Is the Forest School right for my child?

Is your child between the ages of 6 weeks to 12 years? Does your child love the outdoors? Do you feel nature offers learning opportunities and enhances our view of the world? If so, you should consider enrolling your child into a Discovery Child Care program like our Forest School.

In our Forest School, we bring the classroom to the forest and the forest into the classroom, offering an environmentally aware foundation of early learning for children. We like to teach the idea that we are one with nature. We’re leaving the earth to the next generation, so learning about taking care of our environment is important.

We believe that being outdoors in beautiful, natural environments, is an essential experience for all children, and it can be fun and instructive at the same time!

Our Forest School program teaches children to feel comfortable and aware outside. From gardening skills, to learning about different types of animals that live in around the area, to finding bugs and identifying birds, we include lots of activities and encourage creativity.

Research shows that being around nature reduces stress, increases attention span and fosters healthy brain development. Here are 3 benefits to connecting children with nature identified by the Forest School Association in Canada.

Increases understanding of and appreciation for nature. The BEST way to understand something is by going out and learning about it. The natural environment is the one of the aspects of life that we need to teach our children about. We teach children to respect and appreciate the world around us through activities, walks and exploring the forest.

Augments ecological literacy. Children in our Forest School learn about sustainability, for example we plant various crops and enjoy the harvest. We plant, grow, nurture, taste, smell, touch and observe, with the food we produce ourselves.

Students experience fewer sick days. Children, who spend time outdoors in fresh air, build up a stronger, healthier immune system. We go exploring in our outdoor classroom and we experience things through the forest like grass, trees, tree branches, dirt and puddles.

Discovery Child Care is the 1st Certified Nature Explore Classroom in Canada! (2012)

About Discovery Child Care Barrie Based Discovery Child Care brings nature into the classroom and takes the classroom into nature, offering an environmentally aware foundation of early learning for children, from infants to school age. We follow an Emergent Curriculum philosophy, which means your child will be provided with hands-on, play-based learning opportunities that will encourage active exploration, autonomy, choice, problem solving and plain old fun! Your child’s individual interests, abilities and needs will be considered when planning our indoor and outdoor programs. For more information, visit http://www.discoverychild.on.ca or http://www.forestschool.ca/

5 Reasons Children need Outdoor Play

When we think of play, we might think of unnecessary silliness, fun, & games, but do we think of play as an essential learning activity for young children? Many studies have been done on the importance of play for young children’s development, but just as important is play in the outdoors. If you think back to your fondest childhood memories, I’m sure you will think of at least a few outdoor places and activities that played a major role in your childhood. Little did you know at the time, but playing outside was helping you develop essential life skills that you use to this day! Here are 5 reasons children need outdoor play.

1. Develops Gross Motor Skills. By playing outdoors, kids have the space to jump, leap, skip, run, crawl, and more. These activities help to develop the gross motor skills, as well as coordination and balance.
2. Develops Social & Communication Skills. Of course self-directed play is important, but when children are playing with others they learn important skills such as how to behave in a group, how to effectively communicate with others, and more. Inventing games and figuring out rules is important to developing good communication and social skills.
3. Stimulates the Senses. Being outdoors introduces children to a world of new sensory experiences! Bright lights and dark shadows, a rainbow of colours, the smell of grass, rain, dirt, and flowers, feeling mud between your fingers or the rough bark on a tree.. Playing outside lets children experience sensory stimulus they may otherwise not have a chance to experience - developing their appreciation for natural beauty and their vocabulary as well.
4. Vitamin D & Sunlight. Some studies have linked exposure to natural light with better sleeping habits in infants. Exposure to sunlight also gets children their much needed doses of the essential vitamin D.
5. Encourages Safe & Supervised Risk Taking. While many parents sometimes feel the need to over-protect their children, risk taking is an important and inevitable part of life. Teaching children when they are young how to navigate risk and stay safe, allows them to use these skills later in life. Evaluating risk is an essential skill that can be learned through play and practiced like any other skill.

Getting children outdoors improves their lives, health, and wellbeing. It’s easy to put them in front of the TV when you’re busy, but allowing them time to play outdoors will benefit them beyond what we could outline here! Who knows, maybe you’ll join in the outdoor play and experience some of these benefits for yourself!

About Discovery Child Care
Barrie Based Discovery Child Care brings nature into the classroom and takes the classroom into nature, offering an environmentally aware foundation of early learning for children, from infants to school-age. We follow an Emergent Curriculum philosophy which means, your child will be provided with hands-on, play-based learning opportunities that will encourage active exploration, autonomy, choice, problem solving and plain old fun! Your child’s individual interests, abilities and needs will be considered when planning our indoor and outdoor programs. For more information, visit http://www.discoverychild.on.ca

Five Easy Plants Children Love to Grow

April and May are the perfect months for planing new gardens. Small backyard gardens are great opportunities for learning, play, family bonding, and more. Children who grow their own food are far more likely to make healthier food choices. There's nothing we want more than for our children to grow up with the ability to make choices that have a positive impact on their health and well-being.

There are many other benefits to gardening with children - they get a sense of accomplishment, a chance to care for something delicate, and plenty of time outdoors under the sun getting some much needed vitamin D.

While there are a plethora of delicious choices you can make for your garden, there are some plants that are especially easy for children to grow or help grow. Here are 5 easy plants to grow in your garden this year with your children.

