Programmes éducatifs en nature – What’s going on at home?

It's springtime!

We are off to a happy start to this new quarter. Happy to see the arrival of fine weather and spring, heralding more regular afternoon outings, thanks to milder temperatures and weather conditions. Indeed, this winter, outings were less frequent due to events such as snowstorms and strong winds.
Nevertheless, our educators have been very active over the last few months in their desire to take children out into nature! What a delight for the little ones!

The Carrefour francophone teams also benefited from further training days with the Child & Nature Alliance of Canada.

The Nature School Practitioner program

This certification, increasingly recognized in the field of early childhood education, enhances the work of educators and enables them to reflect on their practices in an outdoor context. Nathalie Singer, a Pedagogical leader in Sudbury East who took the Nature School Practitioner training, shares about the program:

“We had access to valuable resources, including links to the work of Waubgeshig Rice, Aboriginal books from Goodminds, and artists such as Kelly Brownbill and Issac Murdoch. […] We participated in activities such as thinking about where we sit, and explored our comfort level in various scenarios. Together, we established community agreements to guide our interactions, ensuring a supportive environment for all.”

So it was an enriching weekend that also highlighted a belief system that is created when one hears the term “Forest School”.
School”. Indeed, we tend to think that children spend their whole day outdoors, and that this pedagogy necessarily requires the presence of a forest. Even though our big outdoor project is called CPE forêt, it is important to keep in mind that the main objective is to implement outdoor pedagogy, which is based on the following principles: Slowly, often, regularly, for a long time and at all times!

Outdoor play is essential, and has been shown to foster children’s socio-emotional, cognitive and physical development. Physical activity and the outdoors help develop better mental health and reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The Canadian Paediatric Society tells you more about risky play and its benefits in :
Healthy child development through risky outdoor play: balancing injury prevention.

When these good habits are established at an early age, it is easier and more natural to maintain them over the long term, and make them last into adulthood. It is a major challenge! At Carrefour Francophone, we believe it is vital to support children in this area and help them develop the self-confidence that will be a precious gift throughout their lives.
This training course provides a wealth of resources for educators, and we would like to extend our warmest thanks to Sharon Gauthier, Denis Lefebvre and Richard Meilleur “Rick” for sharing their native teachings.

An incredible spring break!

In April, don't let your guard down!

The weather is getting warmer, but the forest is often very humid, rain is not uncommon and neither are puddles! To adapt to these climatic changes, childcare centres provide children with Muddy Buddies during the week. It is a set, a waterproof piece that allows children to play outside as much as they like and jump in puddles if they wish, without fear of ending up soaked.

Who doesn’t love jumping in puddles?

As the set isn’t lined, it is important to dress the children according to the temperature, and rain boots are essential to keep their feet dry. This way, children can continue to play outdoors without worry!

Bring along your Muddy Buddy. Your kids will thank you, and you will be relieved!

Coming soon!

Carrefour francophone would like to say thank you

Our project partners: PLAYLearnThink, Collège Boréal, Centre Louis Riel; our research partners: Child and Family Social Innovation Centre and our funder: Employment and Social Development Canada.