Certified Forest School programs run year-round at Farm & Forest and emphasize regular and repeated time in the same natural space, a core principle of the Forest School philosophy. Through this consistent rhythm, children build familiarity, confidence, and a deep sense of connection to the land over time.
Grounded in child-directed, emergent, place-based, and inquiry-based learning, our programs are intentionally different from traditional outdoor or environmental education. Rather than focusing on one-time experiences or structured lessons, Forest School provides children with the time and space to explore, take risks, follow their interests, and develop at their own pace. As Forest School Canada describes, a defining feature of this approach is the opportunity for children to build meaningful and ongoing relationships—with the land, with a consistent educator, with one another, and with themselves.
Children attend one or more days per week or participate in monthly programs throughout the school year, supplementing their existing public school or homeschool experience. Over time, children are supported in developing confidence, resilience, problem-solving skills, communication, teamwork, creativity, and independence. Time spent outdoors also fosters emotional regulation, risk assessment, and a strong sense of belonging.
Our Forest School programs are led by experienced educators and childcare professionals. Many of our staff are Ontario Certified Teachers, Early Childhood Educators, or bring extensive experience in child and youth programming. All staff are trained in First Aid (including CPR and AED) and hold current, clear Vulnerable Sector Checks, ensuring a safe, supportive, and high-quality learning environment.
The following programs are being offered this year:
Part-Time, Offered Monday to Friday (Ages 2.5 & 3)
Part-Time, Offered Monday to Friday (Ages 4 & 5) and Monthly on Mondays
Part-Time, Offered Wednesday to Friday (Ages 6 - 12) and Monthly/Bi-Weekly on Mondays & Tuesdays
Forest School Preschool is open to children ages 2.5–3 (children must be at least 2.5 years old by the time they start the program). This program is designed for young children who are ready to begin gentle separation from caregivers and are looking to supplement their early learning experiences in a nurturing, outdoor environment.
Children will engage in a variety of seasonal, land-based experiences on-site, such as caring for farm animals, short hikes, sensory play, nature exploration, songs and storytelling, and open-ended play inspired by the natural environment.
As children build familiarity and comfort over time, they are supported in developing independence within a consistent and caring routine. Children are given opportunities to develop and exercise confidence, resilience, communication skills, cooperation, creativity, and early independence. Time spent outdoors also supports emotional regulation, curiosity, and a growing sense of belonging.
While the program is not structured around formal curriculum delivery, there are many natural and meaningful overlaps with early learning areas such as language development, early numeracy, and inquiry-based exploration that emerge through play and hands-on experiences.
Schedule: Children may attend any weekday from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, based on availability (with Before and After School Care options available).
Children attend each week (on their scheduled day) for the entire school year (September until June or whenever the child enrolls). Children may enroll any time throughout the school year, subject to availability.
2025-2026 Forest School year: Monday, September 8, 2025 – June 12, 2026 (View calendar here)
2026-2027 Forest School year: Tuesday, September 8, 2026 – June 11, 2027 (View calendar here)
Program Hours:
Drop off: 8:30-9:00 am
Pick up: 3:30-4:00 pm
Extended Day Care:
Before School Care (8:00-8:30 am) and After School Care (4:00-4:30 pm) options are available for an additional $10 each or $18 for both.
Registration for the 2026-2027 school year opens in a tiered format over the following dates:
In-House Family registration in late February 2026 at 12:00 pm (EST)
Alumni Family registration on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at 12:00 pm (EST)
New family registration on Tuesday, April 14, 2026 at 12:00 pm (EST)
Click on the green button below to log in or create an account and register.
Programs are designed for children to attend each week (on their scheduled day) for the entire school year (September until June or whenever the child registers).
2025-2026 Forest School year: Monday, September 8, 2025 – June 12, 2026 (View calendar here)
2026-2027 Forest School year: Tuesday, September 8, 2026 – June 11, 2027 (View calendar here)
$79 per day per child (excluding holidays). Monthly installment plans are available. PRO-RATED
Extended Day Care:
Before School Care (8:00-8:30 am) and After School Care (4:00-4:30 pm) options are available for an additional $10 each or $18 for both.
Educators: Our Forest School programs are led by experienced adults and childcare/education professionals. Many of our staff are either Ontario Certified Teachers, Early Childhood Educators, or have other relevant child care experience. Our staff are trained in First Aid with CPR and AED, and they all have recent, clear Vulnerable Sector Checks.
Additionally, our Inclusion Facilitator is proud to offer support to children who may have a neurodivergent diagnosis, experience learning differences, and need occasional support to be successful during their Forest School or camp experience. The role of the Inclusion Facilitator is to support an individual child for a short period to reintegrate them back into their group.
