Why Outdoor School?
There are moments that won’t let you look away. When a child’s spark is dimmed by the wrong setting, and you feel it: brilliance being wasted.
That feeling - that refusal to let a child’s life be squandered - is where Guelph Outdoor School began.
We believe no child’s brilliance, ability, or worth should ever be lost for lack of a place to shine. What some call disruption is often just energy searching for its right expression - a different way to learn, a different way to belong.
Children aren’t imploring us for more information.
They’re asking, wordlessly, for connection - for a way of learning that lets them move, explore, and make sense of the world around them. Because the world they are growing into will be unlike anything we have known.
We can’t prepare them by filling their heads, but by growing what endures: curiosity, courage, empathy, creativity, and resilience.
And here is what we’ve learned: we are not separate from nature. We are part of it. When we forget that, we lose our bearings - our sense of belonging, our ability to care.
When we remember, we find a better footing. In relationship, in awareness, in the living world itself. This is what happens at Guelph Outdoor School.
Here, learning is an act of reconnection. Children rediscover that they are not apart from nature, but a living expression of it. And so, we recommit:
to seeing the brilliance in every child and giving it space to grow,
to creating belonging that is real, joyful, and whole,
to learning from the land and with it,
And to curiosity and courage, as the world changes around us.
This is our work. This is our promise.
Because the future doesn’t need more information. It needs richer ways of relating—to the world, to each other, to ourselves.
And they begin here — with every child who finds their place in the circle.
the approach
Natural environments stack the deck in our favour.
Dynamic, ever-changing, and fully alive - time in the natural world evokes curiosity, wonder, and focus, awe and empathy. Kids become community-minded and service oriented. They assess risks, make decisions and work together. Direct mentorship leverages and magnifies its effect, resulting in positive outcomes across all metrics.
Mentorship. GOS instructors listen, watch, ask questions, role model, demonstrate, tell stories, identify and support developmental edges, celebrate accomplishments, and recognize gifts. Excellent rations of approximately 5:1 make it possible.
A Culture of Inquiry We value questions as much as answers, wonder and curiosity as much as facts.. Sustained attention & inquisitive focus are the natural result of time spent in a dynamic, living classroom.
A Curriculum of Attributes. GOS nature immersion and mentorship programs grow kids who are self-reliant and co-operative, joyful and resourceful, service-oriented & caring. Our programs expand the educational focus from “what we know” to what we are becoming.
the setting
a living breathing classroom, The Stone Rd location is 13 wooded acres of cedar grove along the Eramosa + access in all directions to public wild spaces around Guelph, including the Guelph hiking trail and the arboretum.
an ethic of stewardship and right relationship informs our decisions and programs. we are proud to make these places accessible, we consider ourselves guests on this land, and accountable to future generations.
GOS wild space is home to deer, porcupine, ermine, mink, possum, raccoon, coyote, eastern cottontail, fox, beaver, milk snakes, red-backed salamander, kingfisher, green heron, cedar waxwing, barred owl, screech owl, to name a few.
A Typical Day
Welcome: circle around and light the fire. introductions, listening, gratitude, music. stories. get connected & make plans.
Activate: thrilling and hilarious warm up games to jump start our bodies, minds, and awareness. this is essential, and never missed.
Focus: self-sufficiency and co-operative challenges: mapping, tracking, sneaking, listening, fire making. projects.
Time for Timelessness. Resting, laughing, reflecting & dreaming, cooking, wandering.
Harvest. Story of the day: what happened? what stuck out? Lots of questions from instructors to tease out the details to expand & consolidate learning.
Integrate. How does today's learning fit into the bigger picture? What are the patterns are we seeing? what is this telling us about ourselves, our world? what's next?
a typical year
Our core routines are tracking, ancient fire making, knowing the edible, medicinal, & poisonous plants, carving, archery, awareness & sensory games. story telling, shelter building, listening well, using our best words, mapping the landscape, quiet reflection and co-operative challenges.
The landscape changes, the seasons change, and we change. This keeps the core routines fresh. By observing plants in the spring, we better understand them in the summer and fall. By following deer tracks one year, we can anticipate where they'll be the next. By practicing fire making in the rain, we are proficient when it's dry.
The upshot is kids who have stories to tell, who understand their impact, and abilities, in the wider world. They stand tall because they can take care of themselves and others. They are becoming whole through real moments of triumph or failure, they are rapt with awe for the world around them. They are clearer on where they come from, where they are, and where they are going.
the benefits
Cognitive & academic, physical & developmental, social & emotional - you name it. The science in the last decade consistently highlights the significant benefits of nature immersion on all the metrics.
GOS parents report kids who are more emotionally balanced and at peace, more focused, more helpful around the house, bright eyed and full of stories, and competent. They have an appetite for healthy food, sleep better, and feel better about themselves.
The case for nature connection as supportive of all aspects of development is more and more compelling, and we encourage parents to check out the research themselves, do a trial session with GOS, and check out the GOS testimonials page:
“As a species, we are most animated when our days and nights on Earth are touched by the natural world... Reconnecting with nature, nearby and far, opens the doors to health, creativity, and wonder. It is never too late. ”