Wildernook Fresh Air Learning

Who’s got energy to burn? Introducing Snow-tastic February Break Fun! Launch off snow mounds, tune into nature, and collaborate with winter-loving peers to build a snowscape! Wildernook’s Snow-tastic February Break Fun provides a fresh, active energy outlet for kids after a few too many indoor recesses.... Snow-tastic is designed for 5 - 7 year old adventurers who are wired to be active and play outdoors in all types of weather. Each day will feature a different winter adventure in Meewasin Park’s Naturalized space and surrounding area. We will be mobile for the afternoon, carrying our backpacks with us to our different play stops. 1:00 p.m.-3:30p.m. on the three warmest afternoons of Feb break. Stop by at www.wildernook.com -> adventures to learn more and save your spot.

Move past the Bambi on skis stage with friends. This is a drop-in, for-fun, ski support group for adults to help you find your glide. You’re hooked up with skis and the best possible snow season is here. Now all you need is confidence, a bit more practice and a little nudge! First option is tomorrow (Harold Tatler Park) to make use of the fab weather. ... It can be hard to relax on skis if you don’t feel comfortable, confident or steady. This small beginner group will move at a relaxed pace in comfortable conditions to help you find your glide. We will meet in tracked urban parks on fair weather Tuesdays and Thursdays (dates will be posted based on the weather forecast). . You are welcome to register for one or come to them all. It is up to you. Register at Wildernook.com What you’ll need: -Properly fitted classic skis, poles and boots (waxless, skin skis and waxable skis are all welcome). -Dress as you would for winter running and add a winter jacket or vest on top you can take off. -Facemask options to cover for warmth and to keep our aerosols to ourselves. -Headlamp -Avoid bulky mittens and heavy ski pants Location: Saskatoon’s Urban Parks and Naturalized spaces (E.g. Weaver Park, Harold Tatler Park, Diefenbaker Park, Victoria Park). Dates: Select Tues and Thurs between Tuesday, Feb. 2nd - Thurs. March 11th. Timing: 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Cost: $10.00/session Cancellation Policy: Register for what you can attend. There will be no refunds for these ultra affordable drop-in dates. Proceeds go to support Wildernook projects such as Punch Buggy Express.

Casual socially distanced conversation looks like: Chatting about how to become a guardian of ‘the tree’ (and for those of you who know this group, there is a high likelihood of ocelots being discussed too). We carve out time for unstructured free play during each of our curricular learning sessions. It’s important for learners of all ages to have opportunities to choose how they wish to engage with their setting, their peers and what they want to play, dream about or bu...ild. Unstructured free play can sound like the left-overs once the teacher or coach has exhausted their lesson plans, but that’s not the case. Free play can be down-time, regroup time, self-regulation time. It can also be think for myself and make my own decisions time, create my own games time, and time to go deep into imaginary worlds time. This crew carry forward an evolving magical narrative from one free play session to the next. Our location and the weather change regularly, yet they have the ability to revive their shared narrative by cuing one another and taking action to help shape the plot line. As teachers we observe and get out of the way. One of our strategies is to engage in a form of play that neither interferes nor seems out of place in the world they are creating. Some days that’s weaving sticks through supple shrub branches to create a blind. Other times it’s building a snow sculpture or finding the perfect tree ‘recliner.’ Yes, we keep track of the kids, whether their ears are covered, and their hands got sanitized before snack, but when they see us piling snow to build an ‘essential’ wall- we hope they catch our cue to play. #permissiontoplay #unstructuredplay #playbasedlearning #freeplay #nevertooold #workisfun #ilovemyjob

Posted @withregram @littlewondersyxe This week’s Wednesday business feature is @wildernook ! From Founder, Claire: Wildernook Fresh Air Learning designs and facilitates innovative outdoor experiences to get you hooked on nature. Our educators are outdoor play specialists who are fuelled by a strong personal connection with nature.... We love to collaborate with schools and organizations to help them achieve their outdoor, environmental and place-based education goals. We also work to provide families with options to build nature time into their week with our popular weekly children's programming. These include forest school style Nature Playcare (age 3-5), curricular programming to support online and homeschool learners and caregiver and child programs such as Nature Grandparenting, Nature Tots and Nature Baby. To learn more about Wildenook programs visit our website at www.wildenook.com. To discuss how our education, facilitation and program design services can help your organization achieve its goals email [email protected]. New! Wildernook is currently designing a children's pedal bus experience for downtown yxe. You can wait for the surprise in July or cheer us on and follow our progress @punchbuggyexpress Thank-you for supporting our locally owned and women-led business! #yxe #saskatoon #sk #sask #saskatchewan #saskbusiness #shoplocalyxe #shoplocalsaskatoon #supportlocal #supportlocalsaskatoon #supportlocalsaskatoon #womanentrepreneurs #smallbusiness #smallbusinessshowcase

