Children attend OMFS one or two days/weekly.

Many children who attend public school join OMFS just one day/week whereas some come biweekly.

Forest School is offered as a complement to a child’s academic education.

https://childnature.ca/

Please visit our location page here: https://oromedonteforestschool.ca/oro-medonte-forest-school-location/

Our programs are detailed on this page.

But here is a general idea as well:

Forest Families – age 2-4 (with some wiggle room on either end) children who participate with a caregiving adult. Focus on storytelling, crafts, play, and fun! Half day program.

Forest Explorers – kindergarten age children new to forest school who do well in a group of similar aged peers, or those wishing for a half day program. Play based with a large focus on imaginative, creative, and sensory play.

Forest Adventurers – age 4-10 children who wish to be amongst a diverse age range (perhaps to attend with siblings, cousins, or friends), and who are comfortable with a full day of outdoor programming that is slightly more adventurous and involves a wider range of group games and activities.

Forest Trekkers – age 5-12 children who are experienced in the outdoors and would like to build on their outdoor skills. Comfortable trekking longer distances and participating in collaborative activities and projects that may carry on from week to week.

We have dedicated a large section of our Parent Handbook to this very detail. Please refer to this for information on all weather types and seasons.

Children thrive in the outdoors best when they are dressed in appropriate clothing for the presenting weather. We offer an online gear swap on Facebook for all registered families to help grow your outdoor gear collections!

Please refer to the OMFS Parent Handbook which details our inclement weather policy. Note that school will typically be cancelled when the Simcoe County buses in the NORTH or CENTRAL zones are cancelled.

Recently, due to our changing climate, there has been other considerations that may lead to cancellations including but not limited to air quality, tornado warnings, high winds, and excessive heat.

Classes will not be made up due to weather cancellations.

www.greatmooseadventures.com

https://forestschool.ca

https://fsforestschool.com

https://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/features/risky-play-for-children-why-we-should-let-kids-go-outside-and-then-get-out#:~:text=Risky%20play%20in%20early%20childhood,the%20risk%20of%20injury%2C%20too.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201404/risky-play-why-children-love-it-and-need-it

https://earlyyearsoutdooreducation.wordpress.com/outdoor-risky-play-for-all/

https://news.ubc.ca/2015/06/09/risky-outdoor-play-positively-impacts-childrens-health-ubc-study/

For younger children, we suggest that parents or caregivers bring them to our Forest Friday program to get a sense of the programming. Older children may sample Forest School by attending one of the Forest Camps – Summer or PA Day camps are offered.

From time to time we offer drop in availability in some of our regular programs. Please check the program pages for details.

YES! We offer an in house subsidy fund, available to families who may not otherwise be able to afford forest school programming.

Please visit the below links for details or contact us for info about the OMFS Subsidy Fund.

Youth Reach

Our educators are the heart of OMFS. They are the ones building trust with your children, keeping them safe, noticing the quiet moments of growth, and showing up with patience, care, and joy in all kinds of weather. As our program grows, we’ve made a conscious choice to better support the people doing this important work.

A small increase in program costs helps us care for our staff in a sustainable way so they can continue to bring their full selves to the forest. It allows us to keep experienced educators, maintain small group sizes, and offer the calm, connected environment families value so much. We’re deeply grateful to our community for helping us take care of the people who take such good care of your children.