Programs offer a 5:1 child-to-educator ratio for a maximum of 5 children per class.
Children must be able to communicate their needs for a restroom and be fully toilet-trained. Also, children must not require naps while at Forest School. Although we realize that our youngest learners may be in the process of transitioning out of naptime, the expectation is that children have the stamina to enjoy an active, outdoor program for the full day.
This program is designed for children ages 4 & 5 who are in kindergarten (public, private, or homeschool) and are looking to supplement their regular learning with a Forest School experience once per month throughout the school year.
Children will engage in a variety of seasonal, land-based activities on-site, such as caring for farm animals, hiking, mindfulness practices, pond exploration, observing the rhythms of the surrounding fields, tree climbing, simple shelter building, nature identification, and imaginative play inspired by the natural environment.
As a monthly program, each visit offers a meaningful opportunity to step outside of routine and reconnect with the outdoors, while building essential soft skills over time. Children are given opportunities to develop and exercise confidence, resilience, communication skills, cooperation, creativity, and independence. Time spent in nature also supports emotional regulation, early risk assessment, and a strong sense of belonging.
While the program is not structured around formal curriculum delivery, there are many natural and meaningful overlaps with early learning areas such as literacy, numeracy, and inquiry-based exploration that emerge through play and hands-on experiences.
Schedule: Children attend either one day per week or multiple days per week (depending on availability). Programs are offered on weekdays during the school year from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm (with Before and After School Care options available).
Children attend each week (on their scheduled day) for the entire school year (September until June or whenever the child enrolls). Children may enroll any time throughout the school year, subject to availability.
2025-2026 Forest School year: Monday, September 8, 2025 – June 12, 2026 (View calendar here)
2026-2027 Forest School year: Tuesday, September 8, 2026 – June 11, 2027 (View calendar here)
Program Hours:
Drop off: 8:30-9:00 am
Pick up: 3:30-4:00 pm
Extended Day Care:
Before School Care (8:00-8:30 am) and After School Care (4:00-4:30 pm) options are available for an additional $10 each or $18 for both.
Registration for the 2026-2027 school year opens in a tiered format over the following dates:
In-House Family registration in late February 2026 at 12:00 pm (EST)
Alumni Family registration on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at 12:00 pm (EST)
New family registration on Tuesday, April 14, 202,6 at 12:00 pm (EST)
Click on the green button below to log in or create an account and register.
Programs are designed for children to attend each week (on their scheduled day) for the entire school year (September until June or whenever the child registers).
$76 per day per child (excluding holidays). Monthly installment plans are available. PRO-RATED
Extended Day Care:
Before School Care (8:00-8:30 am) and After School Care (4:00-4:30 pm) options are available for an additional $10 each or $18 for both.
Educators: Our Forest School programs are led by experienced adults and childcare/education professionals. Many of our staff are either Ontario Certified Teachers, Early Childhood Educators, or have other relevant child care experience. Our staff are trained in First Aid with CPR and AED, and they all have recent, clear Vulnerable Sector Checks.
Additionally, our Inclusion Facilitator is proud to offer support to children who may have a neurodivergent diagnosis, experience learning differences, and need occasional support to be successful during their Forest School or camp experience. The role of the Inclusion Facilitator is to support an individual child for a short period to reintegrate them back into their group.
Programs offer an 8:1 child-to-educator ratio for a maximum of 16 children per class.
Children must be able to communicate their needs for a restroom and be fully toilet-trained.
This program is designed for children ages 6–12 who are in public school or are homeschooling and are looking for a Forest School experience one day per week throughout the school year.
Children will engage in a variety of seasonal, land-based activities on-site, such as caring for farm animals; hiking; mindfulness practices; pond exploration; observing the rhythms of the surrounding fields; tree climbing; shelter and quinzee building; nature identification; animal tracking; and mushing (dog sledding).
Through these experiences, children develop essential soft skills including confidence, resilience, problem-solving, communication, teamwork, creativity, and a strong sense of independence. Time spent outdoors also supports emotional regulation, risk assessment, and a deep connection to the natural world.
While the program is not structured around formal curriculum delivery, there are many natural and meaningful overlaps with areas such as literacy, numeracy, science, and the arts that emerge through hands-on, inquiry-based experiences.
Schedule: Children attend one day per week and may pair this with other monthly Forest School classes (depending on availability). Programs are offered on weekdays during the school year from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm (with Before and After School Care options available).
Children attend each week (on their scheduled day) for the entire school year (September until June or whenever the child enrolls). Children may enroll any time throughout the school year, subject to availability.
