Cahoots Outdoor Programs for Kids

Overheard yesterday by a 6 year old at CAHOOTS Nature Program while he watched the snowflakes drift around him and his friend (a rarity on Salt Spring Island), "It's snowing! It's snowing! I think... this might just be the beginning... of when magic takes over the world!" Do you remember that sense of wonder as a child? As an adult? More and more I am coming back to this word "magic" as a way to describe what captures our curiosity, as a child or an adult, something that we don't understand or know about yet is magic! What's magical in your life today?

CAHOOTS Nature Program has one opening on Tuesdays for a female child between the ages of 6-10. We start up the second semester on January 26th and run until mid June. Email Vanya for more details: cahootsforkids(at)gmaill.com

Awesome free Nature Awareness and Mentoring Series starts tomorrow January 11th and continues for 8 weeks! Great line up of speakers (including Starhawk!). I'm in, check it out. https://10102021--chrisoutdoors.thrivecart.com//5ff4ba3ab/

Watch and learn how to make a holiday wreath!

Candice shares some gratitude and shows us how to make rose hip tea while Mikayla takes us on her vole obstacle course!

Here is my Holiday Gift Ideas from CAHOOTS Nature Program! Support local when possible. :) *Wool anything for cold, wet days (shirt, sweater, socks, mittens, hat, etc.). SUNSET Farm locally is wool heaven!! *Rain pants in your child's next size up!...Continue reading

CAHOOTS Nature Program is looking for a private property for our Tuesday program from January 26th, 2021 to mid June 2021. Do you have/know of an ideal forested property on Salt Spring island? CAHOOTS has been running nature based programs for 3 years, lead by incredible Outdoor Facilitators who bring games, songs/stories, plant identification, primitive skills, adventures, and more to groups of kids ages 6-10 who thrive outdoors. Do you have a place we can have our adve...ntures on Tuesdays in 2021? Contact Director and Lead Facilitator Vanya Laporte with inquiries or ideas for our next home base: cahootsforkids(at)gmail.com

Spots open at the Tuesday CAHOOTS group starting next semester, January 26th to mid June!! If you have a nature nut who loves adventures, games outdoors and keen to learn about the wonders of the natural world with a fun group of other kiddos ages 6-10 please send Vanya an email to inquire! Email: cahootsforkids(at)gmail.com

Wild missions for nature connection and this seasonal time to slow down and reflect. Thanks to Thriving Roots for this special offering of creativity and insightful nudges to tend the inner fire.

Visual, winged poetry!!!

"Sampson argues in How To Raise A Wild Child that unstructured play in nature is essential for children. They need it for their physical and mental health, and their development. And the planet needs it, too. Roaming off the trail, flipping over rocks, causes kids to fall in love with nature. And that love makes conservationists." https://blog.nature.org//why-staying-on-the-trail-is-bad/

https://www.1000hoursoutside.com//risk-assessment-requires

Glad this is happening at Xwaaqw'um!

Our programs are now FULL. Please email to get on the waitlist if you are interested (cahootsforkids(at)gmail.com)/. Looking forward to Sept-June fun with the kiddos OUTSIDE! :)

Hi CAHOOTS Families and Friends! I'll be ordering CAHOOTS t-shirts AND sweatshirts next week, please have your order into me by Friday, August 14th if your child or family members want some. They are standard cotton shirts, sweatshirts are cotton/poly blends in either youth sizing or adult uni-sex (see measurements below). I have attached a couple of photos of kids and adults wearing the t-shirts we ordered in the Spring. A big hit everywhere we go! T-shirts available in ...colours green, purple, royal blue or black (adults only for black). $20 each Sweatshirts in black for kids and adults or irish green for kids only. $40 each I won't be ordering these again until Spring 2021 so get in on this order if you're keen. Email: cahootsforkids(at)gmail.com for sizing info.

Spots available at CAHOOTS Nature Program for kids! Summer 2020, 6 Wednesdays, July 15th to August 19th, 9:30 - 12:30 @ Burgoyne Bay (ages 3-5 year old). 1 spot! Sept 2020 - June 2021, Mondays, 9:30 - 2:30 @ Beaver Point Hall/Ruckle (ages 5-10 years old). 1 spot!... Sept 2020 - June 2021, Fridays, 9:30 - 2:30 @ Cranberry Road location (ages 7-10 years old). 3 spots! Email: cahootsforkids(at) gmail.com for more info or to register.

"I always wants to go to CAHOOTS, and I want to become a CAHOOTS teacher one day! ~Rosie, age 8.