Sunflowers
Sunflowers are a great staple in any garden, but especially in a child's garden. They grow quickly and are quite large. You only need to plant a couple depending on the amount of space you have. Sunflowers will sprout in a week, become a seedling in two weeks, and be nearly 2 feet tall in a month.  Once they bloom, about 8 weeks, they will reveal their seed kernels. These can be roasted for a tasty snack. Be sure to get the confectionery sunflower variety so the seeds are edible.

Lettuce
Lettuce is hardy and easy to grow, making it a great option for kids. The leaf varieties mature faster, and like part-shade. They take 7-10 days to germinate and mature in about 30-35 days. They are sure to get your child interested in making a salad with their own lettuce!

Cherry Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes are very fun to grow, and delicious to eat right off the vine. It's better to plant them from seedlings as opposed to from seed. You can drive a 2' stake beside each plant and loosely tie them to keep them upright. They like full sun and compost, and will mature in about 50-75 days.

Snap Peas
Snap Peas are popular among kids because of their fresh sweet flavour. The seeds are easy to handle for kids, and they grow quickly. They will germinate in about 2 weeks and be ready to pick and eat in a month or two. When harvesting, teach kids to pick them gently (a great learning opportunity!) so that they do not pull the entire plant out of the ground with the peas.

Pumpkin
Pumpkins are a must have for any child's garden as they have so many uses. Pumpkin seeds are delicious roasted as a snack. The meat inside can be used for baking, soups, or other treats, and the outer part can be used for carving! Pumpkins will be ready to harvest in about 80-120 days.

As we said above, there are so many benefits to including children in your gardening. Giving them a sense of responsibility, ownership, and care at an early age will set them up for success at other endeavors in the future. They will also grow an appreciation for where food comes from. There are also science and nature lessons to be had!

For further reading on gardening with children, check out our other blogs below!

• 10 Ways Children Benefit From Nature
• Tips for Gardening With Kids
• Our Kinder-Garden Grows Healthy Food
• Why kids Need Time in Nature
• Why Playing Outside is So Important

About Discovery Child Care
Barrie Based Discovery Child Care brings nature into the classroom and takes the classroom into nature, offering an environmentally aware foundation of early learning for children, from infants to school-age. We follow an Emergent Curriculum philosophy which means, your child will be provided with hands-on, play-based learning opportunities that will encourage active exploration, autonomy, choice, problem solving and plain old fun! Your child’s individual interests, abilities and needs will be considered when planning our indoor and outdoor programs. For more information, visit http://www.discoverychild.on.ca

An Early Spring Scavenger Hunt

We are all aching to spend more time outdoors as the weather starts to warm up and change. Hopefully we can soon ditch the boots and heavy winter jackets for some lighter outdoor wear! While we wait for the days to warm up, it's a great time to take children outdoors to witness the changing season first hand. Birds are out and chirping more often, and many animals are scurrying about, waking up from their winter haze in search of food.

It's a great learning opportunity to go on walks this time of year as nature stars to stir and become more active. We thought a spring scavenger hunt would be a great way to pay attention to the subtler signs of spring that otherwise might be missed. These don't have to be found all in one day, in fact, it would be better to take all of spring to spot everything on the list. Feel free to add or change anything on the list. You can even turn making the list itself into a craft project by getting the children to draw pictures on a poster-board of everything they'd like to spot.

An Early Spring Scavenger Hunt:

• Spot a Butterfly

• Spot 3 Different Kinds of Birds
• Find something naturally RED (flower, ladybug, leaf...)
• Find something naturally PURPLE (flower, butterfly...)
• Find something naturally YELLOW (Flower, plant, butterfly...)
• Spot a Puddle
• Spot Someone Else Enjoying the Weather ( jogging, biking, playing in a park..)
• Spot a Seed (acorn, helicopter, pinecone...)
• Find Some Animal Tracks
• Spot Some Green Grass
• Find a Wiggling Worm
• Spot a Bird's Nest
• Spot Some Buds on a Tree
• Spot a Squirrel or Rabbit
• Hear a Bird Song & Try to Mimic it
• Find Something Smooth & Something Rough
• Spot a Fluffy White Cloud
• Find Some Flowers Budding

We hope you find lots of time to get outside and explore nature using this scavenger hunt as a guide! Happy hunting!

6 Fun Snow Activities For Children

What child doesn’t love a snow day? You get to bundle up and head out into the yard to play (and learn!). With winter fast approaching and the weather getting colder, it might be time to start thinking about what exactly to do on those days. Playing in the snow can be an excellent opportunity to develop fine motor skills and encourage outdoor learning while still having loads of fun.

What are some benefits to playing in the snow? 

Building A Snow Creature!

Coordination 
Walking through the snow is in itself a test of coordination and balance! Add in activities like jumping, rolling snowballs, throwing piles of snow, etc and you have many opportunities to develop coordination skills in the snow!

Math 
Counting snowballs and measuring the height of snow drifts or the depth of snow are great ways to develop some math skills.

Language 
Winter is the perfect time to introduce or reinforce some great adjectives such as icy, cold, wet, warm, hard, fluffy, crunchy, soggy etc

Science 
Have the children look around at how winter changes nature. What do the trees and plants look like? Can you spot some winter animals, or do you notice any animals missing? You can also talk about the life cycle of ice, icicles, snow, and snowflakes.

Winter Activities 

Here are some great ideas for some activities to do in the snow that will incorporate the benefits mentioned above.

1. Tobogganing is a great way to develop coordination as well as safety skills. Pick a safe hill away from traffic with a clear path. Make a safety checklist with the help of the child. Once all the safety rules are met (helmets are always a great idea!) you can start sliding!

