Our Story
It was 2011. My oldest daughter, Lauren, was four years old I found myself thinking about preschool and kindergarten. It seemed far too soon for her to be sitting indoors behind a desk or confined in an indoor play space. This little girl was happiest outdoors eating rose hips, wading in the Bow River and exploring the world with all of her senses wide open. Working for many years as a professional interpretive guide, I believed nature to be our most powerful teacher. From courses and training I had done over the previous decade in Coyote Mentoring and Nature Education with Jon Young, Mark Morey, Wes Gietz and others, I yearned for the kind of education for my own children that would help them discover their gifts, feel fully alive and inspire them to be lifelong learners.
Around this time, a friend of mine shared a link to a documentary about Outdoor Kindergarten in Norway. I watched it and saw how so many kindergarten classes in Scandinavian countries were outdoors because the learning was more effective and better suited to meeting the needs of the children at this life stage. I asked myself: “Why aren’t we doing that here?” At the time, the only Forest Kindergarten I could find in Canada was in Ontario…and it had only started recently. I hoped someone would start one locally so I could sign my kids up for it.
In the meantime, I focused on taking my own kids outdoors for adventures at least 3 days each week. From previous courses I had taken in Coyote Mentoring, I knew that model was great for connecting kids to nature, themselves and others. In an effort to get something started locally, my wife Ronna and I organized a small course for local parents in Coyote Mentoring. Our goal was to inspire these parents to share time taking our kids outdoors and playing with the model. It didn’t work that way. Instead, I had requests from parents to start a nature program for local kids. I declined on a number of occasions because I was busy working full time at Parks Canada.
Around this time, a friend of mine shared a link to a documentary about Outdoor Kindergarten in Norway. I watched it and saw how so many kindergarten classes in Scandinavian countries were outdoors because the learning was more effective and better suited to meeting the needs of the children at this life stage. I asked myself: “Why aren’t we doing that here?” At the time, the only Forest Kindergarten I could find in Canada was in Ontario…and it had only started recently. I hoped someone would start one locally so I could sign my kids up for it.
In the meantime, I focused on taking my own kids outdoors for adventures at least 3 days each week. From previous courses I had taken in Coyote Mentoring, I knew that model was great for connecting kids to nature, themselves and others. In an effort to get something started locally, my wife Ronna and I organized a small course for local parents in Coyote Mentoring. Our goal was to inspire these parents to share time taking our kids outdoors and playing with the model. It didn’t work that way. Instead, I had requests from parents to start a nature program for local kids. I declined on a number of occasions because I was busy working full time at Parks Canada.
To help improve my skills and knowledge of Coyote Mentoring, I signed up for a “Culture of Mentoring” distance learning program facilitated by the 8 Shields Institute. I thought it would help me become more effective when taking my kids out on forest adventures in Banff. During the program, I re-connected with a friend (Corey Stevens). Corey was on paternity leave from his job in Calgary and was living in Canmore. We got talking about starting a nature connection program for local Bow Valley kids. We ran our first program in August, 2011 and had a lot of fun! We were excited, parents were excited, and kids were stoked! This is when Nature’s Tracks Forest Play started.
Requests for more programs increased over the next year and Forest Play became a bigger part of what we were doing in our professional lives. In 2015, Corey decided to start his own venture and I was excited to welcome some amazing leaders onto the team who brought new skills and passions to the Forest Play vision. In concert with increased requests for children's programming, Forest Play had requests from teachers, youth camps, education groups, interested friends and parents for adult programming that shares a little of what we do and how we do it. In response, we developed adult programs and professional development opportunities for those interested in nature connection programs. Since 2015, we’ve done workshops, training programs and key note addresses for over 500 professionals in the fields of nature kindergarten, outdoor education and play and had hundreds of children in our summer, spring, fall and winter programs every year. Some children have been in Forest Play for over eight years and we’ve been blessed to see their connection with nature grow, strengthen and develop as they grow into young adults. We have been lucky to have some of them join us as helpers in some of our programs for younger children.
We know from over 20 years of professional outdoor guiding experience that the learning never stops for those of us facilitating programs and leading groups in wild places. To improve our ability to build connections to nature, self and others, I have been lucky to be mentored since 2014 by Jeannine Tidwell and Tim Corcoran at Twin Eagles Wilderness School. Forest Play also hosted a Forest School Canada course in partnership with the Outdoor Learning Centre (CRPS) in 2014. It has been amazing to see the growth of Forest Schools in Canada since 2011 when we started and we are excited that so many more children are experiencing outdoor learning and building connections that will help them discover their gifts.
In 2019, we were contracted by Alpenglow School to deliver Forest Play on-site for their kindergarten class. In 2020, we run that program 4 afternoons per week with a gifted team of nature connection mentors. We run those programs in tandem with our regular 4-6 year old programs and our 7-11 year old Forest Fridays.
Families in Canmore and the Bow Valley have been great supporters of Forest Play since we started and we are excited to continue offering programs that foster a deep connection between nature and children so our communities and families are healthy, connected, resilient and happy.
We hope you’ll be part of our story!
Dave Verhulst
Requests for more programs increased over the next year and Forest Play became a bigger part of what we were doing in our professional lives. In 2015, Corey decided to start his own venture and I was excited to welcome some amazing leaders onto the team who brought new skills and passions to the Forest Play vision. In concert with increased requests for children's programming, Forest Play had requests from teachers, youth camps, education groups, interested friends and parents for adult programming that shares a little of what we do and how we do it. In response, we developed adult programs and professional development opportunities for those interested in nature connection programs. Since 2015, we’ve done workshops, training programs and key note addresses for over 500 professionals in the fields of nature kindergarten, outdoor education and play and had hundreds of children in our summer, spring, fall and winter programs every year. Some children have been in Forest Play for over eight years and we’ve been blessed to see their connection with nature grow, strengthen and develop as they grow into young adults. We have been lucky to have some of them join us as helpers in some of our programs for younger children.
We know from over 20 years of professional outdoor guiding experience that the learning never stops for those of us facilitating programs and leading groups in wild places. To improve our ability to build connections to nature, self and others, I have been lucky to be mentored since 2014 by Jeannine Tidwell and Tim Corcoran at Twin Eagles Wilderness School. Forest Play also hosted a Forest School Canada course in partnership with the Outdoor Learning Centre (CRPS) in 2014. It has been amazing to see the growth of Forest Schools in Canada since 2011 when we started and we are excited that so many more children are experiencing outdoor learning and building connections that will help them discover their gifts.
In 2019, we were contracted by Alpenglow School to deliver Forest Play on-site for their kindergarten class. In 2020, we run that program 4 afternoons per week with a gifted team of nature connection mentors. We run those programs in tandem with our regular 4-6 year old programs and our 7-11 year old Forest Fridays.
Families in Canmore and the Bow Valley have been great supporters of Forest Play since we started and we are excited to continue offering programs that foster a deep connection between nature and children so our communities and families are healthy, connected, resilient and happy.
We hope you’ll be part of our story!
Dave Verhulst