We have #19 to add to the list of Back pocket Ideas for Skiing with Young Children: - swap your adult skis for their minis. This may be more fun for the adult, but a playful way to shake things up pre-trail ski. Note: This will only work if you have the same type of bindings. Also, likely not recommended by ski manufacturers. Sshhh.

Plans a, b, c and d for celebrating New Years now banned? Ditto. If you are uninspired to generate the next best plan, here is a low on energy high on magic way to mark New Year’s with young children. 1. Engage in party preparations together. Make tinfoil crowns, pipe-cleaner tiaras and homemade lanterns. Locate candles and sparklers. ... 2. Let kids create this no-bake menu. Dig out the popsicle tray, fill it with their innovative concoctions and set out in the snow to set. Make jello with plastic figurines and a glass cup or bowl (for flashing bike light of course) suspended within and set out in the snow to set. 3. Scout out a scenic night sky spot to celebrate and dig out couches for guests and coffee tables for party supplies out of the snow. Invite your child(ten) to label each guest’s spot using sticks. 4. Pack for comfort. We’re talking foam pads to sit on, a thermos of your fav flave, portable speaker for tunes, a cozy blanket or sleeping bag to snug up in. Use a sled to haul supplies from car to party site. 5. 10 minutes to whatever time you are pretending is midnight, light candles and practice counting down. 6. One minute before, hand out sparklers, light and begin the count-down! Happy New Year! 7. Turn the dance music and the strobe light under the jello on, cheers your popsicles together- 2021 is here! 8. Snuggle and gaze up at the night sky together making plans for your new year adventures together. Have a magical New Year’s Eve friends. See you in 2021! Photo credit: Jez Tim’s

Hey Saskatoon! It’s another eyeball appreciation day today. Notice the colour, the sparkle, the ‘white mascara’ (thx @bosbodaciousblog ) of people’s eyes as you pass them by. It is another Saskatoon stunner, but do take the time to puff up on layers and cover up your skin. If it is windy, consider it your chance to wear your ski goggles as reg. apparel and see the world through candyland tints. The River bank right now is top of the charts Paris of the Prairies right now (can... Saskatoon’s artists please be excused from work to go create today? ). You might want to switch to a wool neck warmer (such as this merino wool buff from @ebsadventure ), or double up on buffs/thin necktubes (a tip I learned from @ebsadventure ski academy) that way the frost and ice stays on the outer layer while keeping the inner layer soft against your skin. Also, drying out mitts and boot liners between wears is key for kids who can’t communicate just how much soggy sock sweat they are generating. We want to give a shout out to all the peeps bundled up out and about today- we see your beauty eyeballs! Also, a special shout out to the Kinder Care program at Ecole River Heights who kicked off their day by going for a walk to feed the birds. Great leadership coming from @karen_robin_son and Shannon! If you value unstructured nature playtime for your children in all types of weather, do check them out for alt k days next year. Info is on the Ecole River Heights School website. #outdoors #thisiswinter #bundleup #yxe #winterwear #headoutside #addmorelayers #youvegotthis

This is an off season post, but one of the parents from Nature Baby kindly shared it with us. We have a ‘class set’ of hole punchers for Nature Playcare. Sometimes they are for chomping hungry caterpillar holes, sometimes they are for making it rain. If you have a hole puncher at home, put it on the hands of your little one this spring to practice using tools and to see what purpose they decide to use a hole puncher for. Thanks for sharing Sarah. We are all for biodegradable play!