2. Snow Sculptures! This isn’t your dad’s snowman! try making all sorts of different shapes and figures. Animals, critters, monsters, castles, etc… let the imagination fly! Develop artistic/creative skills, language skills, and coordination.

3. Snow Colouring. Fill a few spray bottles with water and food colouring. Have them create works of art in the snow or on snow drifts. Add some plant life back into the scenery by painting some flowery imagery. Or you can even use the spray bottles to give your sculptures some colour!

4. Snow Angels. Almost everyone knows how to make a snow angel. Lay down in the snow and move your arms up and down to create an effect like wings. Laying down in the snow also gives your child a new perspective. Have them describe what they see!

5. Fort building is a great way to develop math and coordination skills. Make blocks out of packed snow and pile them up to build a wall. Remember to be safe when digging any tunnels as the snow can collapse and cause injury.

6. Winter Walk. Take a walk through the neighbourhood to see the holiday lights, or through the local park to observe how nature changes in the wintertime. What plants and animals can you spot?What winter treasures can you find? You could even plan a scavenger hunt and have the child look for branches, winter birds, etc..

 Remember to stay safe through all of these activities. 

• Never play outside if the temperatures are below 25 degree celsius, as skin starts to freeze at this point. 
• Make sure children are dressed warmly- especially fingers and toes. 
• Avoid dressing too warmly as activity in the snow quickly warms up the body and sweat can make a child cold if when they stop moving. 
• Avoid aiming snowballs at cars or people, instead try lining up a few bottles or pin a target to a tree! 
• Be aware of roads and traffic. Icy roads make it harder to stop and icy windshields make it harder to see. 
• Wear sunscreen on exposed skin and eye protection as the sun is reflected off the snow and can cause skin and eye damage even in cold weather.

10 Ways Children Benefit From Nature-Based Learning

Nature-based learning and development is an incredible way for your child to explore and connect with the world. Child-directed, hands-on, play-based programs, like our very own Forest School, have the power to effectively teach children a variety of skills.



A growing body of research affirms that nature-based outdoor classrooms have been linked to positive learning and developmental outcomes including enhanced imaginative play, increased physical and mental well-being, and environmental stewardship.

Nature-based programs have endless advantages.  Students who have participated this type of program have shown:

• Improved sleep habits
• Greater sense of calm and focus
• Improved mood
• Improved health (through increased physical activity and improved nutrition)
• Growing creativity and problem solving skills
• Reduced stress
• Improved eyesight (direct link to reduced rates of near-sightedness)
• Increased concern for the environment
• Improved concentration
• Increased language and collaborative skills

The advantages are amazing! In fact, this particular case study highlights nine skills that are thoroughly supported in a nature-based, outdoor classroom style of education.

1. Creative Representation
2. Social
3. Intrapersonal
4. Kinesthetic
5. Visual Spatial
6. Math
7. Language/Literacy
8. Science
9. Construction/Engineering


When our young students participate in Forest School, they are doing much more than playing outside - they're confidently learning a diverse skill set ... in the funnest way possible!

“Forest School can often be described as a ‘magical’ thing to witness, as it’s often a microcosm of collaboration, communication, trust building, and a working model of consensus building.”

We are so excited to start another year of Forest School and can’t wait to start watching our explorers thrive in the natural classroom.

To view full studies and research findings, click here!

About Discovery Child Care
Barrie Based Discovery Child Care brings nature into the classroom and takes the classroom into nature, offering an environmentally aware foundation of early learning for children, from infants to school-age. We follow an Emergent Curriculum philosophy which means, your child will be provided with hands-on, play-based learning opportunities that will encourage active exploration, autonomy, choice, problem solving and plain old fun! Your child’s individual interests, abilities and needs will be considered when planning our indoor and outdoor programs. For more information, visit http://www.discoverychild.on.ca

Introducing Wild Wednesdays With The Earth is Hiring

We have a very exciting announcement! We will have a special educator from The Earth Is Hiring joining us at the Forest School throughout the full school year, every other Wednesday, to teach special Wild Wednesday sessions.

The goal of the bi-weekly sessions will be to:

• Encourage playful learning enhancing engagement, exploration investigation and communication about outdoor learning. 
• Build outdoor vocabulary – name local Ontario plants and animals 
(including wildlife tracks and signs) as well as enjoy pure observation.
• Notice sensory and seasonal changes in the forest kindergarten area. 

• Contribute to conservation and citizen science. 


This program will also provide you with opportunities to get involved with your child’s learning! Take home conversation packages will accompany each session and will include conservation tips, citizen science projects, and activities such as local hike and conservation organization information, that you’ll be able to enjoy with your kindergartener.

Themes for the sessions include: outdoor safety; what animals need to live in a forest habitat; community connections; winter birds; what we see, hear, feel and smell in the forest; following animals tracks and sign; reptiles, amphibians, and turtles; monarch migrations and local butterflies and moths; owls; pond dip field trip; forest songbirds, and plants in bloom.

Presenter Bio - Lisa Levez Bordeleau, M.Sc., Owner of the Earth is Hiring
My passion for twenty years has been environmental education and sustainable living. I have worked outdoors for twelve years surveying wetlands, vegetation and wildlife (e.g. amphibians, migratory birds, songbirds, owls, species at risk and mammal tracking).

Learn more about The Earth is Hiring here.

Wild Wednesday Schedule

Here's an overview of what activities will take place on Wild Wednesday, as well as some elements that will be included in each take home conservation kit.

September 23 - Outdoor Safety and Observing Nature
Nature Walk & Sit
Learning to Look and Looking to See and Nature Bingo games, as well as promoting observations, explorations and appreciation for the outdoors. Children will also create individual tree core name tags, decorate nature treasure boxes and journals.

