Forest Playgroup 

We gather in local parks to enjoy a child-led hike and community connection, all year round. We stay in one park for an entire season, allowing children to grow familiar with its plants, trees, and critters, and to notice how the land awakens, blossoms, ripens, or rests.

Forest Playgroup is held entirely outdoors and guided by the children. Forest Playgroup fosters resilience, wonder, and a connection to the rhythms of the natural world.

This gathering is perfect for families who love adventure and wish to grow in community with other nature-loving caregivers.

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We rotate around Highrock Park, Cuthbert Holmes Park, Tower Point, Gonzales Beach, and Tod Inlet. Our typical schedule is:

Autumn at Highrock Park, winter at Cuthbert Holmes Park, spring at Tower Point or Gonzales Beach, and summer at Gonzales Beach and Tod Inlet.

We meet on Tuesday or Friday mornings from 10AM-12PM and welcome children from newborn-seven (or beyond, if you feel your child would enjoy our program!). Our program is run entirely by donation.

Check our scheduling page to see where we are currently at and when we are meeting!

A young girl wearing a pink hoodie, grey pants, and black boots with orange laces, standing on a metal bridge, pointing at the railing while touring outdoors with an adult person in the background holding a smartphone, surrounded by green trees.
Group of children and adults gathered outdoors around a pile of soil, listening to a person in orange safety gear during a community or educational event.
A young boy planting a seed in a pot during an outdoor activity, with other children and adults nearby.
A young boy holding a small black bucket outside, surrounded by people in a lush, green outdoor setting.
An adult woman and a young child planting a small tree outdoors in a green forested area.
Group of people including children and adults gathered outdoors on a grassy area with trees in the background, some kneeling or bending down, engaged in an activity or discussion.
Two children planting a small tree in a wooded area, with one bending down and the other standing nearby, both wearing jackets.
Child planting a seed in the soil using a black plastic container outdoors.
A young child wearing a blue raincoat and wide-brimmed hat, sitting in a pile of wood mulch, holding a small gardening trowel, with a larger shovel and dirt in the background.
Children playing and digging in a mound of dirt outdoors on a sunny day with trees and a group of people in the background.
A young boy with dirt on his face and hands holding a small stick with a black insect on it, outdoors with blurred greenery in the background.
A group of people, including children, hiking on a narrow trail through a green, bushy area with trees and hills in the background.

Sample Morning:

10:00: Arrival and welcome

10:10: Hike down to our play spot

10:30: Unstructured play with our traveling mud kitchen

11:15: Circle and snack time

11:30: Hike back. See you next week!

Our time together is fluid and subject to change. Follow your child’s lead. If they would like to take the whole morning walking down to our spot, let them! Encourage them to stop and smell every flower, and pick up every rock. Additionally, if your child wants to play quietly during circle time, please let them. If we have a small group who is focused on play, we may skip circle altogether. We can learn so much about our children when we follow their lead!

How to dress for outdoor playgroup:

EVERY DAY: HATS - Sun hat or Warm Hat - for Grown-Ups too! Bring a change of clothes for your child too.

Warm days: Sandals or shoes and clothes that can wet or muddy, sunscreen or UV protective clothing.

Cool days: Rain pants, rain boots, warm sweater.

Cold days: Base layers, fleece layers, jacket, rain pants, rain boots, waterproof mittens, warm hat, neck warmer, wool or thick socks

Inclement and Extreme Weather Policy:

Extreme weather can present as a hazard to health and wellbeing for infants, children, and adults. Extreme weather is considered to be weather conditions too cold, wet, hot, windy or generally unsafe. As such, Wild Child programming will not run if:

  • The temperature is higher than 30°C.

  • The air quality is rated a 7 or higher. If the air quality is rated at 4 - 6, conditions will be closely monitored.

  • The temperature is lower than 0 degrees Celsius (including wind chill).

  • There is a weather warning in effect

In the event that Wild Child is canceled due to inclement weather, we will promptly communicate the cancellation to all participants through email.

A woman and a young child planting a tree in an outdoor, forested area.