Ball’s Falls Nature School
Four children peaking around a tree
Is your child a lover of nature or an avid explorer of the great outdoors?
Ball’s Falls Nature School welcomes their curiosity as we bring education out into the wilderness!
Ball's Falls Nature School provides an opportunity for students to connect with nature, developing a sense of place and self, while building confidence and engaging in outdoor experiences daily. The full day program provides students with specialized small-group curriculum-based lessons in math, reading, writing, science, social science, and art all in an outdoor setting.
Students will continue to build their literacy, numeracy, inquiry and social skills, where learning is based on environmental, sustainable, and conservation principles. The afternoons are spent exploring the trails, scenes and forests of Ball’s Falls Conservation Area, and engaging in child-led, inquiry-based learning within the new Ball’s Falls Forest Playscape – a safe place for students to play, learn, socialize and be creative within the Carolinian Forest.
Students will spend their days in the fresh-air of the Niagara Escarpment, and will get to see the changes and discoveries that come with the seasons in Niagara. With so much time in the great outdoors learning, playing and engaging with nature – this program brings out the best in students and allows for development and opportunities to learn in all new ways. Some students call the program ‘Recess everyday!” because some of the best times we spend learning, are spent outdoors.
At Ball’s Falls, the Nature School program is founded on the idea that the natural environment is one of the best places to learn and grow.
Who: Students ages 4-11 (as of September 2024)
When: Mondays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., extended care 8-9 a.m. and 3-4 p.m.
Where: The Arboretum at Ball’s Falls Conservation Area
Start: Monday, September 16, 2024
What: A full-day supplementary education program. Mornings are filled with Ontario curriculum-based activities which are catered to the learning abilities and individual needs of the students. Afternoons are a time for child-led and inquiry-based exploration and play through the many trails and the Forest Playscape.
Cost: $61/student +administration fee per day
Extended care: $12/day/family
A 50% non-refundable, non-transferrable deposit is taken at time of registration. The remainder of the payment will take place halfway through the session.
A 10% discount is given when registering more than one child at the same time.
For more information:
natureschool@npca.ca or call 905-788-3135 ext. 322
SESSION 1: BACK TO NATURE - SEPTEMBER 2024
Mondays beginning September 16th
Session ends October 28th (6 weeks)
In this session, we welcome our students back to Nature School! Students will learn what it takes to be a good friend to their peers and to nature. Literacy, math, art, and science will be explored as we get acquainted with our school site, the forest, and each other. Exciting topics for this session include bats, Thanksgiving and thankfulness, Orange Shirt Day (Sept. 30), and amphibians.
SESSION 2: FALL FROLICKING - NOVEMBER 2024
Mondays beginning November 4th
Session ends December 16th (7 weeks)
In the second session, students will explore the forest during one of the most colorful seasons of the year—fall! As we play and learn, we will observe all the changes taking place around us. Students will build on their skills in literacy, math, art, and science, as well as their confidence in the outdoors. Our favorite topics include fall harvest, producers, consumers and decomposers, and hibernation and preparing for winter.