Take Home Observation Package (THCP): Nature alert key chain, including things to avoid in nature and animal safety alerts.

October 7 - Resident Winter Birds
Nature Walk & Sit
Discover 20 common resident winter birds. How do birds survive in the winter?

THCP: Project feeder watch, kids Christmas bird count reminder with Brereton Field Naturalists.

October 21 - Forest Life
Nature Walk & Sit 

Play Camouflage game. Exploring what plants and animals need to live in a forest habitat? Everybody needs a home game.

THCP: Local Simcoe Region family trail recommendations.

November 4 - Habitats and Community Connections
Nature Walk & Sit

Food web game to demonstrate connections. Playing lightly on the Earth game, Ethical-Thinking game.

THCP: Tips to thrive as part of our natural environment. Not just reduce human impacts but enhance our natural spaces. Package will include Species at Risk and how to report any identified and information on local family-oriented conservation groups.

November 18 - Sensory Morning

Nature Walk & Sit 

What do we see, hear, feel and smell? How does the forest make us feel?

THCP: Information on the benefits of getting outside for family mental and physical health and wellness.

Break for December and January.

February 10 - Snow Tracking Part 1 - Move Like Animals
Nature Walk & Sit
What kind of animal are you? How big is your stride? Do you bound, walk or gallop? 

THCP: Tracking guide.

February 24 - Snow Tracking Part 2 – Create Your Animal Story
Nature Walk & Sit
Follow an animal and learn about their tracks and other signs (e.g. scat, broken branches, nibbles) they leave behind. Creating a story about the tracks we see (Who, Where, What, When, How and Why?)

THCP: Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Terrestrial Volunteer Monitoring Program.

March 9 - Reptiles, Amphibians and Turtles
Nature Walk & Sit
Preparing for the spring peepers.

THCP:  FrogWatch, TurtleWatch Program; Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas Project.

March 23 - Monarch Migrations
Nature Walk & Sit

Why are monarchs in trouble? Why do animals, birds/monarchs migrate? Children will also complete a craft - colour monarch.

THCP: Journey North package, milkweed/wildflower seeds.

April 6 - Owls - Who's Who?
Nature Walk & Sit
What owls might we see? Can you make a sound like an owl?

THCP: National Nocturnal Owl Surveys start the first week of April.

April 20 - Track Casting
Nature Walk & Sit
Seeking tracks to make plaster casts.

THCP: Track cheat sheets

May 4 - Wetland and Water Wonders
Nature Walk & Sit
Discuss how all life is connected by and depends on water and how water is used, how wetlands help purify, pond dip optional (match aquatic animals to key).

TCHP: Canadian Lakes Loon Surveys, key to aquatic animals. 

May 18 - Birding By Ear
Nature Walk & Sit
Local forest songbirds.

THCP: Ebird Registration Instructions, Options for reporting listed species, Hawk watch International, Ministry reporting forms for all Species At Risk.

June 1 - Local Butterflies and Moths
Nature Walk & Sit
Why are pollinators important?  Children will also create a moth feeder.

THCP:  Recommended plants for butterfly gardens, milkweed/wildflower seeds.

June 15 - Plants in Bloom, Observing Plants
Nature Walk & Sit
How many different kinds of plants can you see by noticing different leaf shapes? The craft will be bark rubbing and plant pressing.

THCP – PlantWatch, tree key.

Building a Sand Castle Is More Than Fun!

Water and sand play are exciting sensory activities that will engage children of any age…and what better place to play with water and sand than at the beach!

The hot summer weather opens up so many opportunities for play-based learning. If you’re planning to take your family to the beach this year, you can incorporate some simple activates that will encourage learning and exploration.

One of the easiest, and more memorable experiences you can create at the beach is building a sand castle. You’ll have a blast with this classic activity, but the benefits far surpass excitement and fun!

Sensory Fun. I love sensory activities - they are easy to incorporate in most activities, but when you are playing with sand and water, it becomes even easier! No matter the age of your children, there are many opportunities to learn during sand castle building. Learning everything from cause and effect, to texture, scooping and sorting, is possible when building a sand castle. Your children can start off by exploring and building with their hands, and then you can add in tools and buckets to help their creativity flourish.

Fine and Gross Motor Skills. Shovelling, building, and even just walking through the sand have major benefits. They all improve gross motor skills. Combined with fine motor skill activities like filtering sand through fingers, sifting, patting and measuring, your child will build their physical development skills in a fun and exciting way.

Like Skills. Building a sand castle will allow your family to work together to create something unique. Cooperation, team work, creativity and communication are skills required to complete your very own castle.

Measurement Skills. Filling up a bucket of water and then dumping it out is super fun for a toddler, but it can actually help teach some basic measurement skills. Basic understandings of depth, volume, weight and measurement can be easily explained when your building your own castle, or even just playing in the sand and water.

Next time your at the beach, keep these skills in mind. You’ll be able to support the play-based learning that goes along with exploring sand and water. And don’t forget to help your kids find a new stick, stone or seashell to decorate their sand castle. This can turn into your own exploration of nature, or even a pre-planned scavenger hunt.

