Forest School
Where children and educators immerse themselves in nature, sparking curiosity, creativity, and a deep connection to the environment.
The Foundation of Forest School
YMCA Forest School was created with the desire to connect children with one another and the land. We developed Forest School with ongoing input from the Indigenous Advisory Circle to Cedar Glen staff to give equal voice to Indigenous and Western worldviews, aiming to make Forest School a meaningful and culturally-relevant experience for everyone involved.
Programming allows children the time, space, and support to explore the wonders of the natural world. The “classroom” is on YMCA Cedar Glen Outdoor Centre’s 263-acre property — the perfect setting for exploration, inquiry, and imaginative play.
Forest School, unlike more traditional outdoor education experiences, focuses on learning in the outdoors rather than learning about the outdoors. Children are free to choose and direct their play under the supervision of qualified and caring educators.
The Principles of Forest School
The YMCA takes reasonable steps to manage and balance the risk associated with adventurous play for our Forest School participants while allowing children to freely play.
- Learning takes place outdoors
- Programming helps children develop a relationship with the Land and an understanding of themselves as part of the natural world
- Educators understand that children are competent, curious, and capable learners
- Activities are led by educators through play-based, emergent, and inquiry-driven teaching and learning methods
- Forest School educators value child-like play — self-directed, freely chosen, and intrinsically motivated — and allow children the time to dive deeply into their play
- Forest School educators view risky play as an integral part of healthy childhood development; knowledgeable, qualified educators support children to co-manage risk
- Open-ended, creative play and learning relies on loose, natural materials
To learn more, check out About Forest and Nature School
A Typical Day at Forest School
Each day starts and ends together in a circle – welcoming one another, intentionally connecting with and thanking the Land, and debriefing our learnings. Beyond the regular structure of opening and closing, the children determine how the rest of the day goes as their play evolves.
Each session provides natural opportunities for literacy and mathematics through storytelling, song, rhyme, reading, drama, counting, sorting, classifying, and predicting.
Some of the activities we may engage in include:
- Shelter– and fire-building (using matches, found materials, ropes, tarps, and more)
- “Sit Spots” (quiet time in nature)
- Nature crafts and painting
- Tool use (hammers, saws, whittling knives)
- Identifying animal tracks; studying wildlife
- Knot and rope skills
- Leaf– and flower-pressing
- Bug and frog catching
- Sensory activities like water play and sand play
- Scavenger hunts
- Team, group, and other games
- Playing in hammocks and building swings
- Running, climbing, jumping, sliding, splashing, rolling, and more!
Forest School Location
YMCA Cedar Glen is on 263 acres of the Oak Ridges Moraine, a 45-minute drive north of Toronto. Since 2001, our site and staff have been connecting people of all ages to nature, offering year-round experiences for groups, families, and individuals.
At Cedar Glen, Forest School is tucked into the woods just behind Glenview Lodge, located at the north-eastern part of the property when you first arrive. Our preference is to be outdoors, but we do have access to both indoor washrooms and an indoor classroom space if required. Students will have access to over 5 km of trails, ponds and streams that flow through the property, and countless species of trees to discover.
Learn more about YMCA Cedar Glen.
Our Educators
- Passionate outdoor professionals who love spending time exploring and playing on our amazing property with children
- Trained in Standard First Aid and carry a first aid kit at all times
- Trained under our Certified Forest School Practitioner.
- Support children in learning and playing while keeping risks to an acceptable level
- Operate in a 1:8 ratio; one educator to 8 students
Preparing for Forest School
Forest school happens outdoors in all types of weather, rain or shine. It is important for your child to be prepared each day to remain comfortable and safe. Please review the following seasonal lists to ensure your child has everything they need to support a successful Forest School experience.
Forest School Frequently Asked Questions
Land Acknowledgement & Commitment to Truth Telling & Reconciliation
We at Cedar Glen would like to take a moment to acknowledge the land we play on. We also encourage you to take a moment and reflect on your personal journey of truth and reconciliation.
YMCA Cedar Glen is located on ancestral lands home to the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island. This area homed the Haudenosaunee (Ho-den-oh-show-nee), the Ojibway/Chippewas (Oh-jib-way/ Chip-eh-wah), Petun (Pee-tun), Anishinabek (Ah-nish-in-nah-bek), and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. These lands are the ancestral territories of many nations, including Tionontati (Petun), Mississaugas, the Ojibwe/Chippewa, the Huron-Wendat, and the Haudenosaunee. Originally formed by the vast Indigenous communities that shared this Territory long before contact, The Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Treaty, was an agreement between the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Confederacies to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes (“the Dish”).
The Cedar Glen community continues to recognize and work with Indigenous community partners and alongside the Indigenous Advisory Circle to Cedar Glen. We strive to understand past injustices and continue to move towards truth and reconciliation.