Goslings
Ages 4 -6.. An early start for grounded, resilient, and joyful kids. Programs running Monday - Friday
Our most popular program.
Goslings starts kids early for a lasting foundation for a life time of wonder, resilience, and belonging.
GOSlings runs every day of the week from 9am to 4pm.
Friday Goslings features AM & PM Sessions year round.
Wednesday Goslings features AM & PM Sessions in the Winter Season.
Families are always welcome to register for AM and PM Sessions with care for your child in between sessions.
Growing nature connected kids from a young age.
This means kids who are calmer, more aware, compassionate and joyful. Goslings sessions are filled with all the foundational elements of Guelph Outdoor School. In recognition of this younger age, Goslings instructors collaborate to share a sense of wonder and mystery in the natural world through exploration, games, free-play, songs and story.
What you and your child can expect
A nurturing, and magical atmosphere in a wild, riverside cedar forest. Responsive and experienced adult instructors supporting small groups of 10 - 20, We maintain excellent ratios of approximately 4-5 kids per adult instructor, often with volunteer support.
A seat at the fire for everyone.
Guelph Outdoor School is a leader in providing accessible, straight forward sliding scale and mutual aid options to ensure that children have access to our outdoor immersion and mentorship programs regardless of financial status.
We maintain a trust-based , user-end approach: give what you can, take what you need.
Oaks & Acorns
A Parent & Tot morning program. for parents and caregivers.. Monday - Thursdays mornings. 9:30 - 11:30am
Reconnect with Nature with the ones who know best: our children
Drop-In & By Donation | No Registration Fees
Four mornings a week. Mondays - Thursday.
9:30am to 11:30am. Fall, Winter, & Spring
Simple and rich outdoor immersion for young families
Step into wonder with your child, and other families.
Animal tracking, nature craft, stewardship projects, feeding chickadees, visiting the river, timeless wanders and slow pace mini-adventures, shelter building, getting to know the plants, games that teach and stretch awareness, story and song always,
Facilitated Parent discussions about things that matter these days.
pathways in education, community building and expanding our capacity for positive change, parenting stories, art of questioning and other mentoring techniques, decolonization, reconciliation, cultural repair, mutual aid and community repair, community service, rites of passage and child development, stewardship.
A culture for kids to be a part of.
Showing kids from a very young age that it’s good to gather together in community, around the fire, sharing ideas, singing songs. Oaks and Acorns gives an excellent opportunity to normalize nature connection and the values, feelings, behaviours, emotional states, and ways of being that go with it.
A nature connected kid is a gift to the world.
This program and your decision to be a part of it represents an important investment in change, towards health, repair, possibility. We can’t know what challenges await our children, but we feel confident that being nature connected is the place to start.. Thanks for being a part of it.
"My son has been attending the Oaks and Acorns program and it has been an exceptional experience for him. In addition to spending meaningful time outdoors, he has delighted in creative activities like making shakers, drumming and enjoying story time. Last week, we explored tracking animal footprints, a skill he now eagerly practices in the woods near our home. The program coordinators are incredibly kind and foster an environment where children can truly be themselves—whether participating in activities or freely exploring nature with their guardian. This program is a treasure for children who thrive in and connect with the natural world."
- Angel, Guelph Outdoor School Parent
Monday Cedar Grove: Full Year
Mondays 9am - 4pm. Our full year option designed for the home school community. Ages 7 - 14
Mondays | 9am to 4pm
Our full year Cedar Grove program is designed for (but not exclusive to) the home school community. We offer this full year program for outdoor schoolers who know they want to do outdoor school the whole school year.
Cedar Grove is full outdoor immersion throughout the year and changing seasons. The program delivers invisible learning and healthy development through responsive mentorship, sensory awareness games, primitive skills & self-sufficiency challenges, as well as timeless journeying among surrounding valleys, swamps, waterways, cedar groves, open fields, hardwood stands, and rocky outcroppings. Key moments and discoveries are integrated into group learning and culture through well placed questions, pouring over field guides, sketching, stories, mapping, and repeat visits to best locations. We field trips to local trails and landmarks to help tie the varied landscapes of Guelph together.
As with all our GOS programs, Cedar Grove is a balance. It features hands-on experiences of fire making, mapping, plant identification, storytelling, shelter building, and tracking animals, balanced with the 'soft skills' of careful listening and using best words, of co-operation and conflict resolution, thanksgiving and sharing the story of the day.
Cedar Grove Full Year features opportunity for more long term projects and reflects our commitment to sustained mentoring relationships. Professional facilitators have a heightened opportunity to identify areas for growth and development for the individual and group. Our model fosters the attributes of resilient, capable, and service minded kids. Our daily work promotes Quiet Mind, Common Sense, Aliveness and Agility, Inquisitive Focus, Caring and Tending, Service to Community, Awe and Reverence, and Self-Sufficiency. The learning experience is dynamic, emergent, multi-sensory, exciting and community-oriented.
“The science on nature connection is rolling in, showing significant benefits in the emotional, cognitive, spiritual, physical, and social lives of those who engage. Hope to see you out there.”