Wise Earth Forest School Becomes Sustainable

WISE EARTH FOREST SCHOOL

Imagine a child deep in the forest, immersed in nature with confidence and respect for their environment, peers, and self.

Imagine a curious child, inspired and engaged in learning. A child connected to their whole being, the cycle of the seasons, the earth and all our creatures.

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Imagine a child with sparkles in their eyes each day. A child in full self-expression, in touch with their emotions, full of empathy, gratitude and care.

Imagine a child present to magic, wonder and awe.

Welcome to Wise Earth Forest School in Metchosin, British Columbia, Canada

As a teacher of twenty years, I had been dreaming of opening a community-based outdoor education program for much of my career. I had witnessed the impact and value of Nature Kindergarten for my daughter and others in our public school system in Victoria, BC, and I wondered, “What about a Nature Program that is available for each grade of elementary school? Or even up to Grade 12?”

How can we support forms of education that really serve our young people?

That brings children alive and truly nourishes their creative souls.

The day they closed schools in our area in March 2020, I saw the look of alarm on my daughter’s face. I said to her, “Don’t worry honey, we are going to open a forest school!” We did! And there was no turning back. Since then, Wise Earth has grown steadily into a full-fledged nature education program for elementary-aged students ages 5-10. The dream is happening and is now very true!

Opening a new business during the pandemic has been excellent in many ways - a source of inspiration, joy, love and positivity at times of uncertainty, fear and division. It’s been an opportunity to dig deep into what matters and provide a healthy environment for kids to learn in a way that supports their aliveness, the sparkles in their eyes, and their innate curiosity and creativity. To foster and deepen their love for nature. This was more important than ever during such times of change. It continues to be as we lead the way for new education choices for families and innovative programs at Wise Earth.

Our mission has been to educate children to honestly know themselves, understand and articulate their emotions and be kind, loving and full of empathy for other people, creatures and living beings.

It has been our mission to demonstrate that we can teach kids the fundamentals of academics in a nature setting. We can teach ancestral living skills and seasonal rhythms hand in hand with mathematics and critical thinking. We can raise people who can collaborate, problem solve and be proactive in overcoming conflict to find peace. It is incredible to witness this in our small learning pods through the guidance of excellent mentors and with parent support.

We are blessed to have a fantastic core community of children and parents who have been with us for two and a half years. We are committed to educating our children with standards of excellence, both in nature, interpersonally and academically. We are grateful for the choice of distributed learning programs that can support and oversee our academic delivery.

We are committed to creating deep connections to nature that last a lifetime, creating kind and caring stewards for the earth.

As Wise Earth grows, we wish to do so slowly and mindfully to serve more children and, eventually, more communities. We are creating a non-profit society. If you know of any donors, sponsors, investors or philanthropists that may be interested in supporting us, please let us know. You can find out more about our programs at wiseearthforestschool.com.

Financially, there has been support for existing businesses to remain viable during these past two years, with very little funding available for new ventures that were created during the pandemic. Although we have a fundraising program and apply for grants, WE NEED YOUR HELP to keep tuition affordable for parents!

Your $20+ can have a significant impact in helping us to:

Give Bursaries For Families In Need

We endeavour to keep tuition as reasonable as possible for parents and therefore have bursaries available for families with financial limitations of $1500. Your donation can make a difference in sending a child to our program. We would also like to provide full scholarships of $6800 for children and families who need full financial support. Collectively, we can make a difference!

Create New Indoor Learning Spaces

Our kids spend time outside in all weather, yet they also need an indoor space to create, read, write and learn during inclement weather to stay safe. This space can also serve as a place for community workshops, teen and adult weekend programs, summer camps and more.

Some of our expenses are:

New Roof on Learning Space #1 -

New Indoor Learning Space #2 -Geodesic Dome or Wall Tent

Wood Stove

Wood decking

Porch

Cubbies/outhouse

Supplies & Furnishings

Equipment and Staffing

We have small group classes of 8-12 students to offer rich experiences, a low staff-to-student ratio, to give as much 1:1 time as possible, and to create intimacy in a group. To pay living wages in a time of inflation, we’re looking for extra funds to top up our teachers' salaries. We hope to continue to attract high-quality mentors and teachers who feel valued for their skills and contributions, and we want to be able to offer them in-servicing and training.

In serving students of all diversities, we employ support staff for these special needs and require extra funds for their time. We want to hire administration staff and create advertising & marketing for the program.

We want to buy musical instruments for our music programs and add a low ropes course and new equipment to our playground.

We also appreciate volunteers to support maintenance, building projects and in the garden; if you would like to contribute in other ways, please get in touch with us.

Thank you for your contribution from the depth of our hearts. Know that you are truly giving the gift of Nature Education to our future generation!