Goslings

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.

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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.  

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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

Reconnect with Nature with the ones who know best: our children

Monday - 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.

Register ONE family member to start, and then add all family members who will/may join you throughout the year using the link provided in your confirmation email. This helps us know important information about each participant (allergies, emergency contact information, photo waivers etc..). We require that each participant purchase an Annual Membership ($35) prior to registering. This fee helps us recover costs such as insurance and other administrative costs to support this nonprofit organization.

If you have a current membership, we will send a notification when it has expired to renew it for the following year. This timing may not coincide with registration for this year’s program. You can view membership status’ for your family on your account by selecting ‘Membership Cards’.

• How do I register?

  Welcome to O&A Parent and Tot @ Guelph Outdoor School

  This unique program is as much for parents as it is for kids - providing a rich weekly outdoor gathering during the early, isolating years of taking care of children. Oaks and Acorns helps families get nature connected from the get-go, connects families, and builds community. This unique program lays the foundation for a generation of nature connected kids.: this means young people who are resilient and comfortable in the natural world for life.

  With morning programs on Monday, Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays -- Oaks and Acorns, like all GOS programs, is available on a sliding scale basis. We offer 2 ways to participate, to suit your family’s needs:

  Option 1) Seasonal Registration

  This means registering for a whole season: Fall, Winter and/or Spring. This ensures your spot every week on the day of your choice, and is great for families who know they will come out more often than not. 

  Each day of the week (Mon-Thurs) will launch with spots for 30 families for the whole season of weekly sessions, for a total of 120 spots per season.
  

  Option 2) Drop-In Registration

  This is for families who are not ready to commit to a whole season, or who need more flexibility in their week. Perfect for families who want to be a part of the Oaks & Acorns community, but anticipate coming only from time to time. Space permitting, this option enables you to sign up for any day of the week, starting one week before the activity date, right up to the moment we gather.
  
  We hope this option will enable more families to get a taste of this community favourite at least occasionally. (No more 2-year waitlists!!) Drop-In spots will be available for a minimum of 5 families per Oaks & Acorns date, for a total of 20 spots per week. Drop-In registration opens one week ahead of each session date, and may be cancelled up to 2 hours ahead of the program start time.

  HOW TO REGISTER

  For Seasonal Registration:

  All Oaks & Acorns participants (both kiddos and their accompanying grownups) must have an Annual Membership purchased in their name (click here to get yours), which is good for one year from the date of purchase.
  
  Program fees will be paid per family by one main Account Holder – meaning one caregiver can bring kiddo the first week, and other caregiver on the second, and the whole family the week after that – all under the same Seasonal Registration.

  Step 1: Purchase an Annual Membership for all anticipated participants.

  Step 2: Register only ONE ADULT family member (your main “Account Holder”) for your desired Oaks & Acorns day of the week. Here is where you will select your sliding scale code if needed.

  For Drop-In Registration:

  Step 1: Same as seasonal registraions, you must purchase an Annual Membership for all anticipated participants.

  Step 2: Find your preferred day session, and select "Register for Drop-In" and choose your day from the calendar. Easy Peasy.

  OUR SLIDING SCALE

  We believe that every family’s circumstances are unique and complex, and we recognize that a paid, sliding scale system means a change from previous years. We encourage you to consider your family's current economic resources, the number of family members you plan to bring along, how frequently you expect to come out in a season, and the future you'd like to see for this program -- and contribute the amount that makes deep sense to you.

  CANCELLATION POLICY

  For Seasonal Registrations:

  • Should a cancellation be requested at least 21 days before a program start, we can offer a full refund minus a $25 Cancellation Fee to recover administrative costs.

  • After the start of the program, a pro-rated credit will be applied to your GOS account based on the number of sessions remaining, less a $25 Cancellation Fee to recover administrative costs. This credit may be used toward future registration in any GOS program.

  • Should you require to change your program day, contact sonia@theguelphoutdoorschool.com to make the request. A charge of 6% of your program fee will be applied.

  • Sliding Scale Codes can be found here

"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 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.”