Claire’s memories of skiing as a kid include not wanting to be rushed when stopping to look at details in nature along the way. She didn’t love plodding along a predictable route as a kid, and tries to keep this in mind when introducing children to skiing the sport, the outdoor leisure activity, and the self-propelled method of travel. Here are 17 back pocket ideas for adding playful variety to skis with young children: 1. flip the switch and start your engines! 2. wow! ...It looks like your train drove right off into the tracks! 3. stop for a climbing break at climbing trees or downed tree piles along the way. 4. let kids pick one solid (box of raisins or granola bar) and one liquid (juice box or orange) snack to bring in the fanny pack. 5. invite kids to be on the lookout for the perfect scenic or sunny spots to enjoy snack 1 and snack 2. 6. make a game out of skiing ahead with a stick and trying to knock snow off of branches on the person behind them. 7. when kids need a slight boost ski beside them and let them hold onto one of your poles as a side car or in front of them as a tow truck. 8. jump on skis and try to catch some air. 9. quack loudly like a duck when waddling up steep hills to distract them from the work of hauling their duff up there 9. who gets to wear the fanny pack today!? 10. ski with different people. Remember, children forget to whine when not with their parents. 11. play I spy en route. 12. pick something to watch for (e.g. trees bent over into an arch)-the number you count along the trail is the number of smarties or raisins you each get to enjoy at the junction. 13. sing call and answer songs together (e.g. the telephone song). 14. change up distances, topography, scenery! 15. know your child’s capacity and don’t regularly push it. Utilize trails with different turnback options 16. for longer skis ski with a kindershuttle or chariot so they can hop in for a snack and rest break. 17. deck yourselves out in headlamps and glo sticks and go night skiing! Our list of ideas continues to grow each ski season. What have we missed? Fill us in! #nordicskiing #childrenonskis #winterfamily #wildernook #freshairlearning

Hey, hey! Grades one and two, if you like to learn outdoors, we’ve got a program for you! Parents, help keep your child’s ‘spark’ for learning alive with this Covid-response program. Our experienced outdoor educators facilitate active learning, nature connection, and positive social interactions. Join us Thursday afternoons! Register at wildernook.com ->adventures

Visiting our resilient tree friends at Weyakwin Lake. These quirky and determined trees were the inspiration for our Wildernook logo. Winter art galleries abound. Put on your art viewing lenses and get out there!

Hello! We’ve had a few requests for more curricular programming similar to the Grade 3 & 4 program we’ve been running since September. We have capacity to add another curricular program which is supplementary to children’s online and homeschool learning. This would be on a Thursday if there is sufficient demand. If this is something your family would be interested in, please tell us - what grades should it be? Thanks for your input! Note: the schedule featured here depicts the drop-off children’s programming only. Thx .

Earlier this month the Interval House posted a wish list of donations for families accessing their services in the transition to a safer home place. A few of the women from the Squirrelly Mama’s Wellness Walks group compiled this care package of small gifts in response. What we all need to know is that Saskatchewan pre-pandemic had some of the highest rates of domestic violence in the country. We also need know that Domestic violence rates are climbing to dangerous new heig...hts as the coronavirus pandemic wears on, and the Saskatchewan shelters offering victims refuge have had to slash spaces to comply with safe distancing protocols (Global News, Oct . 2020). I suspect many of us can’t fathom raising children in a violent home during a pandemic largely cut off from supports and so it is not on our radar as it should be. Consider how domestic violence could be even more invisible right now during winter, during a pandemic. The Interval House’s needs are likely much greater than usual. Consider calling the Interval House and asking what they need most and/or visiting their website to make a donation. The Saskatoon Interval House is a temporary shelter for women and their children leaving domestic violence who require safe accommodation (Saskatoonintervalhouse.org).

Saskatoon friends, if you have skiing in your winter plans, please consider joining the Saskatoon Nordic Ski club and supporting the excellent trail grooming, trail updates and other ski services they provide.

What a thoughtful gesture and way to remember. Thanks Chad.

Many of us grew up with fond childhood memories of snow days. They were a time to be present, tune into and get creative and resourceful with what the weather is serving up. This morning on CBC radio we learned that @leishacbc used snowshoes to get to work, and snowmobiles were used last night to help get essential workers to their destinations. Dig into your resourcefulness reserves and help someone who is stuck, facilitate a memorable experience for your kids or add a decoration to your neighbour hood to make others smile. Here’s to our first snow day of 2020 and all the hard workers out there making health services and civic voting possible. Thank-you

Super reminder for safe winter travel from our friends Back40 Wilderness First Aid Training.

Not sure how to spend your morning? Art is a great option. What starts out as snow people soon morphs into snow monsters and art installations. ... Snow is the new LEGO. Get out there and create!