Outdoor Day Programs
Environment Centre, Peterborough
All these programs and experiences will take place outdoors in all weather – we only go indoors (with masks on) for safety reasons or a quick warm up from the winter cold. Please read through all the Parent & Camper information, check the weather and come prepared.
Don’t hesitate to let us know if you have questions. Thanks – we hope to see you soon!
As with all our programming, we strive to inspire development of character and a deep respect for nature & taking care of the Earth. We learn through outdoor skills, naturalist studies, sensory awareness, games, imaginative play, exploration and lots of time in direct experience of nature in all conditions. In these ways, we tune into and ‘acclimatize’ to the rhythms of the seasons as they come and go. Our dynamic, experienced, caring team of educators facilitate a wide range of nature-based, environmental & artistic outdoor experiences that engage & inspire! … rain or shine.
Activities Include:
Exploring & Hiking in Nature, Outdoor Safety, Games, Crafts, Animal Tracking, Storytelling, Music, Drama & Arts, Nature Awareness, Wilderness Living Skills, Fire Making, Leadership & Teamwork, Habitat Stewardship, Plants & Gardening.
Registration & Information
- For all programs, please bring your own litter less nut-free lunch
- Parent / Camper Guide
- Code of Conduct
- Map & Directions
- COVID-19 Screening
Note – Winter and March Break Camps will not be running again this year. Instead, our Homeschool & Outdoor Experiential Day Programs will continue through the breaks. We hope to run these camps again in future years.
Minimum Registration: As we have added several new program opportunities this year and needed to rearrange several others, we cannot guarantee that all programs will reach a minimum number of participants to be able to run.
We hope that most of the programs will be able to go ahead but for any program that does not reach a minimum level of registration, we may need to cancel, postpone or reconfigure. In that case, we would be in touch with alternate options and if needed we would provide a full refund. Thanks in advance for understanding as we continue to adapt!
Forest Kindergarten
Every child needs the chance to develop their own special bonds with the natural world. Having a wonderful day outside with peers & caring adults often leads to the desire to have more such days! This repeated experience & exposure offers countless opportunities to get to know the world around us and come to enjoy the beauty, well being and learning that can be found in nature! Our new Forest Kindergarten program is based on the Wild Clover camps and other programs for younger children that we have been running for years.
- Ages: 4 to 6
- Group Size: 1 cohort of about 10 kids & 2 instructors
- Location: Camp Kawartha’s Environment Centre, 2505 Pioneer Road, Peterborough
- Drop off: 9:00 am; Pick up: 3:00 pm
This program is almost entirely outdoors – please consider whether your child is ready to be outside in most weather for the day!
| Session | 2021-2022 Dates | Time | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Fall – Tuesdays | Sept 14, 21, 28, Oct 5, 12, 19, 26 (7 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $420 |
| Early Fall – Wednesdays | Sept 15, 22, 29, Oct 6, 13, 20, 27 (7 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $420 |
| Early Fall – Thursdays | Sept 16, 23, 30, Oct 7, 14, 21, 28 (7 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $420 |
| Late Fall – Tuesdays | Nov 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Dec 7, 14 (7 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $420 |
| Late Fall – Wednesdays | Nov 3, 10, 17, 24, Dec 1, 8, 15 (7 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $420 |
| Late Fall – Thursdays | Nov 4, 11, 18, 25, Dec 2, 9, 16 (7 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $420 |
| Early Winter – Tuesdays | Jan 4, 11, 18, 25, Feb 1 (5 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $300 |
| Early Winter – Wednesdays | Jan 5, 12, 19, 26, Feb 2 (5 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $300 |
| Early Winter – Thursdays | Jan 6, 13, 20, 27, Feb 3 (5 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $300 |
| Late Winter – Tuesdays | Feb 8, 15, 22, Mar 1, 8, 15 (6 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $360 |
| Late Winter – Wednesdays | Feb 9, 16, 23, Mar 2, 9, 16 (6 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $360 |
| Late Winter – Thursdays | Feb 10, 17, 24, Mar 3, 10, 17 (6 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $360 |