About Discovery Child Care
Barrie Based Discovery Child Care brings nature into the classroom and takes the classroom into nature, offering an environmentally aware foundation of early learning for children, from infants to school-age. We follow an Emergent Curriculum philosophy which means, your child will be provided with hands-on, play-based learning opportunities that will encourage active exploration, autonomy, choice, problem solving and plain old fun! Your child’s individual interests, abilities and needs will be considered when planning our indoor and outdoor programs. For more information, visit http://www.discoverychild.on.ca

5 Easy Activities that Will Help Your Bring Nature-Based Learning into Your Home

Learning through play is an essential element of the Discovery Child Care Centre curriculum because it has the power to significantly impact the development of your child’s skills and abilities. When we connect play-based learning with a natural classroom, it results in increased attention span, healthy brain development and many other amazing benefits!

Our outdoor learning centres are the foundation of our natural classroom and offer numerous opportunities for individual learning. Learning through nature and play can be easily extended into your home or backyard by incorporating some of these fun activities!

Build a Garden. Growing your own vegetables may seem like a huge undertaking, but it doesn’t have to be! A garden of any size can create opportunities for learning for children of all ages. Designing, planting, harvesting, preparation, nutrition - the teaching opportunities are endless! If you are concerned about the time and space required for a garden, you can start with an herb garden or even a small boxed garden.

Go for a Nature Walk. Let your little one explore as you head out on a nature walk. Balancing on logs, observing and naming elements you discover, and measuring and digging, are all elements you can incorporate. You don’t have to take a trek in the forest to take advantage of the wonders in nature. Simply rethink your take on nature. While you likely pay no notice to a patch or grass or pile of dirt, your toddler would surely love to explore it.

Create Nature Art. Collect some natural items such as twigs, bark, pinecones, stones and leaves, and create your own masterpiece. This activity will drive creativity and imagination – let your little artist pick their own materials and start creating.

Play with the Mud. Do you have fond memories of making mud pies? Give your children the chance to get their hands dirty and explore the wonders of the earth. Use earth, soil, dirt, mud, water and let them go wild! Try not to worry too much about the mess – designate a place for “mud play” and have fun!

Create a Backyard Habitat. This activity is a great option if you’re limited on space. Make a simple bird feeder or butterfly house to increase the frequency and diversity of wildlife near your home. Your backyard habitat can be built to attract birds, insects, toads, frogs, turtles, butterflies, worms and much more!

As your child learns and grows, you can expand your natural “classroom” to include a wider variety of activities.

Contact us today to learn more about our flexible, play-based curriculum and how we help connect children with nature.

About Discovery Child Care

Barrie Based Discovery Child Care brings nature into the classroom and takes the classroom into nature, offering an environmentally aware foundation of early learning for children, from infants to school-age. We follow an Emergent Curriculum philosophy which means, your child will be provided with hands-on, play-based learning opportunities that will encourage active exploration, autonomy, choice, problem solving and plain old fun! Your child’s individual interests, abilities and needs will be considered when planning our indoor and outdoor programs. For more information, visit http://www.discoverychild.on.ca

Its Snow Time | 11 Family Activities for a Flurry of Fun

It’s a winter wonderland.  Or at least it will be!  Our first snowfall has already melted away, but we all know that won’t last too long.

Your kids are all set with their own snowsuits, snow mittens and boots – but are you? Invest in your own snow gear and take advantage of these 11 family snow activities that will encourage learning through play, during the most wonderful time of year.  

1. Go Tobogganing.  There’s nothing more fun than this classic winter activity!  Find a safe hill and head out as a family.  This is a great learning opportunity – make sure your children are aware of their surroundings and know how to stay safe.  Once the safety rules are clear, you can encourage exploration.
 
2.  Build a Snowman.  How can you make this classic activity more fun?  Search for different sticks or other nature-based items to dress up your snowman.  You can even incorporate old clothing or food colouring.  

3.  Colour the Snow.  Create colourful sprays using food colouring and water.  Then let imaginations go wild!  Your children will love spraying different colours all over the snow’s blank canvas, leaving trails and “artwork” everywhere.  Our Forest School children loved this activity – see how much fun they had here.

4.  Make a Snow Angel.  Create your own angels and try exploring different depths of snow.  Laying in the snow will also allow your children to explore a new perspective – encourage them to describe what they see.

5.  Make a Snow Sculpture.  Encourage your children to create their own snow masterpiece.  Use hands, shovels, spoons – or any other tools you can think of!  

6.  Build an Igloo.  Explore different shapes as you build your snow blocks, or consider creating a family igloo project that incorporates ice and colour.  Did you see this igloo last year?  What an amazing family project.

7.  Have a Winter Picnic.  Hot chocolate is the perfect addition to any winter activity, so why not plan a fun outdoor picnic?  Check fire regulations to see if you can incorporate a toasty winter campfire.

8.  Go on a Winter Hike.  Take a walk through the forest and explore the seasonal changes. And don’t forget to keep an eye out for animal tracks.

9.  Set Up a Scavenger Hunt.  In your backyard or during your forest walk, you can create an exciting scavenger hunt to find nature-based items such as pine cones or sticks.  Consider incorporating colours, letters and numbers into your hunt.

10.  Check Out Holiday Lights.  You can walk around your neighbourhood or look for municipal light displays like the Barrie Festival of Trees display at Centennial Park.

11.  Do A Good Deed.  Consider shoveling your neighbour’s driveway as a family.  Whether they are on vacation or have difficulties shoveling it themselves, your neighbour will be incredibly grateful and you will be passing along a valuable lesson.

