sometimes book my kids into the local art center Port Moody Art Center. They are super organised, friendly, experienced and they are very reasonably priced and the kids love it. The kids can choose from creating puppets and a theatre, painting or clay. They make the most amazing pieces. Here are some of the boxes they made recently. 

Timberline Ranch Family Day

We had an amazing day at Timberline Ranch in Maple Ridge, BC. There were so many activities, archery, horse riding, campfire marshmallows, games, tractor ride, petting zoo and more. It was a fantastic family day out. We were there for the remaining two hours but we could have easily have spend another two. 

Timberline Ranch is set in beautiful lush surroundings with miles of trails, indoor riding school plenty of space to play. Kids get to experience life outdoors in nature with plenty of fresh air and around animals. Timberline Ranch hold summer camps, either day or camp over. The area is safe, enclosed and not open to the public unless their is an event. 

When my kids are a bit older and I feel comfortable leaving them for a night or more I think this would be a fantastic break for them. 

Skiing with kids

Spring break we headed off to the Big White ski resort in Canada. The kids had never been on skis before and I had only tried it once in Whistler ten years earlier and I did not have the best experience due to the terrible conditions. We stayed in a lovely apartment with its own hot tub and the kids shared their own room and TV. We did not get to watch TV, we were all having lessons during the day and we would head off back to the room to chill out and get ready for dinner. The food was amazing, infact it had some of the best food I have ever tasted in British Columbia. 

The resort is family orientated, accommodation to suite many pockets and best of all it was ski in and out. The village is relatively small and quiet in the evenings unlike Whistler where it caters for those looking for Apres Ski without kids. The skiing is fantastic, for beginners like me and more advanced skiers like my husband. We all had a blast. Both my kids took to skiing easily, my eldest was a bit of a speed demon which was hard to watch but my husband was able to keep up. My youngest went more my pace.

The kids center was very well organised and they all had GPS's attached to ensure they would never be lost. The instructors would speak to the parents after the lessons and provide a progress report. I was so happy that one of the ladies took my youngest out of one of the groups because she was struggling to keep up. She was almost apologetic about it but I was so relieved that she had the sense to know when my daughter was tired and needed to rest. They took her to the kids center where they do arts and crafts. The poor lady basically informed us that she was not used to parents being so understanding she gets so many who demand their kids are ready for things when they are clearly endangering themselves and others. To be honest I was shocked to hear parents would get annoyed by someone being cautious and ensuring their child does not end up in hospital or worse. Not all the staff were the same. My eldest had a crash, (she was getting tired) and her teacher did not see it happen and a passerby had to help her. Her teacher did not check her over but my speed demon was OK fortunately. I was not too happy because my daughter had asked her teacher for a break but the instructor wanted to get the group down the hill. As my instructor said, tiredness on the slopes can turn to tragedy. 

Nontheless, it did not put any of us off, sometimes you have to learn to get back up and get on with it. Now that we have all had lessons we will only spend a few hours in lessons come next season for the first few days then we can all go skiing as a family. I love being outdoors. 

We will be going again and we can't wait for next year.  

Science World - Vancouver

The kids were off school and the weather was murky so an indoor event was required and a day trip. Something to do something that would be educational and fun. Well there is Science World in Vancouver and as the kids would say it is 'awesome'.  So off we ventured with friends in tow onto the Skytrain and traveled to our destination.

We spent the whole day there. It was busy and there was so much to see. There were scheduled talks and many rooms and a theme for the month, Lego. Here are a few pictures from the day.

View from Science World

Cougar

Lego Room

Nature