CAHOOTS Nature Program Fridays starting Sept 2020- June 2021! A few more spots open! Excited to announce that Mikayla will be joining the CAHOOTS team to facilitate a small group nature program on Fridays for kids ages 7-10 years old. Location: mid-island (Cranberry Road)... Timing: Mid Sept 2020- mid June 2021 (5 weeks off over the holidays) from 9:30 am - 2:30 pm every week Questions or registration please email Vanya: cahootsforkids(at)gmail.com or 250 931 3108 Read more about Mikayla here: Mikayla has been responding to a calling to care for the next generation since she could carry someone younger than herself. She pursued a formal Music/Education degree at the University of Lethbridge for two years but left to follow whispers on the wind of alternative music and education routes... Luckily, not too far away from Lethbridge is where the rolling prairies meet the Rocky Mountains of Waterton National Park and that is where she began her first experience of caring for two little ones in nature. From there on in, out in the elements was where she wanted to be! She began to work for and train with adult programs, after school programs and children's camps that were built around healthy culture building and nurturing nature connection such as, 8 shields based, Coyote Program in Montreal. Her desire to go deeper into her own nature connection journey led her to Salt Spring Island to take part in the Wisdom of the Earth Adult Immersion Program. She feels encouraged on her path by the opportunity to be a part of the Cahoots team this year! Mikayla loves to craft, play active games and catch songs that come alive with percussion and harmonies. She holds a precious value of group bonding experiences where each voice is heard and individual gifts are nurtured and given space to grow.

Calling all nature nuts! Summer time CAHOOTS for the little ones ages 3-5! When? Wednesday mornings: 9:30-12:30 from July 15th to August 19th. Where? ...Continue reading

Video #6: Make a healing salve! With so many great medicinal plants growing with abundant nutrients right now in the height of Spring we thought it would be an ideal time to make some salves for all the cuts, scrapes, stings, and itches that come our way throughout the year. In this video Fern shows us how to make a sun-infused salve with plants like yarrow, comfrey and plantain (you can also include calendula, arnica flowers or chickweed). Use what you got growing near yo...u! Our CAHOOTS kids are getting salve kits from us that come with beeswax and a nice metal containers so they can start making salves and have a handy way to bring their salve wherever they go. Let us know how your salve creations turn out and your favourite ways to use them!

South West nature missions to keep it wild from Thriving Roots Wilderness School!

South nature missions for the whole family from Thriving Roots Wilderness School!

South East nature missions from Thriving Roots Wilderness School!

September 2020 to June 2021: Openings on Tuesdays @ CAHOOTS Nature Program! There are a couple of spots open for children ages 6-10 years old in our outdoor nature program on Tuesdays starting in September 2020 and running until mid-June. Hours: 9:30 am - 2:30 pm... Location: Mid-island (Cranberry Road) *beautiful forests, ravines, creeks on a private property! Facilitated by: Fern Yip and Candace Miller Give your child the gift of deep nature connection! Please inquire with Vanya via email or PM: cahootsforkids(at)gmail.com

Video #5: Wild Edible Challenge: Lawn Salad! Ok, don't go eating just any or all plants growing on your lawn... the fun part is identifying what is growing on your property and what edible or medicinal qualities they have. First, walk around your whole lawn/property and record with drawings and/or words what is growing there. Look at the leaves, flowers (if blooming), stems and roots if possible to get to know the whole plant. What is this plant's story and gift for you? Nex...t, go and look up what these plants are, what parts you can eat, and what nutritional/medicinal qualities they have (i.e. full of vitamin C, good for headaches, helps sooth skin rashes, etc.). And for the final challenge- make a wild edible dish out of some of the plants growing on your property! Take a photo so we can share in the delights with you! FYI: Always check reliable sources when identifying plants to make sure these plants are safe to consume/use. Psstt parents...don't go around with your kids naming all the edible plants for them, please. The journey is in the exploration so ask good questions, help them look up plants in books or online, and learn all aboout the wonders of edible plants growing right outside your door together! :) Some great plant id. books are: Plants of Coastal BC (Pojar and MacKinnon) Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada (MacKinnon and others) Botany in a Day (Thomas J Elpel) Pacific Northwest Foraging (Douglas Deur)

CAHOOTS t-shirts have arrived and kids and family members are enjoying them! We'll do another order in August. Please be in touch if you'd like one. You don't need to be a CAHOOTS kid to enjoy and wear this fun design.

A great family video all about the wonderful world of plant identification! Thomas Elpel, author of Botany in a Day, brings you through a faster, easier, and engaging way to identify plants. So cool! https://youtu.be/D1DePlU15z4

Video #4: Camouflage game with Fern! What fun games have you been playing? Here is an idea for you and your family. Up your camouflage skills and become an expert hider! Look to the animals and birds- what do they use to stay hidden?

