Question 1

What is your philosophy?

Accepted Answer

We adhere to the Forest School philosophy, which prioritizes providing all learners with consistent opportunities to thrive, fostering confidence and self-esteem through immersive, hands-on learning experiences in natural environments. Forest School represents a specialized educational approach that seamlessly integrates with and enhances broader outdoor and woodland education initiatives
(www.forestschoolassociation.org).

Question 2

Why is playing outside important?

Accepted Answer

Playing outside offers numerous learning opportunities for children. Engaging in creative outdoor play is particularly beneficial as it encourages imagination and communication skills. When children utilize natural objects in their play, such as sticks, they are prompted to verbally express the object's purpose and significance to their peers. For instance, a stick might transform into a walkie-talkie, a magic wand, an animal, or a fishing pole within the context of a play scenario.

Unlike toys or materials with predetermined uses, natural objects allow for more spontaneous and imaginative plot development. This freedom inspires children to invent creative narratives and explore endless possibilities in their play. By fostering imaginative play, outdoor activities stimulate the further development of children's creativity and communication skills, enriching their learning experiences.

Question 3

What will my child learn?

Accepted Answer

Our teachers facilitate holistic, age-appropriate experiences with a play-based, child-centered approach that encourages connections with nature. We emphasize literacy, social skills, and critical thinking through storytelling, teamwork, and interactive play. While we introduce academic concepts like vocabulary and math, our focus adapts to the children's developmental stages.

Outdoor exploration is integral to nurturing emotional and cognitive growth. We document your child's journey through photos, observations, and notes, and maintain open communication with parents. Our belief in diverse learning approaches fosters curiosity, social skills, compassion, self-regulation, and confidence through sensory-based experiences, laying the groundwork for academic success. Academics naturally emerge as children progress, and our goal is to support and celebrate their educational journey.

Question 4

What does a typical day look like?

Accepted Answer

Our program offers an immersive outdoor learning experience tailored to our children's needs, with flexible semester and seasonal camp schedules.

Each day is a unique adventure shaped by the children, the season, and our natural surroundings. We start by warmly welcoming everyone and preparing for outdoor play and exploration. Our teachers provide materials tailored to students' interests and discoveries.

Before heading out, we review safety rules for a secure environment. Then, we embark on an exploration, comparing and contrasting our findings. We gather for a story and lesson, applying new skills in our exploration.

Weekend programs often include a sharing session before wrapping up, while full-day sessions feature lunch, craft time, and teacher-led activities like games or shelter building. While on our walk to the drop-off/ pick-up location, we take time to reflect on our experiences and highlights from the day.

Activities include hiking, treasure hunting, climbing, shelter building and imaginative play, fostering a rich tapestry of learning and adventure in the great outdoors.

Question 5

What should my child wear?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the activity level and the weather/ season. The best strategy is to master the art of layering, which allows your children to regulate their comfort by shuffling layers on and off as their activity level or weather changes.

How to layer: To understand this you will first need to know the function of each layer.

Base layer: Underwear layer which wicks sweat from the skin
Mid Layer: Insulating layer which retains body heat
Outer Layer: Waterproof layer which shields your body from wind and rain
Footwear: Shoes and socks which support children exploring

Here is a PDF guide you can follow:

Question 6

What should we pack?

Accepted Answer

In the backpack we recommend packing the following things:

Spare clothes and socks
Hand Towel
Healthy snacks (Nut-free)
Plastic bags (in case clothes and socks get wet) 
A reusable water bottle (300ml min)
For the summer: extra water, lunch, bug spray and sunscreen for reapplying throughout the day

Question 7

Why are snacks and water essential?

Accepted Answer

Ensuring children have access to nutritious snacks is crucial, given their small stomachs and high energy expenditure. In our programs, we engage in various activities like creative crafts, exploring, and hiking, all of which demand considerable energy. We emphasize teaching children the significance of nourishing their bodies and fostering a positive relationship with food. To support this, we operate under an open snack policy, allowing children to refuel whenever hunger strikes, thus sustaining their energy levels throughout our activities.

Question 8

What are the recommended snacks?

Accepted Answer

We recommend packing a small healthy snack like fresh fruits, vegetables, cheese, crackers, granola bar, yogurt, and hard boiled eggs etc. Try to avoid chocolate, candy, chips or any junk food. Do not bring nuts or snacks that contain nuts, as some children can have very serious allergies to them.

Question 9

Is there anything not allowed in OWL programs?

Accepted Answer

We kindly advise children to refrain from bringing toys to class, as we believe it may hinder their ability to fully engage and connect with the natural world around them. Our aim is to foster a deep appreciation for nature and encourage exploration, curiosity, and discovery without distractions.

Question 10

What general rules are my child expected to follow?

Accepted Answer

OWL is not a conventional school so we don’t have school rules, but we do follow some ‘Forest Rules’! Please brief your children before the first class, so they know the expectations and are mentally prepared to enjoy time in the forest. Some of the important ‘Forest Rules’ are as follows,
Stay together 
Children are welcome to explore. However, permission from educators is needed when children want to leave the group. Brief your child on asking for permissions. 
Leave no Trace
In OWL programs we follow Leave No Trace principles, especially the ‘Dispose of Waste Properly’ principle. We try to leave the forest as if we were never there! Children must be able to clean up after themselves after snacks and bring their garbage home when bins are not available. 
Respect Nature / Hug a Tree
All animals, trees, plants and bugs are beautiful living things. We use our senses to learn about them by observing, touching and even tasting (only with educators' approval), but never break or damage or kill anything.

Question 11

What do educators bring to the program?

Accepted Answer

Each of our educators carries a first-aid kit, hand sanitizer, and lots of fun learning materials, including but not limited to story books, visual aids of animals and plants, art supplies etc. We bring anything that facilitates learning and stimulates the sense of place and community for children, attending to their group or individual needs, interests and abilities.

Question 12

What if I am going to be late or absent?

Accepted Answer

Please call and inform our team if you will be absent or late. In cases where you arrive late to the program, you will have to navigate your way in the park and send your child to the group as our classes start on time. If your child will be absent due to being sick a make up class can be coordinated if there is a doctors note provided.

Question 13

Why do I need to get out of my vehicle to drop-off and pick-up my child?

Accepted Answer

During Drop-off:
To ensure that children are safe and have a calm and easy drop-off.

During Pick-up:
We care about every child's development and learning in OWL, and sometimes our educators would like to share observations and learning progress of your child. We are more than happy to collaborate with you on your children’s learning in the outdoors!  More importantly, excited children running to vehicles in busy parking lots or across the road can be dangerous. We want children to get into the habit of being patient and be aware of traffic conditions.

Common Questions

Frequently asked questions