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Family Programs

Full day Programs

Half Day Programs!

Kwey! Labdien! Bonjour! Welcome to

Out & About Forest and Nature School Inc.

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Out & About Forest and Nature School Inc.

Out & Abouts’ mission is to support self-autonomy in children through play, inquiry and a skill-based curriculum.

We create programs that provide a nurturing environment where children and families feel a sense of community while fostering a deep connection with the land.

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Our Programs

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After-School Programs

A hands-on, after-school program where children build confidence, teamwork, and practical outdoor skills through play, exploration, and guided wilderness experiences.

  • Ages: 6–14
    Time: 5:30–6:30pm or 7–8pm
    Length: 12 weeks

    Our After-School Bushcraft Program helps kids build confidence, teamwork, and real outdoor skills through play, exploration, and time in nature. Offered in two age groups.

    What we explore (week to week):

    • Fire awareness and safety

    • Shelter building

    • Whittling and knife safety

    • Simple navigation

    • Plant and tree identification

    • Cordage making

    • Useful knots

    • Basic first aid

    Locations: Arnprior, Beachburg, Petawawa

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Family Programs

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Full-Day Programs

A full-day outdoor program that encourages curiosity, independence, and resilience through child-led play, nature-based learning, and real-world experiences.

  • Ages: 4–12
    Time: 9am–3pm

    A full day outdoors designed to support independence, curiosity, and confidence. Each week includes new invitations, games, nature-based challenges, skill-building, and lots of open-ended play.

    What this program supports:

    • Curiosity, independence, and creativity

    • Confidence and resilience through real outdoor experiences

    • Problem-solving, teamwork, and communication

    • Observation skills and environmental awareness

    • Hands-on learning that supports physical, emotional, and cognitive development

    Locations: Petawawa, Foresters Falls

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Pre-School Program

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A welcoming outdoor program for families to connect, play, and explore nature together while building community and supporting early childhood development.

  • Ages: All ages welcome
    Caregiver required: Yes, accompanied by a parent, caregiver, or trusted adult

    Birch & Bud is a relaxed outdoor gathering for families who want more time outside together. Expect connection, play, simple nature activities, storytelling, and seasonal moments that feel meaningful and easy.

    Community & connection:

    • Meet other families who value outdoor play

    • Join a welcoming, supportive community

    • Enjoy storytelling, seasonal celebrations, and shared experiences

    Locations:

    • Petawawa

    • Foresters Falls

    • Deep River (coming soon)

    • Arnprior (coming soon)

A gentle, play-based outdoor program designed to nurture confidence, friendships, and a strong foundation for learning through meaningful time in nature.

  • Ages: Preschool
    Time: 9:30am–12pm

    A gentle, play-based outdoor program that helps preschoolers grow confidence, build friendships, and develop skills that support an easier transition into school, all while deepening their connection to nature.

    What this program supports:

    • Confidence, independence, and creativity

    • Safe, thoughtful risk-taking

    • Friendships and cooperation

    • A stronger relationship with nature

    • A play-based foundation for school success

    Locations: Petawawa, Foresters Falls

Featured Programs

WED. Wolves: Project and Play-Based Program WED. Wolves: Project and Play-Based Program
WED. Wolves: Project and Play-Based Program
$0.00

Ages 4-11 / 8:30am-3:30pm / Petawawa

*Children must be independently toileted
11 Wednesdays + 1 Saturday (Family Play Day and Gathering in Petawawa)

PROGRAM COST: $1200

*Payment Plans are available upon request (Monthly or in 2 payments)

*You will receive an invoice for e-transfer
*Please send your payment via e-transfer to outandaboutinnature@gmail.com

Program Information

Session Dates:

  • First Day: September 16th

  • Last Day: November 25th

  • Saturday: 10am-12:30pm - October 31st 2026 (Friends will be invited to wear their costumes if they participate in Halloween!)

Location: 1408B Summers Rd., Petawawa, ON

What is the Wolf Program?

This Fall, our Wolf Program brings play and project-based education to life outdoors, blending Forest and Nature School principles with hands-on, inquiry-based learning. Each week, children explore a new theme that supports their interests, development, and confidence. This is all guided by our experienced educators.

