Wild Child Programs

Wild Child Programs are a project of Sierra Club Canada Foundation, a national and grassroots non-profit organization committed to protecting our environment, communities, and future.

Wild Child’s mission is to provide play based learning through repeated exposure to nature and PEI’s Wild Child Program encompasses 2 projects, Wild Child Nature Immersion and Wild Child Forest School. We also run some special projects whenever we get funding such as Pride ScOUTs, Roots and Shoots: a supportive space for gender creative kids and their caregivers (in partnership with PEERS Alliance), and Tales of Islandia (a nature-based Live Action Role Playing Game Program).

Forest School

Ages: 3 to 11
Open to everyone

The goal of Forest Schools is to help children youth find inspiration, build self-confidence, and develop healthy self-esteem through skill development, hands on activities, and outdoor experiences. This is a social enterprise that operates as a fee for service, recreational program for children. The program provides opportunities for emergent and child led activities, including tool use and risky play, in natural setting over time. Wild Child Forest School offers programs for children from 3 to 13 years of age. They can be offered as half-day, full-day, Saturdays and week long summer camps depending on location.

For more information about PEI’s Wild Child Forest School Programs, please check out our programs page here.

Nature Immersion

Ages: 3 to 12
Open to daycares, preschools, kindergarten & Elementary schools

Wild Child Nature Immersion program is designed to introduce young children to outdoor free play. Over three visits, an educator will brings fun environmental education to child care sites, and encourages staff and children to get outside, play games and engage in age appropriate activities. Through stories, crafts, games and exploration, children will get to know their corner of the woods. This program caters to ages 3 to 12 and is typically offered to daycares, early learning centres, preschools, kindergarten and Grade 1 classrooms. The program can be adapted to accommodate additional age groups, please contact your local Wild Child Office to see if Nature Immersion is a good fit.

This program is only possible with the support of the PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund. Please visit here for more information about Wild Child Nature Immersion. We are accepting request from ground and centers for winter 2022/2023 now! In interested in requesting a Nature Immersion Visit, fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeyR1oHbUdMHYS7zOwwKILs9tzVOL7pGuiRs0mugrugAGNzgg/viewform

Roots and Shoots: A supportive space for gender creative kids and their caregivers

Ages: 13 and under, and all caregivers (with trans kids of any age)

Roots & Shoots is a supportive, non-judgmental space for parents and caregivers of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals of all ages! Meanwhile, gender creative kids and youth aged 13 and under (as well as their cisgender siblings!) are invited explore their own identity alongside the diversity in nature through engaging outdoor activities, art, and play.

Roots & Shoots is a program based on the two most important parts of a plant. The Roots are responsible for supporting and nurturing the Shoots so that they can blossom and grow into the most beautiful beings possible (no matter how old they are!). Just as with plants, we know that gender creative or gender diverse people flourish in environments where they are supported rather than stifled. Our goal with this programming is to connect caregivers with the tools and resources to support the growth and exploration of the transgender and gender non-conforming people in their lives.

This program is run in partnership between Wild Child PEI and PEERS Alliance. For more information, or if you have any questions, please contact Anastasia Preston at anastasia@peersalliance.ca.

Tales of Islandia: A nature-based Live Action Role Playing (LARP) Game Program

Ages: 11 to 14

Tales of Islandia is an imagination-centered, story-telling, live action role playing (LARP), nature-based program for youth.

Activities include: team-building activities, theater/improv games, learning about consent and how to build it into imagination games, cosplay crafts, and live action role playing game adventures!

This program has been made possible in the past through the City of Charlottetown Microgrant!

Pride ScOUTs

Ages: 11-14

PRIDE scOUTs is for 2SLGBTQ+ youth (girls, gender creative/two-spirit/trans youth, queer-adjacent youth, and allies) ages 10 to 14 to learn more about themselves, gain new skills, and build new connections through fun experiences!

This program takes place entirely outside. Activities will include: exploring the woods, learning about farming and gardening, harvesting herbs, learning to use tools (like hammer and nails and knife safety), hiking, nature art activities, mental health support activities, story-telling through, peer-support building, etc. It will also include several guest mentors, including an Indigenous leader, and other women/NB queer leaders (farmer, wood worker, artist/cosplayer, teacher, etc).

This program has taken place in partnership with Soleil’s Farm, and with funding from the Interminsterial Women’s Secretariat of PEI.