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FARM & FOREST 
 KINDERGARTEN

Our  "Farm & Forest Kindy" is a half day or full day nature-immersion program that is child-led with provocations and activities set up by the Educators for the children to explore, if they wish. This provides children with the opportunities to explore learning at their own pace in a play-based, nurturing environment. We practice skills through hands-on activities like planting seeds to watch them grow or by listening to songs and stories. We provide a nurturing, and safe environment for your child to grow and bloom at their own pace. With low adult to child ratios, your child will have plenty of one-on-one attention from caring and experienced Educators.

When:  Tuesdays and/or Thursdays
Time: 
Half Day: 9:30AM - 12:30PM (3, 4, 5 & 6 yrs)  
Full Day: 9:30AM - 3:00PM (4, 5 & 6 yrs)

Ages:  3 - 6  

Ratio:       1 Educator for every 5 children; max 15

Lead Educator:  Ms. Ashley

Educators:  Ms. Sarah,  Ms. Becky, Ms. Heather

Investment:  HALF DAY: $52/day + HST​   FULL DAY: $80/day + HST

$100 non-refundable deposit due at registration. Payments can be made in full at registration or monthly invoice payments - the financial commitment is for the entire term. We offer monthly payments as a convenience, however when you register, you are comminiting to paying for the entire term, even if you withdraw your child. 

Priority Registration will be offered to currently enrolled families as well as those who are registering for the full year.

**Children who are 3 years old will attend half days until they turn 4. Children who are 3 turning 4 between Sept 1st and Dec 31st can attend full day starting in September.**

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2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR DATES

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Fall 2025​:  

14 Weeks 

Sept 8th - Dec 8th, 2025

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Winter 2026​:

10 Weeks

 Jan 5th- Mar 9th, 2026​​

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Spring 2026​:

12 Weeks

Mar 30th - Jun 15th, 2026

Pre-Registration for 2025-2026 is now open. Please click on the buttons above to pre-register. Pre-registering does not guarantee a spot, but puts you in line on our waiting list. People will be contacted by July 1st, 2025 for FALL 2025; by December 1, 2025 for WINTER 2026; by February 1st, 2026 for SPRING 2026.

2024-2025 DATES

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Fall 2024​:  

12 Weeks 

Sept 18th - Dec 4th, 2024

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Winter 2025​:

9 Weeks

 Jan 6th- Mar 3rd, 2025

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Spring 2025​:

13 Weeks

Mar 24th -  Jun 16th, 2025

SPOTS LEFT

ON TUESDAYS

Farm & Forest Kindergarten: A Gentle Beginning Rooted in Nature

 

In our Farm & Forest Kindergarten, children step into a world of wonder, where the changing seasons guide their days and the natural world becomes their classroom. Through a rhythm of joyful exploration, meaningful work, and imaginative play, young learners develop a deep connection to the earth, themselves, and one another.

🌿 A Day in the Life 🌿

Children begin their morning with a warm welcome, gathering in song and story before setting off on the day's adventures.

They might:

🐓 Care for the animals – feeding chickens, collecting eggs, and gently tending to the goats

🌱 Work in the garden – planting, watering, and harvesting with mindful hands

🌳 Explore the forest – climbing logs, building shelters, and discovering hidden wonders

🎨 Engage in creative expression – crafting with natural materials, painting with earthy tones, and telling stories through movement and song

🔥 Gather around the fire – sharing nourishing snacks, listening to stories, and warming hands on chilly days

 

Through purposeful work, free play, and storytelling, children build confidence, resilience, and a deep reverence for the world around them. With caring educators to guide them, they learn through experience—feeling the rain on their cheeks, the soil in their hands, and the steady rhythm of nature’s cycles.Here, childhood unfolds at a gentle pace, honoring curiosity, imagination, and the magic of outdoor learning.

Our Daily Rhythm

 9:30-10AM             Gathering & Getting Settled         30min

    This time is reserved for the arrival of the group in their own time. We offer a casual arrival so families can feel comfortable when they begin their day. We believe that it is not healthy for young children to feel the stress of rushing as this can often set a negative tone for the day. Meeting together in our Children's Garden provides a safe exploration space with age appropriate tools and toys. Allowing a flow of graceful arrival with open conversations & connections led by the interest of the children.

