Willow Run Nature School Willow Run Nature School is an outdoor, multi-age program that takes place rain or shine in the forests and prairies of St. Clements.
Limited Spaces Available!
🌿 Nature Camp Update:
July 14–18 – FULL
July 28–August 1 – Limited spots available!
Secure your child’s spot before it’s too late!
If you’d like to join the waitlist, please reach out — we’ll let you know if a spot opens up.
Time: 8:30am – 4:00pm
Cost: $295.00+GST per week
A deposit of $100.00/child is due upon registration.
Forest school camp gives children the opportunity to make new friends, challenge themselves, and have fun exploring nature. Some examples of our week may include: identifying wildlife, plants and insects, foraging, shelter building, and bush craft. The children will lead in our daily adventures, while our mentor(s) support their learning by planning activities and games. The camp offers 1 hour of daily swim lessons. Swim lessons are delivered by certified Life Saving Society swim instructor(s) and camp attendees are eligible to receive their respective Swim for Life level.
Session Dates:
Week 1: July 14 – 18
Week 2: July 28 – Aug. 1
The Willow Run Nature School program is a lightly structured, child-led outdoor learning experience. Their day typically includes free-play nature exploration and walks, sharing circles, snacks, and reflection time. The children spend their time creating in the mud/snow kitchen or exploring their surroundings using their imaginations with some simple tools such as trowels, buckets, magnifying glasses along with some human-powered tool use.
Navigating risk is an essential part of child growth and development. Some examples of risky play activities that children may engage in at Nature School include balancing on a log, climbing a tree, jumping off a rock or across a small ditch. Nature School supports children as they learn to self-regulate through risky play in healthy, age-appropriate, and controlled doses. As children experience risky activities and terrain, they learn to determine for themselves whether something feels safe or not, rather than looking externally to adults to decide for them. Risky play activities are supervised by staff at all times so that we can continually ask questions to help them problem solve their experience.
Yes, with the exception of extreme weather. When we play outside in all types of weather, it builds resilience and doesn’t leave us waiting for only “nice” days to enjoy the natural world around us. When the weather gets too cold for us to eat our snacks outside without mittens, we head into our heated cabin to keep warm. In the case of extreme weather, we have access to indoor spaces.
Many of our days include nature walks, but occasionally we go on longer “hikes” to other destinations which on average, have a round-trip distance of approximately 4 km. On these mini excursions, children may wear their backpacks carrying their snack, water and a change of clothes. We walk at the pace of the group and try not to be in a hurry so we can stop and smell the flowers along the way. We believe the journey is just as important as the destination!
Child-led play is an unstructured, voluntary, child-initiated activity that allows children to develop their imaginations while exploring and experiencing the world. It is spontaneous play that comes naturally from children’s curiosity, love of discovery, and enthusiasm. By respecting and valuing free play, children’s interest gets to be the foundation for their learning, and we let the children own their own learning process. It is vital for children’s development and learning, and it treats the child’s emotional, physical, and social selves as encouraging depth of experience. Our Nature School facilitator(s) act as springboards for learning. The nature schoolers have direct involvement in deciding how their day will unfold. We are there to keep them safe, spark engagement, learn alongside them, and create connections to each other and to the natural world.
The Willow Run Nature School program takes place on 40 acres of natural area located 5 minutes north of East Selkirk, in St. Clements.
The success of our Nature School program depends on the support of the families who are enrolled. To ensure children have the most positive experience possible, it is important that family expectations of the program are in line with what we offer. Before enrolling, parents are asked to complete a Nature Readiness Survey to see if Nature School is right for their family.
Yes, children must be able to use the toilet independently. No diapers or pull-ups. Children will be permitted to use the restroom in the natural surroundings.