This is a continuation of our Inspired By Nature series, where we highlight Canadians who are dedicated to sharing the health benefits of nature by getting others outside and unplugged. Know someone who we should feature? Email news@bcparksfoundation.ca.
Image from Fresh Air Learning on Facebook
Meet Tricia Edgar from Fresh Air Learning
I’m an outdoor/forest school educator from North Vancouver. I’ve been working with children and adults outdoors for over two decades. I love streams, slugs, and playing in mud. I’m also a writer and permaculture teacher.
Getting outside
I enjoy running in the forest because it’s a meditative way to enjoy myself outdoors in all weather. I also like gardening (mmm, food!) and kayaking. I love having sit spots in the forest - that’s probably my favourite forest activity.
I love running and exploring in the forests around my house in North Vancouver - walking up Mt Fromme onto Grouse (the back route up the mountain) is a favourite summer hike.
Image from Fresh Air Learning on Facebook
Fresh Air Learning
Fresh Air Learning is a forest school for children ages 2-12. We play and explore on farms and in forests around Metro Vancouver. We also have professional development and personal development programs for adults.
Our preschool-age programs focus on play-based outdoor learning, following the children’s excitement and interest. For instance, children might be excited to learn more about berries, track slugs or splash in puddles.
Our elementary school program focuses on hands-on exploration in forests and on farms. For instance, we volunteer at a local farm during the spring and fall, and we’ve enjoyed activities such as removing and weaving with invasive species like ivy.
The inspiration behind it
I love child-led, play-based learning as I feel that it respects children’s natural desire to be inspired and to lead with their curiosity and excitement. I’d been working in the field of outdoor education for over a decade, and I wanted children to have a place where they could have ongoing, nature-based learning experiences, because so many of the children I taught did not have those experiences on an ongoing basis.
Image from Fresh Air Learning on Facebook
Favourite moments with Fresh Air Learning
We have had many wonderful experiences outdoors - mostly on the spur of the moment! One highlight was watching a sheep give birth at our local farm - our group of 5-7 year-olds watched for at least an hour, commenting on the process, watching the lamb come out, and watching the mother lick it clean.
Another highlight was when some of our preschool classes got to watch Cooper’s Hawks create a nest, have babies, and then hunt, all over the span of a springtime. There have been so many stories and highlights that they are hard to count!
Advice if you want to get outside and unplugged, too.
Start where you are - you don’t need to go to a place that is officially “wilderness” to enjoy being outside. Don’t feel like you need to set goals or expectations for your time outdoors - just being outdoors and being curious is enough!
At Fresh Air Learning, we cultivate respect for nature and believe in the importance of connecting children to the land. We value those who have connected with local places before us and acknowledge that our programs take place on unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) territories.