Educational programs in nature – In October, autumn continues its journey !

What if learning outdoors also meant learning differently?

Autumn continues its journey, transforming our landscapes with beautiful golden hues and softer light. It is a season of transition, harvest, slowness, but also observation.

In the centres, children continue to discover the cycles of life through falling leaves and changes in nature.

In our last newsletter, we talked about composting and how it can fuel reflection. Many of you shared your observations and questions with us, and this month, we want to take it a step further.

Because, ultimately, everything that happens in nature can become a learning tool, as long as we take the time to pay attention.

I wil also tell you more about a training program we are currently setting up at Carrefour francophone. We will also see some pictures of Boréal des tout-petits and Village des tout-petits this fall, and we will end this newsletter with a game you can try with your children or in early childhood centres.

Happy reading, everyone!

Mathieu Lambert
Daycare Forest Project Coordinator – outdoor pedagogical leader, Carrefour francophone.

When compost also feeds reflection

In the previous newsletter, I shared with you different types of composting, and you were able to read a series of thought-provoking questions following this information.

Many of you have been thinking about this, and today I would like to offer you some possible answers.

What specific learning outcomes can composting support?

Composting is an activity that brings together a multitude of learning opportunities: life sciences, science, language, motor skills, and even mathematics.

When children observe earthworms or changes in soil color, they develop their scientific minds. They formulate hypotheses, make comparisons, and ask questions. They discover concepts such as material transformation, the life cycle, temperature, humidity, and biodegradation.

• They exercise their motor skills and refine their coordination by handling soil, pouring waste, and mixing green and brown materials. These are concrete actions that also nurture their sense of competence and belonging: “I did it myself.”
• By discussing what they observe, children enrich their vocabulary: they learn words such as decomposition, humus, organic matter, cycle, and earthworm. These words, used in a real-life context, take on a deeper meaning. They become words derived from their experiences, rather than words learned in a theoretical way.
• And for older children, by counting the days, measuring the size of the worms, and estimating the amount of soil produced, they can explore mathematics in a concrete and lively way. By measuring, comparing, and estimating.

Composting allows children to experiment without realizing they are learning the basic concepts of logical and scientific reasoning.

Beyond these skills, composting also teaches us patience. It shows us that results do not always come right away. Sometimes we have to wait, observe, start over, and adjust. This is a valuable lesson, especially in a fast-paced world where we often expect immediate results.

How much room do we leave for slow processes in our educational days?

Compost invites us to reflect on our relationship with time.

In our often busy days, where transitions follow one another and activities are organized according to a set schedule, it can be difficult to make room for things that evolve slowly.

Yet it is often in this slowness that the most beautiful lessons are hidden.

Natural processes do not rush: leaves take time to decompose, seeds take time to germinate, and worms work at their own pace.

Enabling children to experience this also teaches them to observe time, appreciate subtle changes, and return several days in a row to see “what has changed.”

Valuing slow processes means accepting that we cannot measure or control everything. It means recognizing that learning can be gradual, invisible, and internal. It means valuing what is built slowly, just like relationships, trust, and curiosity.

How do children perceive their connection to nature when they participate in eco-friendly activities?

We often observe a change in attitude among children who get involved in environmental projects at our centres.

Actions such as feeding the compost, watering a plant, raking leaves, or putting fruit peels in the right place become genuine acts of belonging.

• Children develop a calmer, more focused, and responsible attitude.
• They learn that their actions have an impact, that what they do matters.
• They gain independence, pride, and a sense of community: “we take care of it together.”

It is also a wonderful way to nurture a sense of wonder: discovering that an earthworm, a carrot peel, or a handful of soil can transform the world on their own scale.

Little by little, a connection to nature takes root, along with play, curiosity, and relationships with adults.

Is food waste a topic we can discuss with children?

Talking to children about food waste may seem abstract, but it can be done simply through everyday actions.

When we sort, transform, and take care of what we eat, we are already sending a message: food has value.

By watching fruit peels turn into humus, or vegetable scraps turn into compost, children understand that there is no such thing as “waste” in nature, only transformation.

It is a beautiful way to approach sustainability, gratitude, and respect for life.

Yes, talking about waste also means talking about gratitude: gratitude towards the earth, towards those who cultivate it, and towards what we eat.

Training in the great outdoors: learning to love being outside

To continue this reflection and support educational teams, Carrefour Francophone is currently developing a training program in the great outdoors, offering total immersion.

The aim of this initiative is to strengthen nature-based education in our centres by allowing staff to spend a full day outdoors, supervised by certified trainers, in a location unknown to the participants, where everyone will start on an equal footing.

But why in the great outdoors?

We believe that before we can inspire children to go outside, adults themselves must find pleasure, safety, and confidence there.

This training program therefore has several objectives:

• Encourage staff members to love nature and the outdoors;
• Show that nature can be safe, provided you keep a watchful and caring eye on your surroundings;
• Promote cooperation and the exchange of experiences between colleagues, creating new benchmarks together.
• And above all, pass on this ease to children, so that they too can explore the outdoors with confidence and wonder.

This project will be rolled out gradually across three cohorts, so that each participant can fully experience this immersion and share it with their workplace.

What happens in our centres

It is during moments like these that we realize how rich autumn is as a season and that we have many things to celebrate during this time of year, not just Halloween.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find all these items in nature with your children and share your discoveries with us!

See you soon,

Mathieu Lambert
Daycare Forest Project Coordinator – outdoor pedagogical leader, Carrefour francophone.

Le Carrefour francophone souhaite offrir ses remerciements

Nos partenaires de projet : PLAYLearnThink, Collège Boréal, Centre éducatif des Premières Nations, Métis et Inuit et la Pavillon Shkode (Cœur du feu);
nos partenaires de recherche : Centre d’innovation sociale pour l’enfant et la famille et notre bailleur de fonds : Emploi et Développement social Canada.