In the middle of each month, we’ll send out an email with all of the pertinent information for the following months locations, special mentions, holidays etc. Hang onto this email and mark down locations.
We shift locations every 2 weeks. Have no fear as we always send out a reminder email before we shift locations. We have a strong policy of ‘No Muddy Boots left behind!’ ;)
Yes. This is a nut friendly program. If your child does have serious nut allergies, please ensure it’s marked down in their registration form and tell the educators directly.
Pick up and drop off can be busy times for the educators. If you have big questions that require long answers, please feel free to make a brief appointment with them after class. You can also book a phone date or email them directly with any questions you may have.
Fresh Air Learning (the pioneers in Forest School in the Lower Mainland) have created a gear swap page for parents. You’ll have to ask to join but it shouldn’t be a problem. Outdoor gear is expensive and kids grow fast.
Please check out the Fresh Air Learning Facebook page if you like.
Are you looking for children’s outdoor gear? Do you want to sell outdoor gear?
Join the Facebook group, “Fresh Air Learning Gear Swap”. You don’t need to be part of Fresh Air Learning to participate, and there’s no charge (except all of that gear you get, of course). Group buys for waterproof mittens and woollens are coming up for the fall.
Check out the Ack! What to Wear page in the programs menu for details.
Check out Locations page in the programs area.
Locations will also be emailed out to the parents in a monthly newsletter.
Each park is visited prior to our time there to ensure that it meets the needs of the program. Safety is of the highest concern and one that Muddy Boot Prints takes very seriously. Prior to daily drop offs, the educators do daily site checks to ensure the park is safe to be in. In the event they see something untoward, they will call 311 and report it.
A Give Week is a week where we interact with strangers and offer them pieces of art we’ve made that have kind phrases on the back. We travel around the city on the Skytrain! During the final week of October, we will invite adults to say ‘Trick or Treat’ and we will give them a candy. These moments teach our children compassion, empathy and the opportunity to look beyond themselves in our big world.
***For the time being, all Give Weeks have been suspended until it is safe to ride public transit again without needing to wear a mask.
We aren’t sugar cubes and won’t melt. ;) When we’re dressed well for the rainy weather with warm layers of wool and fleece, there are very few complaints from everyone. Rain is a daily part of life in Vancouver and there’s no need to shy away from it. Muddy Boot Prints chooses to embrace it!
Admittedly, it is a rare occasion that class is canceled. In the event that class is canceled an email will be sent out before 8am to all families indicating as such.
While it is preferred, it isn’t required.
No we do not. Parents are expected to provide snacks and water for their child while they’re with us.
The kind of tea varies according to our area. Often times we will take pine needles from Douglas Fir, Spruce or Hemlock trees (no, it’s not same kind of Hemlock that Socrates drank) and steep them in hot water. Other times, we’ll find fennel, lemon balm and mint.
A Gratitude Circle is our last circle of the day where we express our favourite moment of our time together. It’s a wonderful way for us to quickly recap our morning and revisit the fun we had.
A sit spot is one of our final moments of our day where we each find our own place to sit quietly and simply observe. We are not to talk during this time so we can listen to our surroundings. Often times we ask the children to hold their silence as we head back to our pick up location. It quickly becomes one of our favourite moments of the day.
Currently, no. Outdoor education isn’t licensed in British Columbia…yet. Belva Stone began this journey in 2016 when she and an ad hoc committee developed amendments to add to the Child Care Assisted Living Act, which is the legislature that oversees the licensing of all facilities. These amendments were submitted received by the Ministry of Health. In 2020, Washington State licensed outdoor education for early childhood and the efforts to license outdoor education were reignited in BC. Currently, Belva Stone sits on the Child and Nature Advisory Board that has been working towards licensing outdoor education in BC for the last 2 years.
We need to build trust with your child and the fastest way of doing that is by attending 2 days a week. Trust between the educators and your child will be gained faster and the structure of our program will be absorbed quicker the more time is spent in our programs. Attending 2 days a week also offers the educators an opportunity to get to know your child better so they can adapt the programming to best suit their needs.
Sadly, no.