Enjoy your family fun - let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

About Discovery Child Care

Barrie Based Discovery Child Care brings nature into the classroom and takes the classroom into nature, offering an environmentally aware foundation of early learning for children, from infants to school-age. We follow an Emergent Curriculum philosophy which means, your child will be provided with hands-on, play-based learning opportunities that will encourage active exploration, autonomy, choice, problem solving and plain old fun! Your child’s individual interests, abilities and needs will be considered when planning our indoor and outdoor programs. For more information, visit http://www.discoverychid.on.ca

Our First Weeks of Forest School At Discovery Child Care

Our forest explorers have had a busy few weeks since the opening of our brand new Discovery Forest School.

Our daily walkabouts through the forest have shown us everything from animal habitats and fallen trees, to muddy rainwater and changing leaves. The opportunities for learning have been endless!

Every day we begin with circle time to discuss safety, exploration and sing our good morning song.

"Good morning dear earth, good morning dear sun, good morning dear trees and the flowers everyone, good morning dear bees and the birds in the trees, good morning to you and good morning to me."

From there, we plan different activities and let imaginations run wild. Each of our lessons incorporate respect for nature and all things big or small. In September, we planned scavenger hunts, practiced rope tying, talked about animal homes, and explored weather changes in the forest.

Shapes and Colours Everywhere

The forest was the perfect backdrop for discovering shapes and colours. Flowers, rocks, bugs, caterpillars. Some many colours and shapes to discuss! And we also brought our big triangle bell and baked rectangle cupcakes.

Texture and Patterns

Squishy, hard, rough and smooth. The children explored difference textures during their walkabouts. Rain created the opportunity to splash and squish mud while discussing snow melts and streams. The children were also able to create works of art by rubbing crayons on paper over different textures found in the forest, like bark or moss. Each work of art had its own unique pattern.

Imagination Reigns

Giddy-up! Our rope tying activity turned into an imaginative game, where the children rode their "horses" around trees and over logs. We also practiced tying knots in ropes around trees, while some children created swings and hung tarps.

A New Perspective

Near or far. Up high or down low. The children noticed that fallen trees provide a home to lots of different types of bugs. And high up in the sky, we could see trees sway in the wind, even though we couldn't feel the wind down on the ground.   The children also played with magnifying glasses and kaleidoscopes to gain a new perspective in the forest.

Here are some of the books we read during our adventures:

The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein
We’re Going on A Nature Hunt, Steve Metzger
Munch, Munch Crunch, Bugs for Lunch, Gwen Petreman
The Tree, Dana Lyons
A is for Autumn, Robert Maas
Under Ground, Denise Fleming

What a great start for our Forest Discovery School. We can’t wait to continue our journey in nature.

About Discovery Child Care
Barrie Based Discovery Child Care brings nature into the classroom and takes the classroom into nature, offering an environmentally aware foundation of early learning for children, from infants to school-age. We follow an Emergent Curriculum philosophy which means, your child will be provided with hands-on, play-based learning opportunities that will encourage active exploration, autonomy, choice, problem solving and plain old fun! Your child’s individual interests, abilities and needs will be considered when planning our indoor and outdoor programs. For more information, visit http://www.discoverychid.on.ca

Discovery Child Care Launches The First Licensed Forest And Nature School In Barrie & Simcoe County

The forest school concept is quickly being adopted around the world offering enormous benefits to young children as they naturally explore the nature around them

BARRIE, Ontario, Canada – 24th September, 2014 - (www.discoverychild.on.ca) Discovery Child Care, an award winning child care centre, focused on connecting children with nature using unique award winning nature-focused programs, has opened its newest initiative, The Discovery Forest School – www.forestschool.ca

Forest School is an educational approach that has existed worldwide since the late 1950s, with over ten thousand Forest School programs in the UK alone. In a Forest School, children spend anywhere from a half day to a full day outdoors in various urban and near-urban parks, natural spaces adjacent to, or on school grounds, or natural playgrounds and outdoor classrooms.

The activities that happen in a Forest School also vary, depending on the season, climate, landscape, animals that have visited the night before, trees that have blown down in the wind, the kinds of provocations elicited by the educator.

Discovery Child Care Centre offers an educational program as an alternative to the Ministry of Education Full Day Kindergarten Program.  As children are not required to attend school until grade one, children have the option to be enrolled full-time in our Kindergarten program.

Our curriculum is child-directed, hands-on, play based, emergent, and inquiry-based.  A growing body of research has emerged that affirms that children ages birth through eight years learn most effectively through this approach to education.

“We’re very excited to bring this new nature program into our child care centre and offer it as a legitimate and licensed alternative to regular kindergarten,” says Karen Eilersen, President of Discovery Child Care and a certified forest school practitioner.  “There are 2 certified teachers (in training) working in our Forest School program. We have a 1 to 4 teacher / child ratio while in the forest, and a 1-8 teacher / child ratio while in the indoor/outdoor classroom.  The Forest School Program (9am-12pm daily) is taught by two Level 3 certified Forest School Practitioners and 2 classroom teachers and we follow the Ontario Early Learning Framework, Continuum of Development so your child is well prepared for grade one.”

Discovery Child Care has already developed it own nature program bringing nature into the classroom and taking the classroom into nature, offering an environmentally aware foundation of early learning for children, from infants to school-age.

“We believe that being outdoors in beautiful, natural environments is an essential experience for all children. Research continues to show that nature reduces stress, increase attention span and foster healthy brain development. It is critical to a child’s health and to the healthy development of the whole child,” added Karen. “Children are given the opportunity to interact daily with materials found in nature and in the process become thoughtful stewards of the earth we share.”

The Discovery Child Care Forest School Program follows the Emergent Curriculum philosophy which means, children will be provided with hands-on, play-based learning opportunities that will encourage active exploration, autonomy, choice, problem solving and plain old fun! A child’s individual interests, abilities and needs will be considered when planning our indoor and outdoor programs.

