Raccoons
Build Nature Connection right into the school week. Raccoons provides outdoor immersion support for teachers and students, once a week for 30 weeks of the school year.
Designed and delivered by the passionate instructors @ The Guelph Outdoor School
• Games, music, & nature-based challenges to support for positive interactions in the school yard and recess.
• Supports teachers and classrooms during learning blocks for meaningful, safe, and inspired learning outdoors.
• An effective, equitable, and cost-effective boost for social. developmental, and academic outcomes school-wide.
• Unique and effective mental health initiative for the whole community
Program details:
A team of two Guelph Outdoor School instructors, for the whole day at your school, once a week. 30 weeks, rain or shine, from early Oct to mid June
No bus or no parent volunteers needed
Every Raccoons program is tailored to the needs of each school community, each teacher and classroom
GOS Instructors work with teachers and their classes, to meet academic, social, and classroom culture goals
Classroom teachers effortlessly book the program for specific learning blocks in advance
Origins: The Guided Recess
The Raccoons program by Guelph Outdoor School is inspired by The Guided Recess, a program delivered by Wild Earth, an outdoor immersion organization in New York.
We’re grateful to Wild Earth for leading the way with innovative programs like this AND for their support in helping us custom tailor the program idea to Guelph schools. We’ve made some changes to our version, where Raccoons instructors are working directly with teachers and their students to use the out-of-doors to raise the levels of student engagement, health and well-being, focus, creativity, positive interpersonal relationships, social-emotional learning and vibrant classroom culture.
The GOS Field Trip
Your class, our (outdoor) classroom
Get out of the box for nature based challenges, outdoor awareness games and facilitated full outdoor immersion experiences to set the tone for inspired learning, a culture of curiosity and wonder in and out of the classroom.
From 9:30 am - 2:30 pm • 15 - 60 Participants
What to expect:
Full-immersion experiential learning
Rich & Relevant links to Ontario curriculum
Connection to local landscape
Fresh games & nature-based challenges
Create a connective experience for positive classroom culture
Thrilling, Wholesome, Joyous, & Unforgettable.
the GOS outdoor classroom
The GOS Field Trip is designed to connect kids with themselves, with others and the natural world.
Through a direct nature immersion experience we bring curriculum links to life. The day’s content is a combination of open-ended opportunities for experiential, child-led learning, and structured “lessons” which emphasize plant ID, animal tracking and pattern recognition, sensory awareness games and challenges, and bush-craft demonstrations.
What is unique about the GOS field trip is that we practice the art and science of creating connection with the natural world over and above information about it. Our work is to generate inspiration to get outside and engage - at school and at home.
A Field GOS Trip
9:15 am Arrive & Opening Circle
10:00 am Warm-Up Games! Gather at fire, snack, & orient
10:30 am Stations 1 & 2
12:00 pm Lunch and Free Play
12:30 pm Stations 3 &4
2:00 pm Closing Circle & back on the bus for
2:30pm Back on the bus!
Fee Structure
Up to 2 Classes (Up to 50 students), 2 GOS staff. $925 + hst
3 Classes (50 - 75 students), 3 GOS staff. $1225 + hst
4 Classes (75 - 100 students). 4 GOS staff. $1525 + hst
Sliding Scale Options available
For visits to our location, organizing transportation and bus fees are the responsibility of the visiting school.
GOS also offers the BUS-LESS field trip, where GOS instructors come to your school yard and deliver a similar program.
“I have been on a ton of great field trips over the years, but I have to say, today’s trip probably tops them all! Amazing staff, programming, student attitude and engagement - the entire day pretty perfect in my eyes from beginning to end! Thanks for the experience and please pass along my gratitude (again) to your team.”
Who's experienced the GOS Field Trip?
Kortight Hills • Alma • Jean Little • Trillium Waldorf • Meezan • Elora• John F. Ross • J.D. Hogarth • Willow Road • Gateway Drive • Brant Ave. • Rockwood Centennial • John McCrae • Holy Trinity • Jean Steckle • Everdale • GCVI • Rainbow Daycamp • Victory • Ottawa Cresent • Arthur • Westminster Woods • Wellington Hall • Aberfoyle • Hamilton Hebrew • Centre Wellington • Arbour Vista • Holy Cross Catholic School • Edward Johnson • the CELP program, Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) • Ecole Guelph Lake
A Warm Welcome
Gratitude and Song often start and end the day. Nature-Based Challenges, Games, Wandering and Exploring.
Just like GOS Weekly Programs, the GOS Field Trip is simple but essential.
This is a video of GOS instructor Maya getting us warmed up for the day >>
Gratitude and Song feat. Maya & jean Little PS
The Outdoor Toolbox
Team up with GOS to design engaging, effective, and exciting lessons in the outdoor and naturalized areas on and around your school grounds.
The Outdoor Toolbox is about using the outdoors for vibrant classroom culture, positive interpersonal relationships, emotional regulation, and academic success.
2 Classes once a week, for three weeks.
In a nutshell: Visiting GOS instructor works with teachers and their classrooms one day a week, across three weeks. One 100 minute block with each class.
Part Guest Instructor, Part Consultant the GOS instructor provides frameworks, tools, fresh games and challenges to support classroom teachers in designing positive and inspiring outdoor experiences for students all year long.
The Outdoor Toolbox is about using outdoor experiences to promote vibrant classroom culture, positive interpersonal relationships, emotional regulation, and academic success.
3 week series includes:
• Fresh and Thrilling Games to activate bodies and minds & lay the groundwork for inspired learning.
• Nature-based challenges to promote curiosity & inquisitive focus as well as co-operative teamwork and positive classroom culture.
• Story Telling, Mapping, & Place-based learning to support students in understanding their bio-region and cultivate a sense of stewardship & responsibility.
Content, Coaching & Team Teaching Includes
• The Nature of Curriculum: practice finding meaningful and engaging curriculum links. Using the outdoors as engagement ‘hooks’ - to help introduce, engage, and also reflect any curriculum area.
• Effective Learning Tools for the Outdoor Classroom: Art of Questioning, Minds Eye Imagining, and Sensory Awareness exercises make for rich experiences to be drawn on in the classroom.
• A unique opportunity for dialogue, troubleshoot, + Q&A for all educators regardless of outdoor experience or naturalist knowledge. GOS meets teachers where they are at, to help make meaningful steps towards nature immersed learning now and in the future.
Fees
The Outdoor Toolbox is $1250 + HST (Sliding Scale Available)
Guelph Outdoor School is committed to paying a living wage to our dedicated and professional educators. While this professional fee reflects some of the best value we can offer, we also know that some schools can use additional support in accessing our programs. As such, please get in touch about our sliding scale options. We appreciate your collaboration and support.
“I just want to send you a note to thank you for the opportunity of having Chris Green into our school. The 3 sessions for outdoor education was invaluable ! He took us to our neighbourhood park as well as opening our eyes to green space on our own property that I would have never thought of using before. He was kind, engaging and very resourceful.
This is an amazing program and all of my students loved it !!
Thank you so much !!
Crystal
”
