REVIEW OF Saplings Nature School BY parent, Dinah Fast

(5) Student Experience

Saplings has been an amazing outlook for my son who has boundless amounts of energy and enjoys a different type of education. When he comes home from school, he is absolutely exhausted and has a huge smile on his face. Before when I had him in a traditional daycare, he would come home, squeaky clean. There is nothing better than picking him up, completely soaking and dirty with mud behind his ears, knowing that he has spent a full day outside in nature. There is a large number of teachers per child, so I know he’s getting the attention he needs, he gets access to indoor activities such as art and rest time and books, but the major majority of the day is spent outside in nature on walks, going to the beach, going to the skate park. He is also learning about nature in ways that I wouldn’t think to teach.

(5) School Leadership

I have been a direct observer of teacher, April dealing with conflict with children appropriately, and in a timely matter. Nothing makes me feel better as a parent to see the children. Learning discipline from someone who is not us, I have seen my own son learn to respond to instruction from the teachers and be able to maturely adjust his attitude. I also really appreciate how much they communicate with parents, we get daily photos and updates as well as that they encourage friendships outside of the school as well. I have access to all the parents' phone numbers and my son has been invited to birthday parties outside of the school.

(5) Teaching

What is super special about the school is the passion that they have for the outdoors. This is why I chose the school for my son specifically, there’s nothing more he enjoys than being outside soaking wet and covered in mud. He was not getting this from his previous Daycare. I love that his education ranges from art to nature to games, to friendships. He’s always learning something new and he’s always seen something new. Some days he’s visiting the beach and having a lesson on birds and trees and the next day he’s at the skate park or visiting the local fire hall And learning about what they do for our community. Each season offers something new in the chorus, which is also very exciting with the changing weather.

(5) Academics

When choosing saplings I knew I was prioritizing outdoor time over academics. I don’t think this is the program for families who want to force academics, including math and reading at this age. This is a program for parents who value outdoor time and fresh air, as well as a variety of Outdoor experiences. My son is getting an amazing experience that I could not offer him right now being a full-time mom who is working, I know that he will be getting an academic experience when he goes into kindergarten and for the rest of his time at school. I value this time he gets to spend outdoors because I don’t think he’ll ever get this again in his educational life.

(5) Extracurriculars

Something that Saplings promotes is fairness and equality. I don’t get the sense that the school places a heavy emphasis on competitiveness. Although I agree that competitiveness and learning to compete are very important, there is a time in a place for this. I have my son in sports and expect to learn those skills there I enjoy the fact that saplings place such an importance on every kid having an equal chance to win or be first. They have programs and places where you can win a prize if you are the best listener... ideas like that are what excite me about the program.

(5) Students

All the children at Saplings have a similar mindset, as to the parents. The main goal for the parents is for their children to experience nature, and get to experience the beautiful West Coast environment that we live in. You can tell when each kid arrives that they are prepared, both physically and mentally for the day and that the parents Know that they’re going to have a child in the elements for a long time. We take a lot of pride in our community and that is evident with the kids that go to saplings. They are getting to know their neighbourhood on daily walks and trips to the beach as well as meeting, and visiting the fire hall next door to the school. They are also visiting the community centre and interacting with patrons there and I think that is very important so they know that there’s more going on around them and what their little brains understand.

(5) School Life

For any child around 2.5 years of age, it can be a huge transition to go from home to being in a different environment. I think this happens doesn’t incredible job of allowing children to enter in at their own pace. I have been offered many different varieties of drop off situations and although sometimes my son is not excited to go as soon as he sees the teachers and gets warmed up a little bit, he is thrilled to know that he is spending the full day exploring in the trees and with mud and sand. I find that he’s most resistant to go after long break such as winter break or spring break, etc. or after long weekend holidays. The teachers also give us plenty of heads up if there is a change to the schedule, which I appreciate because it allows me to prep him.

(5) Community

This is the most involvement I have had with a childcare community. I have access to all of the parents' contact information and they have promoted extracurricular activities, including birthday parties for the kids they go to the school. It is a great way for the kids to maintain friendships outside of the day-to-day activities of saplings. They also constantly invite us to neighbourhood/community events encourage the kids to be kind to their communities and teach them about how to be a respectful steward to the nature around them. What other way they have asked for involvement is for certain tools to be brought to school for the kids to be able to tinker with which is a fun way for them to feel like they are bringing a piece of their home to school.

(5) School Location

Being located in Gleneagles is a very unique benefit to the school for most people. It is going to be a drive/commute, but it is well worth it! There is so much nature surrounding the school and so many locations the kids can visit. Often the kids are at the beach, visiting the skate park, or going on nature walks, or exploring icicles or at the little playground. There are so many different places they can visit and explore. It’s fantastic each day to find out what new place they got to see.

(5) Admissions

The admissions process was very straightforward. If you have a location preference though, you might have to be okay with being at a different location for a while at first. I wish I had had my son on the waitlist earlier for the Pemberton location, which is much closer to our home. After enrolling him at Gleneagles in West Vancouver, I have realized that it is worth the drive for him to have such a unique outdoor experience!