"We’re very excited for our child to grasp the elements of nature, what an astounding experience!” says Cynthia Nontell. “This program will help our children to have the opportunity for more well rounded education inside and outside of the classroom."


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About Discovery Child Care
Barrie Based Discovery Child Care brings nature into the classroom and takes the classroom into nature, offering an environmentally aware foundation of early learning for children, from infants to school-age. We follow an Emergent Curriculum philosophy which means, your child will be provided with hands-on, play-based learning opportunities that will encourage active exploration, autonomy, choice, problem solving and plain old fun! Your child’s individual interests, abilities and needs will be considered when planning our indoor and outdoor programs. For more information, visit http://www.discoverychid.on.ca

Media / PR Contact:
David Terry
Terry Marketing
Tel: 705-797-2121
Email: david@terrymarketing.com

Celebrating World Ocean Day in the Discovery Child Care

On June 6th, we celebrated World Ocean Day with the David Suzuki Foundation.

The School Agers at Harvie Rd. had an amazing day together, celebrating the oceans of the world and all of the wonderful creatures and plants that inhabit them. From glittery blue play dough to ocean blue goop and sea shells, the children were immersed in all things oceans, ALL day long! We enjoyed playing “Tangled Seaweed Tag”, “Octopus” and “Fish, Fish, Shark” out in the playground as we burned off some energy in the sunshine. The children made a large list of ocean related words they know and spent the day creating artistic representations of these things to create an underwater ocean mural on our classroom bulletin board.

During quiet time, we paired up and looked through some of the many books about the ocean we found. Our older friends helped our younger friends discover, read about, write and share some really cool facts about oceans and sea life.

Did you know…

• A whale can pick up sounds from 1000 miles away!
• The blue whale is the largest animal in the world
• Every year, male humpback whales change their songs just a little bit
• Oceans cover more than 70 percent of the earth’s surface and the largest ocean is the pacific. Dolphins can jump as high as 20 feet in the air -Squids spray ink at enemies that attack them.
• The smallest shark is the dwarf shark. It is only as long as your hand. 

The children were so excited to learn these and many other cool and wonderful things about our Oceans. And, really, the teachers were too!!!!

Our Toddlers celebrated too.

Together we mixed up some blue goop to look like the ocean. We added some fish, turtles and octopus to our ocean. One child pushed his fish through the ocean while puckering his lips ad making fish sounds. Others quickly joined him. A forth child glided his turtle through the ocean saying "glub glub"

We created ocean scenes on the outdoor easel using blue paint. We also read "Ten Friendly Fish" by Debbie Tarbett outside. The toddlers enjoyed naming many of the different animals that live in the ocean! We read it many times.

Happy World Oceans Day!!!

Discovery Child Care offers interesting and educational before and after school programs. Call us for a tour. We'd love to meet with you and your child! 705-733-2052

Why Kids Need Time in Nature

Here's an interesting article on the David Suzuki Foundation's website about the importance of giving children the gift of time outside. Give it some thought. We can do better and it starts with choices you can make in your family.

"Ontario's Healthy Kids Panel recently proposed a strategy to help kids get onto a path to health. The problem is that the path doesn't lead them into nature. Though the report quotes parents' comments and research showing kids spend dramatically less time outside than ever, it doesn't encourage time in nature.

That said, many of the report's recommendations should be implemented and supported locally, provincially and nationally to reduce the risks of obesity. Encouraging parents and children to be more critical about dietary choices and requiring more information and labelling from restaurants and food producers is long overdue.

Ontario isn't the only province working to reduce obesity rates and support parents raising healthy children, particularly in the early years. Alberta released relevant reports in 2011 and Quebec has had a ban on advertising junk food to children since 1980. No one can argue against public awareness and education around the benefits of healthy eating and active living. But a provincial, patchwork approach to addressing these issues isn't enough. We need a national strategy to get our kids eating healthy foods and being active in nature.

Although it seems logical that much of the time spent being active will take place outside, the Ontario report acknowledges that "many communities are not designed to encourage kids to move or be physically active...and have few safe green spaces." One parent in a focus group explains that the parks in his community are either gated or locked up once school is closed. So, even when there is green space, it's not always accessible.

Last year, the David Suzuki Foundation conducted a survey with young Canadians and found that 70 per cent spend an hour or less a day outdoors. The 2012 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card says they spend almost eight hours a day in front of screens. So it's not that kids don't have time to be outside. It's just not part of their lifestyle."
Read the full article.. Source: David Suzuki.org

Healthy Kids Need Time in Nature

Nature for Infants and Toddlers

Safety for children when you go outside is extremely important, but it's also important to give them challenges. Going outside and walking is different than walking inside on a flat surface. Different muscles are used and the toddler learns to adjust their balance.

Our children love going outside at our facility in all seasons. Even November!

Here's a video about Nature for Infants and Toddlers.

If you need more information about Discovery Child Care's nature focused child care programs, including before and after school care, please contact us 705-733-2052

Discovering Butterflies with Butterfly Kisses

The children at Discovery Childcare, Harvie Road - really enjoyed a visit with Heather Willet from Butterfly Kisses Educational Outreach, October 8th. Here are some pictures from the program which included capture and release tagging.

Butterfly Kisses bring children a unique experience with curriculum-linked programs exploring the wonder of butterflies.

Observing and caring for a butterfly, students learn far more than habitats and need for species. They gain a sense of responsibility and respect for life.




