GROWE

Connecting with nature offers a wealth of benefits, not to mention the sheer enjoyment of being surrounded by beauty. So go play outside! By Tara Carpenter M...other Nature’s outdoor classroom has so much to teach if we only embrace her wisdom. The Indigenous peoples of this land have known this for thousands of years. Being in the classroom at school was always a challenge for me as a young active farm kid. I remember staring out the window of my classroom dreaming of being free outside climbing trees, running down the lane, going for a horse ride or playing with my goats. My fondest memory of elementary school was the day my grade 2 teacher took us outside to collect leaves for an art project. Imagine going outside during class time! I was so overjoyed to get out of the box to learn that it made an indelible memory deep within me. This kind of impact that nature can have on children in the realm of education is a grassroots direction that we seriously need to consider as a society. When you spend time outdoors you accumulate knowledge that you cannot learn from a book, the internet or inside a traditional classroom. You learn from the weather: tolerance, anger, joy. You learn about the plants and trees that feed and heal us. You learn from the creatures that we share this planet with. You learn about yourself: trust, respect, confidence. All of this deeply rooted environmental education leads us in a direction in life that we can only receive from being connected to our home planet Earth. Outdoor classrooms encourage a living level of education that encompasses spiritual, emotional and academic learning. Southwestern Ontario has so much to teach us, from the sandy beaches of Long Point to the flowing waters of the Grand River - all waiting to be found within the biodiversity of the Carolinian Forest. Just get out there and let nature educate you!

Happy #EarthDay2021 ! Missing the #growekids today!

Pond TV...American toad television...the males mating call the only time American toads come to water is for a few days in spring to mate. My favorite creature. #growekids #frogandtoadarefriends

Winter reading, supporting community, and shopping local. Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from the #growekids see you in the new year! Last day of GROWE Outdoor School - Acorns 4-6 yr old outdoor kitchen, cutting up Halloween pumpkins for mud pie, picnic lunch, camp fire, graditude circle and wild tea party.

working with tools...learning the difference between a screw and a nail inpressive and educational nature presentations, wild tea party for our parents! I am so proud of how high these eagles have soared this term!

Last day of the Acorns GROWE Outdoor School - Acorns 4-6 yr old for the fall term. I feel so blessed to be teaching and learning with these #growekids

Last week of the Fall term of #growekids nature presentations, building binoculars, wild tea party.

Loving the birds, friends and the weather.

Marshmallows!!!! What a treat after going on a search for the marshmallows that were taken by a Pirate and taken deep into the woods! So much fun! #growekids

Winter registration is now live!

These treasured Acorns are connecting to the changing season....frosty explorations, feeding our winter bird friends, making christmas decorations and finding a hybernaculum!

Happy Halloween from the ACORN #growekids..... the treats of blue skies, roasted marshmallows, painting pumpkins donated by a local farmer, woodland creature adventures, bird watching and the evolution caring tribe being created.

Even in this coldest of November days...these Eagles chose to eat lunch outside! Plus...the first week of filling our bird feeder we had the chickadees eating out of our hands...i was not quick enough with the camera. My heart was so filled with these eagles today! Chaga tea, climbing a fallen tree, tracking games, whittling, fire starting

On a day like this the benefits these #growekids are growing are immeasurable. Resilience, perserverance, cooperation, emapthy, determination, a sence of belonging. When I hear a parent say that their child has struggled for 4 years in the school system and this year for the first time they are seeing positive change....well my heart swells and I Know that GROWE is changing the lives of these children, families and our community. Thank you GROWE families for being a part of making change.

Happy Halloween week from the #growekids thanks to a local farmer for the donated pumpkins!

More than 50 studies point to nature-based play as key to developing pro-environmental behavior because it nurtures an emotional connection to the natural world. http://ow.ly/DPLB50CbYgl

These #growekids really know how to make stone soup on a misty day. They were so proud of their "eatable" concoctions! Im sure the critters were happy after too.

These #growekids were a rainbow of joy amongst the rain this morning nestled deep in our conifer forest. The afternoon turned into foxes in sweaters by the campfire.

Survival tarpaulin skill mentoring. Perservering through knot patients. Picnicing with deer skulls. All the while being watched over by our new eagle mascot. These eagles are on their way to living at one with Mother Nature!

These #growekids are creative survivalist . Making cornmeal, medicinal nature tea and foraging the last of summers berries. What a happy day with friends, mentors and nature.

These #growekids even know how to learn and play in the rain! Building resilient, durable, hardy children. Nothing can stop them!

Very limited spaces. Email [email protected] for registration