Nature Nurtures Academy

Programs and Policies

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Registration for 2026-2027 school year opens JUNE 1st!

There is a non-refundable registration fee of $150.00 which contributes to supplies and materials for the year.

Registration for a full-time OR part-time program are a FULL school year commitment, September-June

Full-Time Program

ROOTED -

Kindergarten-Primary

** In order to run the full-time program we would need a minimum of 5 school aged kids, ages 6+. This program would be geared towards kindergarten and primary range children, ages 6-9, with the possibility of then including 3 JK-SK students. **

Ages: 3.8-9

When: Monday-Friday

Time: 9:00a.m-3:30p.m

A Day in the Life:

Rooted allows children to connect deeply to nature daily through play, gardening, project-based learning, or one of the many other unique learning opportunities experienced at Nature Nurtures Academy. Students in this program will develop mathematic and literacy skills daily, meeting each student at their ability level. All core subjects and more are interwoven and while learning is often student lead there are relevant and necessary moments when lessons are teacher directed.

Students will create a small portfolio to showcase and document their learning throughout the year. Protecting a child's self-confidence and natural desire to learn is why we focus on providing feedback over letter or number grades. We also strongly encourage families and students to participate in quarterly conferences for tracking individual learning and goal setting. Learning is more meaningful when there is purpose and collective investment in the process.

Part-Time Programing

MAPLES

PreK-Kindergarten

Ages: 3.8-6

When: Monday-Wednesday

Time: 9:00a.m-3:30p.m

CEDARS

Primary

Ages: 6-9

When: Thursdays

Time: 9:00a.m-3:30p.m

EVERGREENS

Junior-Intermediate

Ages: 10-14

When: Fridays

Time: 9:00a.m-3:30p.m

A Day in the Life:

Maples allows children to learn through play-based methods. Students will have daily exposure to building basic literacy and mathematic skills, developing a strong foundation of phonetic awareness. Most importantly, nature is the teacher.

A Day in the Life:

Cedars allows primary aged students to exchange the classroom for the outdoors for a day. This program will enhance and build on existing academic skills sets while providing them with hands on, real life experiences. Play meets practical and wilderness.

A Day in the Life:

Evergreens allows junior and intermediate students to exchange the classroom for the outdoors for a day. This program largely focuses on survival skill sets, mapping, gardening, foraging, identification, and more. Empowering students to use problem solving, critical, and creative thinking skills to feel confident and connected in nature.

Daily Rhythm Example

9:00a.m - gather around for morning circle at the fire.

(this time can be utilized for unstructured conversation; a time to connect with one another, outline our goals for the day, sing songs, read books & poetry - sweet, simple, and meaningful mornings.)

9:30a.m - school chores & free play

(watering plants, helping set up, gathering supplies, etc.)

10:00a.m - this time is flexible

(this time can will rotate between or combine nature walks, science experiments, artistic creation, project-based work, etc.)

12:00p.m - lunch

(students eat lunch at their pace & have free play for the remainder of time)

1:00p.m - specific lesson and time to practice

(collect together again with a story then this time is used for a specific lesson or for time to practice the specific learned skill set in mathematics, literacy, survival skills, etc.)

2:00p.m - physical education & co-operative games

(this can include sports, problem-solving games and challenges, dance, drama, yoga, meditation, etc.)

3:00p.m - clean up & pack up

(students use this time to help tidy up from the day, pack their bags, and come together to consolidate our day and connect until pick up)

3:30p.m - pick up

Even though we have a general outline to follow, we allow flexibility and change in direction in the learning process. If students are fully engaged in an activity or project, their focus is encouraged rather than stopped because the allocated "time slot" is up. If a discovery in nature is made, and becomes the area of interest, we find ways to use that interest to build onto their academic knowledge.

Policies

A look at a few key policies:

(A full copy will be included in your registration package.)

Any adult on the premises during school hours - employee, contract worker, volunteer, home owners - must have a VSC.
All employees must be CPR and first aid trained.
All programs will mimic the SCDSB calendar year, including holidays, PD days, & extreme weather advisories.
There is a 1:8 ratio for all programs, (1 educator for every 8 students.)
Evaluation is based on providing beneficial feedback to aid students in reaching the next steps and quarterly parent-student-teacher conferencing. Our goal of eliminating the grading system from our school is to remove the barriers, pressures, and restrictions that have been embedded in their learning outcome.