Discovery Child Care offers interesting and educational before and after school programs. Call us for a tour. We'd love to meet with you and your child! 705-733-2052

Too Poor For Nature Report

A recent report published in the U.K. presented findings about childhood poverty. David Bond, HuffPost, commented..

"The revelation from the report, though, is that children growing up in poverty are nine times less likely to have access to green space. They have far fewer places to play and tend to live in environments with poor air quality. These three million children are not just growing up in material poverty, but in environmental poverty. They can not afford nature."

The following film examines child poverty.

'Greater Expectations' looks at how poverty and disadvantage still wreak havoc on children's lives, causing them to lag far behind their more affluent peers in almost all areas of their lives, from health to education, early development to housing.

All of us at Discovery Child Care, believe that all children need to spend time in green space and learn about nature. Our programs are based on integrated learning, taking the classroom to outdoors.




Discovery Child Care offers interesting and educational before and after school programs. Call us for a tour. We'd love to meet with you and your child! 705-733-2052

Playing outside is so important to your child's development - Here's why..

The weather is perfect today. Crystal blue sky with white clouds and a gentle breeze. It's the type of day made for playing outside and learning about nature!

Playing outside may seem like all fun and games - but when you think about it, children are learning so much by being active in the open outdoor environment.

• preschoolers practice and master emerging physical skills like, running, leaping, jumping, ball-handling, catching, lifting objects, pulling and carrying.
• children burn more calories outside which helps prevent obesity
• outdoor light affects the pineal gland, the part of the brain that regulates the biological clock and is vital to the immune system
• outdoor games encourage communication skills and vocabulary
• children have an improved aesthetic awareness, an appreciation of the beauty around us
• being outside stimulates other senses like hearing (bird song, wind rustling), smell (fragrance of flowers, mud, plants), and touch (tree bark, grass, snow)
• being outside lets children be loud, messy, and boisterous - have fun with fewer limitations

Here are some activities from The Early Childhood News..

1. A nature walk is a great way to enhance children’s appreciation of the natural environment. Ask them to tell you what they're seeing, hearing, and smelling. Encourage them to touch – to discover the smoothness of a rock, the roughness of bark, and the fragility of a dried leaf. For young children, these are science experiences.
2. Set up an obstacle course with old tires, large appliance boxes, and tree stumps. Moving through it will teach important concepts like over, under, through, and around.
3. A "listening" walk makes for a wonderful sound discrimination activity. As you walk with the children, point out the sounds of birds, passing cars, whistling wind, even your footsteps on the sidewalk. What sounds can the children identify on their own? Which are loud and which are soft? Which are high and which are low? What are their favorite sounds? Bring along a tape recorder so the children can try to identify the sounds at a later time!
4. Bring the parachute or an old sheet outside and play parachute games (shaking it, circling with it, making waves with it, or bouncing foam balls on it).
5. Bring a portable boom box outdoors and let the children experience the joy of dancing in a natural environment!
6. Try "water painting," in which children paint the side of a building with a brush and a bucket of water. It exercises arms and upper torso while also teaching about wet and dry, light and dark, and evaporation.
7. Chasing bubbles gives children a chance to run!

The benefits of playing outside are easy to see - and like all things in life, it's about finding the right balance between the indoor classroom experience and nature's outdoor classroom!

Call us to find our more about our exceptional educational programs, including our award winning Nature Explore classroom. 705-733-2052 Visit our website to learn more..

21 Fun Ideas to Connect Kids With Nature

Here are some ideas to have fun learning about nature with your kids. Children readily pick up attitudes and you can make a big impression by taking them outside more and being enthusiastic about the natural environment.

1. Encourage children to play, dig and plant their own garden areas.
2. Plant trees! Trees are a valuable resource for our natural setting.
3. Picnic in your backyard.
4. Study your surroundings and observe the wildlife. Make a daily log book.
5. Take a hike! Walk in the woods; tour the community garden and wetlands.
6. Rake the leaves and use a push mower. Without power mowers and blowers the air is cleaner. Your children can safely participate in gardening and learn to care for the earth.
7. Participate in Earth Day and Wild Life Appreciation days.
8. Build birdhouses and bat boxes with your children.
9. Install a sundial.
10. Learn about beneficial insects.
11. Teach recycling! Create a compost pile.
12. Learn to recognize sounds of birds and other creatures.
13. Be an observer of nature. Point out interesting plants and animals.
14. Talk about the weather.
15. Draw pictures of clouds or make cloud art out of cotton balls.
16. Make a rain gauge.
17. Collect items from a nature walk and put them in a scrapbook.
18. Learn about bees and pollination.
19. Make a mini rain barrel and use it to water a plant.
20. Take out library picture books about nature.
21. Make up a poem about your favourite insect.

At Discovery Child Care, in Barrie Ontario, we believe in the importance of connecting children with nature. Contact Us to find out more about our eco-friendly child care facility and our nature programs.

Using Digital Photography To Reconnect Children With Nature

I found this video on the Children & Nature Website showing the research of Amy Thompson into using a digital camera as a tool to encourage children to get outside and interact with nature. Enjoy!



From YouTube And Published on Apr 10, 2013

Amy Thompson -"I made this video to fulfill the requirements of Miami University's Biology in the Age of Technology course, Spring 2013. I hope that by sharing my video with parents in my community, I will encourage them to get outdoors and show them how digital photography can be used to reconnect their children with nature."

At Discovery Child Care, in Barrie Ontario, we believe in the importance of connecting children with nature. Contact Us to find out more about our eco-friendly child care facility and our nature programs.