Through play, exploration, and co-learning, children build meaningful connections with the land while developing real-life skills they can carry into every part of their lives.

What We Explore

We follow the lead of the children and their interests, but are prepared with skill building invitations to enhance their outdoor skill set!

Our curriculum weaves together essential outdoor and educational skills, including:

  • Personalized Nature Field Journals

  • Whittling

  • Shelter Building

  • Sewing

  • DIY Forest First Aid Pouches

  • Fire Building and Safety

  • Garden Building and Tending

  • Cooking Outdoors

  • Water Filtration Models

  • DIY Nature Whistles

  • Using Tools

  • AND MORE

Benefits of the Wolf Program

  • Child-led exploration
    Children guide their learning through curiosity, creativity, and play.

  • Full outdoor immersion
    Every day brings adventure, teamwork, and connection to the natural world.

  • Personal growth
    Children gain confidence, independence, and problem-solving skills.

  • Resilience & confidence outdoors
    Time on the land supports emotional regulation, perseverance, and self-esteem.

  • Practical, real-world skills
    Fire safety, risk assessment, navigation, and bushcraft build lifelong competence.

  • Enriched learning experiences
    Educators and guest Knowledge Sharers deepen each child’s understanding.

  • Child-centered, nature-based environment
    Activities respond to your child’s interests and support social connection, sensory exploration, and meaningful learning.

PET Friday Fox (Pre-School) Program PET Friday Fox (Pre-School) Program
PET Friday Fox (Pre-School) Program
$0.00

8:30am-12:30pm

Ages 2–5

*Children must be independently toileted or working towards it.

11 Fridays + 1 Saturday (Family Play Day and Gathering in Petawawa)

PROGRAM COST: $620
Payment plans are available upon request

*You will receive an invoice for e-transfer
*Please send your payment via e-transfer to outandaboutinnature@gmail.com

Program Information Session Dates:

First Day: September 18th, 2026

Last Day: November 27th, 2026

Saturday: 10am-12:30pm - October 31st 2026 (Friends will be invited to wear their costumes if they participate in Halloween!)

Location: Summers Rd, Petawawa (Directions and Address will be provided after registration and payment)

Want to support your child in developing essential skills such as autonomy, resiliency and self-regulation?

Why Families (and Out & About) Love the Fox Program

  • Builds confidence, independence, and creativity

  • Supports risk-taking in safe, thoughtful ways

  • Encourages friendships and cooperation

  • Deepens children’s connection to nature

  • Provides a play-based foundation for school success

Fall Outdoor Invitations for Fox Learners

Designed to build fine-motor skills, creativity, problem-solving, sensory awareness, and independence:

  1. Nature Paint Brushes
    Make brushes from sticks, pine needles, grasses, or leaves and paint with mud or water.

  2. Twig Picture Frames
    Create small frames from sticks and twine; decorate with petals, moss, and feathers.

  3. Intro to Tools
    Using hammers, screws, and other tools to make string art creation and get comfortable with tools

  4. Petal Collage Boards
    Use cardboard with double-sided tape for children to stick on petals, leaves, and grass.

  5. Mud Bakery Play
    Make “pies” and “cookies” using mud, water, stones, and spring flowers.

  6. Spring Seed Shakers
    Fill small containers with seeds or pebbles and explore rhythm and sound.

  7. Leaf Rubbings
    Place leaves under paper and rub with crayons to reveal textures.

  8. Stick Weaving
    Use a Y-shaped stick and yarn to weave grasses, flowers, and soft natural materials.

  9. Nature Necklaces
    Thread pasta, beads, or hole-punched leaves onto string to make wearable art.

  10. Mini Bug Hotels
    Fill small cans or boxes with sticks, bark, and pinecones to welcome spring insects.

  11. Flower Petal Soup
    A sensory bin with water, petals, leaves, sticks, and nature scoops.

  12. Spring Fairy/Gnome Houses
    Use bark, sticks, moss, and stones to build tiny homes at the base of a tree.

  13. Garden Starter Pots
    Plant seeds in biodegradable pots and learn about caring for young plants.

  14. Rock Garden Creatures
    Paint rocks with water or markers to create bugs, animals, or faces; build a “rock village.”