Wow! Egg identification, awesome. When I was a kid I thought only robins laid blue eggs, there are so many blue egg layers!

These are so beautiful and fun for the whole family! We printed it out, on the fridge for our weekly nature inspiration. Thanks Alaina Hallett and Thriving Roots!

Cool nature resources for families and kids from Nature Play a not-for-profit association in Australia: https://www.natureplaywa.org.au//coronavirus-covid19-resou

Thx to Thriving Roots for this inspiration for the whole family!

Video #3: Create a Nature Table! Do you have a spot in your home where you can examine and celebrate natures treasures? This week youre invited to create a special spot for special objects youve found in nature. Can you include an object or two that you dont know anything about? Look up your mystery item in a field guide or online. Draw it in your journal. Share your findings with your family or a friend.

Video Series #2: Explore a new place! In this next video Fern, a mentor here at CAHOOTS, describes how she set off to a new place where she'd never explored before on Denman Island. Can you (and your family) find a new place where you've never been and go wander to see what mysteries await? Can you find a plant that you've never met and get to know it? Is there a bird or a frog sound that you can follow to find out who is hiding there? ... Enjoy your adventure of this new place! See more

Video Series #1: Bird Signs: Inspiration From the Feathered Ones. Hi from Vanya from CAHOOTS Nature Program on Salt Spring Island, BC. I am so grateful to all my mentors and teachers who have taught me how to use all my senses to find clues from the birds. And thanks to the birds who continue to leave behind scat, feathers, pellets, and tracks for us to discover, I love learning about what you have been up to! Below you will find a video to inspire you to get out there and... explore the bird signs near you. When you find one ask yourself- How did this get here? What happened? Who may have left this behind? What were they doing? What other clues are around? You may want to draw, map or journal about your discoveries too! Share your stories with friends or family or share your discoveries in the comments below! See more

Jon Young, co-founder of the 8 Shields Institute is doing a 28 day free Connection First audio journey to help support all in their deep nature connections at this critical time (meant for adults but can provide ways to get the kids engaged!): https://www.jonyoung.online/forum

Gratitude, enjoy the outdoors with all your senses, and stay connected in positive ways! I recently sat down with Jean-Claude Catry and Ingrid Bauer of Wisdom of the Earth (www.wisdomoftheearth.ca) to discuss how deep nature core routines can help us during these challenging times by balancing the overload we are experiencing mentally with simple ways of being, literally grounded, in the natural world. Vanya Michelle Laporte runs CAHOOTS Nature Program on Salt Spring Island..., BC: https://www.facebook.com/Cahoots-Outdoor-Programs-for-Kids-243987693154906/ Let us know how the big, beautiful, natural world is supporting you right now.

We need deep nature connection now more than ever, well we've always needed it but these practises and ways of being will pull us through in a more grounded way. Tune in!

Last week the kids got into small groups and created scavenger hunt maps for each other. Seen below is a group trying to find which direction the next clue is in and reading that the location has been labelled "land of the poo". #highdensitydeerpopulation

Weaving magic...little hands, feeling proud! Photo credit Vanya Laporte.

Salt Spring- I am looking for a local, forested property that would be open to having my CAHOOTS Nature Program for kids on their land one day a week starting Sept 2020. I would love to find a wonderful, wild place where the wee ones can enjoy a day of deep nature connection. Spread the word and PM me if you have questions or ideas! To learn about the fun we get up to at CAHOOTS check us out here: https://www.facebook.com/Cahoots-Outdoor-Programs-for-Kids-243987693154906/

Oooooh! So many good ones to bring home for the kiddos.

Recipe for deep nature connection: 4 parts water, two parts sticks and mud combined, a dash of curiousity, a pinch of playfulness and some friends to help you put it all together! Photo by Fern Yip

Most Canadians are hoping for warmer weather right now but at CAHOOTS we are crossing our fingers for colder nights, below 0 and warming up above 0 during the day so that we can harvest something special this week...!! Go Big Leaf Maples Go! More about the incredible acer macrophyllum here: https://kleekhootgold.ca/bigleaf-maple/

2 spots open on Thursdays at CAHOOTS Nature Program this semester! If you are looking for adventure, nature skills, and songs, stories, and games that inspire your child between the ages of 5-10 then contact Vanya for more details. Each Thursday from Feb-mid June (March Break off) 9:30-2:30 pm and takes place in the incredible forest behind Beaver Point Hall!