We check in with our bodies, ensure we are dressed properly for the day; and then the educators sing our 2min warning to transition song. All our transitions are led by song.

 

10-10:20AM             Snack & Community Circle             20min

This time is reserved as a coming together with intention to set the tone for group cohesion. We invite snacking and water pause (pausing our play/ engagement to take a drink of water). We do bathroom check-ins. Our Circle time flow is short and we follow the children's energy each day. We sing Good Morning Song to the Land, we acknowledge the Land we gather on and express our gratitude. Then the children's favourite part... a visit from the Moondance Learning Gnomes! Mother Moondance greets us each day, while her friends flow in and out visiting us each week. Peep shares about the Creature of the Week, while Fay shares the Word of the Day! Luna Moon comes to visit when we sing our Moon song to her. She shares with the children what the Moon phase is, and Windy Wendy has been visiting to chat about the day's weather. If attention and engagement allows, we engage in seasonal movement rhymes, poems, fingerplays or songs. 

10:20-10:45AM        Forward Across the Farm            25min

This is the time to take an exploration walk through the farm’s center of energy. We visit flower alley to observe the colours and buzzing mini beats. We follow the flow of the paths to visit the chickens, and goats for feeding and interactions, often picking weeds along the way. A favourite morning chore is picking weeds to make a "goat salad", experimenting with different plants to see what the silly goats like most. Some days we will visit the greenhouse with Farmer Kim to see, smell, touch, use our helping hands to water & our favourite part, taste the veggies!

We land at Old Maple, a 200 year old Maple tree that has become a landmark on the property, and the children all have developed a relationship with her. We give her hugs and hellos and we spend some time to regroup with open play and discovery in her shade.

We travel as a group while on the farmland, but we do allow the children to stretch a little and travel across the farm at their own pace.

 

10:45-11AM               Harmony Hike                                15min

 

This time is reserved for the opportunity to engage in Forest Bathing & Mindfulness. We stop at the entrance to the forest and greet the forest. We ask permission to enter and listen for the answer. We explain that while the forest can't "talk" to us, it is alive and we can feel it's answer. This is our observational nature walk as a group, which is long or short depending on day, how long we spent exploring the gardens and the energy levels. We take the time to stop and observe the plant life and insects we find and collect nature treasures along the way. A favourite stop is at Curiosity Corner. Here we settle for a sit spot after singing the Sit Spot song. Our sit spots is choosing to visit the same tree for a quiet pause and sensory exploration, fostering a deeper connection to the subtle changes in nature. Some children find a nature treasure to drop into the Wishing Tree (old hollow stump). We finish our Hike by landing in our Forest Nest Play Space.

 

11AM-12:30PM          Forest Free Play                              1.5hr

This time is reserved for free play and exploration in the forest. The Educators provide provocations as child-led interests arise, they support self guided sensory discoveries, child-led risky-play behaviour, and child-led nature crafting. Snacking is encouraged as children feel ready. We gentle encourage children to stop to eat, but also remind them to listen to what their body is telling them. We set out simple tools and toys with nature exploration in mind. We put up Hammocks for resting, and swinging, and we have our seasonal BookBox full of books and stories to explore. 

We give our morning only friends a 10min, then 2 min warning to transition home. We say our goodbyes to the 1⁄2 day children and they head out of forest casually at 12:20pm towards the children's garden for pick up.

 

12:30-2:30PM          Afternoon Adventures               2hrs

This time is reserved for the continued efforts of child-led, play-based learning experiences. The afternoon is reserved for exploring as a group in any spaces they choose: Nature walks in the forest for treasure/or creature hunts; Greeting the Food Growing Learning Gardens in the market area; Tinker chores to embrace the process of garden growing; Visiting the animals again; The patch for open air group running games; Old Maple for shade and observations; The yurt for indoor quiet creative crafts; Nature crafting.  Remaining engaged in a flow state of free play and exploration in the forest nest is always one of the favourite choices for the afternoons. 

 

2:30-3PM                   Goodbye & Go                          20min

This time is our gentle end of day transition to conclude our time together. We do a Wolf call to round everyone up. We sing our Goodbye Songs in the forest to signal the end of the session; we then say goodbye and thank you to the forest for holding us all day - Hug a Tree! Tidy up, gather gear and go. We leave the forest at 2:50pm and guide children across the farmland and into the Children’s Garden to wait for our grownups. 

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