Playschool Outside

Playschool |OUTside provides a curious and full experience for children in our natural space around the community. This gives children the opportunity to gain social skills by interacting, collaborating and negotiating with others. Children learn about the natural elements and their surroundings when they are outside. This program will increase their ability to balance, jump, climb, throw, run and skip. By being outdoors, children begin to understand that learning happens both indoors and outdoors.

Please note:

Outdoor Playschool involves risky play: play that pushes the child’s physical, mental, and emotional boundaries. This play is initiated by the child and monitored and appropriately supported by the leaders. Risk management and opportunities for risky play are integral parts of the outdoor education experience. Our leaders do a new risk assessment every time we enter into a new park and/or space as well as daily risk assessments while onsite. We invite our children to be a part of this process so they too are able to learn how to mitigate risks for themselves and their bodies.

The leaders also do routine risk assessments on an individual basis and for any activities that we perform. Risky play is when children push themselves to figure out what might happen without knowing the outcome; this play helps children figure out the world around them but also what they are capable of. Play builds confidence, curiosity and resilience. The role of the facilitator is to point out areas of risk so that in time, children will recognize the risk and walk through the forest, or the world knowing and understanding the spaces around them. Outdoor play in our program will include explore logs, planks, water, trees, branches and bugs like spiders!

Your little one(s) will arrive in their appropriate weather gear dressed for the outdoors. The leaves have started to change colour and drop to the ground.  

Once you have checked your children in, the leaders will greet your child with hand washing and fun welcoming games. From there we will start the days adventure in our outdoor play spaces by exploring the trails & forests around Hyde Creek. We will base our activities and learning on what mother nature has provided. We are so fortunate to have beautiful places close to our facility.

Your child will be prepared to get a little messy because there is mud pies in Julie’s kitchen (trail behind Hyde Creek) to be formed and made. Leslie’s living room (by the Minnekhada Field) will be the space to play forest games and sing songs. In Lori’s Art Spot we will create art with the supplies from nature. We take a mid morning break for snack and social time, bathroom breaks and include several handwashing opportunities. We conclude the day at the Hyde Creek Playground with some free play fun waiting to be picked up to head home with stories from the day.

Daily Supply List:

• Small backpack to carry with chest strap
• Refillable easy flip top lid water bottle, half-filled for easier carrying.
• Snack: nut-free
• Whistle
• A complete change of clothes, including socks and underwear (in a large Ziploc)
• Small cloth for hand drying

In colder weather, every child must bring daily:

• Waterproof boots, coat, pants or muddy buddy
• Warm layers such as fleece or wool, no cotton
• Gloves/mittens and well fitted toque