2025-2026 School Year: Monday, September 8th, 2025 – June 12th, 2026 (View calendar here)
Program Hours:
Drop off: 8:30-9:00 am
Pick up: 3:30-4:00 pm
Extended Day Care:
Before School Care (8:00-8:30 am) and After School Care (4:00-4:30 pm) options are available for an additional $10 each or $18 for both.
Registration for the 2026-2027 school year opens in a tiered format over the following dates:
In-House Family registration in late February 2026 at 12:00 pm (EST)
Alumni Family registration on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at 12:00 pm (EST)
New family registration on Tuesday, April 14, 202,6 at 12:00 pm (EST)
Click on the green button below to log in or create an account and register.
Programs are designed for children to attend each week (on their scheduled day) for the entire school year (September until June or whenever the student registers).
$76 per day per child (excluding holidays). Monthly installment plans are available. PRO-RATED
Extended Day Care:
Before School Care (8:00-8:30 am) and After School Care (4:00-4:30 pm) options are available for an additional $10 each or $18 for both.
Educators: Our Forest School programs are led by experienced adults and childcare/education professionals. Many of our staff are either Ontario Certified Teachers, Early Childhood Educators, or have other relevant child care experience. Our staff are trained in First Aid with CPR and AED, and they all have recent, clear Vulnerable Sector Checks.
Additionally, our Inclusion Facilitator is proud to offer support to children who may have a neurodivergent diagnosis, experience learning differences, and need occasional support to be successful during their Forest School or camp experience. The role of the Inclusion Facilitator is to support an individual child for a short period to reintegrate them back into their group.
Programs offer an 8:1 child-to-educator ratio for a maximum of 16 children per class.
This program is designed for children ages 4–12 who are in public school or are homeschooling and are looking to supplement their regular learning with a Forest School experience once or twice per month throughout the school year.
Children will engage in a variety of seasonal, land-based activities on-site, such as caring for farm animals; hiking; mindfulness practices; pond exploration; observing the rhythms of the surrounding fields; tree climbing; shelter and quinzee building; nature identification; animal tracking; and mushing (dog sledding).
As monthly and bi-weekly programs, each visit offers a meaningful opportunity to step outside of routine and reconnect with the outdoors, while building essential soft skills over time. Children are given opportunities to develop and exercise confidence, resilience, problem-solving, communication, teamwork, creativity, and independence. Time spent in nature also supports emotional regulation, risk assessment, and a deep sense of belonging to the natural world.
While the program is not structured around formal curriculum delivery, there are many natural and meaningful overlaps with areas such as literacy, numeracy, science, and the arts that emerge through hands-on, inquiry-based experiences.
2025-2026 Forest School year: Monday, September 8, 2025 – June 12, 2026 (View calendar here)
2026-2027 Forest School year: Tuesday, September 8, 2026 – June 11, 2027 (View calendar here)
Click on the green button below to log in or create an account and register.
Registration for the 2026-2027 school year opens in a tiered format over the following dates:
In-House Family registration in late February 2026 at 12:00 pm (EST)
Alumni Family registration on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at 12:00 pm (EST)
New family registration on Tuesday, April 14, 202,6 at 12:00 pm (EST)
Program Hours:
Drop off: 8:30-9:00 am
Pick up: 3:30-4:00 pm
Extended Day Care:
Before School Care (8:00-8:30 am) and After School Care (4:00-4:30 pm) options are available for an additional $10 each or $18 for both.
Programs are designed for children to attend each month or bi-weekly (on their scheduled day) for the entire school year (September until June or whenever the child registers).
$77 per day (bi-weekly program) and $79 per day (monthly program) per child (excluding holidays) for the entire school year (5-18 Forest School days, depending on the class). Monthly installment plans are available. PRO-RATED
Extended Day Care:
Before School Care (8:00-8:30 am) and After School Care (4:00-4:30 pm) options are available for an additional $10 each or $18 for both.
Educators: Our Forest School programs are led by experienced adults and childcare/education professionals. Many of our staff are either Ontario Certified Teachers, Early Childhood Educators, or have other relevant child care experience. Our staff are trained in First Aid with CPR and AED, and they all have recent, clear Vulnerable Sector Checks.
Additionally, our Inclusion Facilitator is proud to offer support to children who may have a neurodivergent diagnosis, experience learning differences, and need occasional support to be successful during their Forest School or camp experience. The role of the Inclusion Facilitator is to support an individual child for a short period to reintegrate them back into their group.
Programs offer an 8:1 child-to-educator ratio for a maximum of 16 children per class.
Children must be able to communicate their needs for a restroom and be fully toilet-trained.