| Early Spring – Tuesdays | Mar 22, 29, Apr 5, 12, 19, 26, May 3 (7 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $420 |
| Early Spring – Wednesdays | Mar 23, 30, Apr 6, 13, 20, 27, May 4 (7 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $420 |
| Early Spring – Thursdays | Mar 24, 31, Apr 7, 14, 21, 28, May 5 (7 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $420 |
| Late Spring – Tuesdays | May 10,17,24,31, June 7, 14, 21 (7 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $420 |
| Late Spring – Wednesdays | May 11, 18, 25, June 1, 8, 15, 22 (7 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $420 |
| Late Spring – Thursdays | May 12, 19, 26, June 2, 9, 16 (6 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $360 |
Forest Trail Tuesdays
- Ages: 7 to 11
- Group Size: 1 cohort of about 12 kids & 2 instructors
- Location: Camp Kawartha’s Environment Centre, 2505 Pioneer Road, Peterborough
- Drop off: 9:00 am; Pick up: 3:00 pm
| Session | Winter 2021 Dates | Time | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Fall – Tuesdays | Sept 14, 21, 28, Oct 5, 12, 19, 26 (7 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $420 |
| Late Fall – Tuesdays | Nov 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Dec 7, 14 (7 weeks) | 9am – 3pm | $420 |
| Early Winter – Tuesdays | Jan 4, 11, 18, 25, Feb 1 (5 weeks) | $300 | |
| Late Winter – Tuesdays | Feb 8, 15, 22, Mar 1, 8, 15 (6 weeks) | $360 | |
| Early Spring – Tuesdays | Mar 22, 29, Apr 5, 12, 19, 26, May 3 (7 weeks) | $420 | |
| Late Spring – Tuesdays | May 10, 17, 24, 31, June 7 , 14, 21 ( 7 weeks) | $420 |
Background on Our Outdoor Learning Programs:
Nothing can replace the learning that happens outdoors in nature! In the woods, we encounter the world as it exists outside the realms of human influence. This is the world beyond us as people and what we’ve created and as it has been for a very, very long time. Children (perhaps all of us really) have an inborn fascination with the wonders of nature and with the other species & elements with which we share the world. Outdoors, there are stories that unfold each day for those who are there to notice them and there are skills & lessons that aren’t easily replicated in other settings. The land becomes our teacher and we as kids & leaders learn how to observe and learn how to learn from the living Earth around us.
Well-being, beauty, life skills and healthy lifelong habits & interests can also be discovered and ‘absorbed’ while out and about in the woods, fields, meadows, swamps & streams.
In these year-round programs, the foundation of our curriculum is what we call the “Book of Nature” or in other words, the natural world in all its many facets. Birds, hazards awareness, creepy crawly critters to catch, mammals, low growing plants, ecological indicators, local heritage species and trees are important to us and each day we seek to learn more about them. We also explore the respectful, courteous conduct needed for building and maintaining relationships whether it be with people or other species.
In nature, too are many foundations of science, math, literacy, critical thinking, arts and humanity and these pursuits as well as other curricula are woven throughout our days. Finally, as we come to know and care about the natural world, so too does a desire to care for the planet grow… we look at caretaking (or stewardship), regenerating the natural world, natural building and sustainability practices, gardening and more.
There is something innate and very inspiring about seeing a group of kids & leaders moving through the landscape in all weather – excited, interested and engaged in the all they’re learning as well as enjoying one another’s company, playing, creating & learning – we hope to see you soon!
Inquiries
Questions about our Homeschool Programs? Fill out this form to reach Craig Brant, Environment Centre Manager, and James White, Registrar. Or call 705-652-3860 x 201.
About the Camp Kawartha Environment Centre
Location: 2505 Pioneer Road, Peterborough
The Camp Kawartha Environment Centre is one of Canada’s most sustainable buildings. The programs take place within the Trent University Nature Areas, which represents over 200 acres of wild and semi-wild areas, including a variety of ecosystems in which we are fortunate to play, learn, climb, observe and explore!
The Trent Nature Areas are on the treaty and traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishinaabeg. We offer our gratitude to the First Peoples for their care for, and teachings about, our earth and our relations. May we honour those teachings.
Rachel Carson – The Sense of Wonder