Thank you to Tammy Potter, RECE, FNS Practitioner and Supervisor of Forest Explorers and Ottawa Forest and Nature School for providing this post!

In 2025, Andrew Fleck Children’s Services, thanks to Lawson Foundation funding,  partnered with Algonquin College on a year-long research project exploring the evolution of outdoor play and learning at our outdoor-focused early childhood education program.

Nature Nurturers documented the implementation of a licensed outdoor program for infants and toddlers at the Forest Explorers Outdoor Early Learning Centre in Wesley Clover Park. The project placed educators at the centre of the research, examining their learning, experiences, and evolving practices as they navigated the opportunities and challenges of providing high-quality early learning in an outdoor environment.

Outdoor early learning requires educators to continually observe, adapt, and respond to an ever-changing environment. Over the course of the year, educators embraced the full range of Canadian seasons and weather conditions—from rain, snowstorms, and extreme cold to summer heat and periods of poor air quality. Alongside these environmental considerations, educators navigated the everyday transitions and complexities of working with infants and toddlers. Changes in children, environments, routines, and group dynamics required thoughtful reflection and responsive practice. The project explored how educators balanced these evolving circumstances with their professional responsibilities as Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs), while continuing to create meaningful opportunities for children to explore, discover, take appropriate risks, build relationships, and develop a deep connection with the natural world.

Throughout the project, educators documented their journey through film, observation, reflection, and pedagogical documentation. These forms of documentation provided opportunities to pause, examine practice, share experiences, and consider how outdoor environments influence both children’s learning and educators’ approaches. The research captured more than the experiences of a program; it captured a process of professional learning. Educators learned alongside the children, responding to what the environment offered and allowing their observations and reflections to shape their practice.

The Nature Nurturers learning journey was shared with the broader community during Doors Open Ottawa on June 6, 2026. This provided an opportunity to open the doors of Forest Explorers and share the research, documentation, experiences, and reflections that emerged throughout the year. While the formal project has come to an end, the learning journey continues. The questions explored through Nature Nurturers continue to influence our thinking about outdoor early learning, educator practice, and the possibilities that emerge when children and educators are given the time, space, and support to learn deeply from the natural world.

Nature Nurturers reminds us that outdoor learning is not simply about bringing early learning outside—it is about rethinking what learning can look like when nature becomes an integral part of the learning environment.