PET Fall Fri. Birch & Bud Program PET Fall Fri. Birch & Bud Program
PET Fall Fri. Birch & Bud Program
$0.00

Ages: Family an Caregiver Program - all ages welcome!!

Time: 9am-12:30pm
*Arrival between 9-9:30am (There is no rush - we start early for those who awake early and begin later to accommodate all sleep schedules!)

11 Fridays and 1 Saturday
PROGRAM COST: $430
2 Siblings: $440
3 Siblings: $450
*Infants in a stroller or carrier are no extra cost.

*You will receive an invoice for e-transfer
*Please send your payment via e-transfer to outandaboutinnature@gmail.com

Program Information Session Dates:

First Day: September 18th 2026

Last Day: November 27th 2026

Saturday: 10am-12:30pm - October 31st 2026 (Friends will be invited to wear their costumes if they participate in Halloween!)

Location: 1408B Summers Rd., Petawawa, ON

Program Highlights

Family-Centered Exploration

  • Activities designed for both children and their grownups

  • Strengthens bonds through shared experiences

  • Encourages curiosity, joy, and wonder

Growing Early Skills

  • Practice independence and self-regulation

  • Learn cooperation, problem-solving, and confidence

  • Gentle support for families navigating toileting

Emotional Resilience in Nature

  • Tools to navigate big feelings

  • Grounding activities, breathing, and mindfulness

  • Movement and play to support regulation

All-Weather Adventures

  • Explore the beauty of every season

  • Learn how to dress and adapt outdoors

  • Build comfort playing in any weather

Community & Connection

  • Meet other families who value outdoor play

  • Join a welcoming, supportive community

  • Enjoy storytelling, seasonal celebrations, and shared experiences

Birch & Bud is a beautiful way to spend meaningful time outdoors with your child while supporting their early development and connecting with like-minded families.

Here’s a look into our invitations this season!

  • Exploring and Mud Kitchen

  • Fire Safety and Cooking Outdoors

  • Nature Wands
    Wrap a stick with yarn or string and decorate it with leaves, grasses, or flowers.

  • Fall Scavenger Hunt Bag
    Decorate a small paper bag, then collect spring treasures like pinecones, petals, or stones.

  • Mud Paintbrushes
    Make brushes from sticks and evergreen sprigs, then paint with water, mud, or crushed berries.

  • Sensory Play

  • Nature Crowns

  • Rock Friends
    Paint (or water-paint!) small stones to create characters, bugs, or faces.

  • Foraging

  • Bird Nest Play Invitation

  • Leaf & Flower Hammer Prints

  • Mini Garden in a Jar
    Add soil, moss, small plants, and sticks to create a tiny spring world

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Petawawa

Our Spaces

Our Petawawa programs foster an inclusive community where children learn, play, and connect with nature through child-led exploration and shared experiences. We create a strong sense of belonging while encouraging curiosity, confidence, and meaningful connections with the land and one another.

This Petawawa site offers a true outdoor adventure experience, similar to backcountry camping. With no permanent shelter, children fully embrace the elements, from forest exploration to creative play with natural materials. A clean portable bathroom and our playful “tent city” on rainy days add to the adventure, making this location ideal for families seeking an immersive, nature-rich learning environment.

This is our last summer at our current Petawawa spot before we move to a new spot!
Our new location will offer a shelter, opportunities for fire building, outdoor cooking, and more!

Petawawa

STAY TUNED! Coming Fall 2026

  • Weekend Programs

  • PA Days

  • Family Events

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Upcoming Events

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Workshops
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“I can only hope that our day is filled with mud explosions.”

- Noah, Age 6

A group of children and firefighters standing in front of a red fire rescue truck outside in snowy weather.
Young girl in a pink knit hat, purple and pink jacket, and floral gloves, crawling in the snow with snow on her face and chin.
A young girl with curly red hair, wearing a colorful patterned shirt and purple snow pants, is smiling and running on a grassy field, holding hands with another person.
Children in winter clothes walking and climbing on a fallen log in a snowy forest, with an adult observing nearby.
Two children playing outdoors on a muddy hill, wearing jackets and hats, with one climbing up and the other standing at the top.
A young girl in a pink and purple jacket, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, kneeling on a patio with tree branches, pinecones, leaves, rocks, and sticks arranged on the ground.