Atlantic Chapter

The last two weeks has really shown me that there is a large amount of community interest and support to get children back into nature. Perhaps you saw the segment on CBC’s Compass with Boomer or made it out to the fundraiser for the Wild Child Program, or maybe you will pick up the Guardian this week and read about Wild Child in the paper.. regardless, the support for this program has been great and is very encouraging to those interested in getting nature programs into childcare and education systems. From news stories to fundraisers, I am getting the notion that people genuinely want children to reconnect with nature. What an inspiring message!

Two weeks of stormy, cold, snowy weather can put quite the damper on outdoor fun... so sometimes you have to bring “the wild” inside!

On the days where it is too cold for the little ones to venture out into the snow, there is a giant blue tub of animal items that I bring them. There is a little bit of everything in this tub, including: a beaver pelt, coyote skull, robin’s nest, porcupine quills, barred owl wing, and turtle shell (to name a few).

A second Sierra Club Wild Child Nature Immersion Program is underway in PEI, only this time: it’s winter fun! 

It is truly an amazing experience to slow down and let our imaginations wonder. At one visit, the kids and I made up a game called “Chipmunks” all on our own while we were discussing animals that need trees to live. The game was a relay design where children had to run to a tree, grab a nut or pinecone (we used whatever we had on hand), then run back to their “hole” to store the nut for the winter and tag the next person in line. The first team to go to the tree and back twice “won” the round. As the weeks unravel, I become more amazed at the creative minds of the children I meet. My visits are a valuable reminder of why play and imagination are key to healthy, engaged living. 

This October we're taking a walk on the spookier side of things in the Halifax Commons area. We're going to be guided by expert historian and author, Blair Beed, who will show us the area around and including the Halifax Commons. Mr. Beed, a former contender for Halifax Town Crier, will take us in the footsteps of those who came before us, and tell us about the impacts these spirits have had, and still have today, on our city.

Help us plant 2100 trees in Baker Drive Park, and celebrate Russell Lake Takes Root.

Last year we hosted our first tree planting in Russell Lake West, a new community branching off of Baker Drive in Dartmouth. We planted 1200 trees with the help of over 400 members of the community both local, and further afield. We're returning this year to continue our mission to make Baker Drive Park a greener place on Sept 20th, 10AM-2PM. 

Tuesday, August 5 was the third week of the Wild Child program at Campus Kids daycare. By this point, the children have come to expect my visits and we already cleaning up when I arrived. Another bright and sunny morning, though thankfully not as hot as the week before.

We set off across campus to the same location from day one, the large trees outside of Main Building. Here we quickly got into the "Bat and Moth Game", after a quick lesson on echolocation of course. The Bat and Moth Game is a lot like Marco Polo. One child covers their eyes and says "bat", the other child responds with "moth" and the chase is on. After a while we gave the children a five minute "run around" break to do whatever they wanted. An epic game of tag ensued, the likes of which I'll probably never see again.

Tuesday, July 22 was the first day of the Wild Child program on Prince Edward Island. I awoke bright and early, and was soon on my way to the Campus Kids Daycare at the UPEI campus. I arrived during snack-time and was given homemade biscuits with butter. An excellent start to my first day.