Oak Learners offers a unique Preschool Enrichment Program designed for children aged 2.5-4 years who will be starting Kindergarten in the following school year. Our Preschool Enrichment Program is NOT a daycare – but rather a purposeful “Kindergarten Readiness” program, designed to set young learners up for success as they begin their educational journey.

Our Preschool classroom operates 4-days per week, Monday through Thursday, from 9:00am through 12:00pm. This 3 hour program lays a strong foundation for a positive educational experience and a smooth transition to Kindergarten, fostering classroom skills and independence skills. Experienced educators spend time exploring literacy, numeracy, science, social language skills and so much more with children through a natural and inquiry-based program.

Interested in our Preschool Enrichment program read more here

Oak Learners offers progressive, interdisciplinary, inquiry-based programming in a student-driven, teacher-facilitated, alternative learning environment.

Each learner goes through a cyclical process of identifying their unique strengths, needs, goals, and interests. Through collaboration with teachers, peers, parents and members of their community, they design inquiry-based projects to guide their learning over the course of a term.

Each day at Oak Learners brings new learning opportunities through an integrated and immersive approach to elementary education. Ontario Curriculum content and skill achievement guidelines are covered and enriched through a holistic approach to learning in a project-based inquiry model, leading to a much deeper and richer learning experience for the students.

Interested in our Lower Elementary read more here

Oak Learners offers progressive, interdisciplinary, inquiry-based programming in a student-driven, teacher-facilitated, alternative learning environment.

Each learner goes through a cyclical process of identifying their unique strengths, needs, goals, and interests. Through collaboration with teachers, peers, parents and members of their community, they design inquiry-based projects to guide their learning over the course of a term.

Each day at Oak Learners brings new learning opportunities through an integrated and immersive approach to elementary education. Ontario Curriculum content and skill achievement guidelines are covered and enriched through a holistic approach to learning in a project-based inquiry model, leading to a much deeper and richer learning experience for the students.

Interested in our Upper Elmentary program read more here

Welcome to our Forest School in the City!

Oak Learners endeavours every day to inspire learning through an authentic skill-based curriculum. Our teachers nurture children’s natural curiosity about their world with student-centered experiences. At Oak Learners, we believe every child can be successful when they belong to a truly supportive educational community.

Outdoor Education Plays a Key Role in Child Development

Playing and exploring outdoors are experiences that most adults today grew up with. Yet, in the past few decades, the amount of time that children spend outdoors and the ways they experience their neighbourhoods have changed drastically. Much of the recreational time of today’s children is spent on indoor pursuits, even among children who live in rural areas. Many research studies over the past decade link children’s mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health with time spent outdoors, experiencing nature. For example, students have been shown to have increased focus, confidence, self-esteem and overall feelings of happiness and satisfaction with school. Even something as simple as looking at a tree can have surprisingly calming effects! In addition, directly observing plants and animals helps children develop an understanding of “systems”, that is, the relationships and processes in nature, while building their connections to the community. Not only that, but learning outside is fun! Students are excited and enthusiastic to try new activities and discover new things. This type of experiential, “hands-on” learning often reaches students who don’t thrive in a typical classroom setting.

Nature as the Primary Teacher: Experiential Learning and Inquiry

Oak Learners champions nature as an expansive and dynamic classroom, purposefully extending the learning environment beyond conventional indoor settings. Local parks, schoolyards, and various natural spaces become integral components of the educational landscape. This approach prioritizes direct, hands-on exploration and project-based inquiry, allowing children to physically engage with their surroundings and construct knowledge through authentic experiences.

The practical application of this philosophy is vividly illustrated through several examples. In one instance, students embarked on a plant-based inquiry unit by dissecting an almost-dead daffodil. This tactile interaction enabled them to physically examine plant parts and generate questions, underscoring the importance of close, physical engagement with the subject matter. Following this initial exploration, students planted various seeds and observed different stages of plant growth. This process naturally fostered individual inquiry, as exemplified by a student whose fascination with diverse bean varieties led to independent research on differentiation, non-fiction reading, report writing, scientific diagramming, and measurement skills. This demonstrates how learning within a natural context organically integrates multiple disciplines, blurring traditional academic boundaries.

During spring, neighborhood walks allowed students to observe crocuses and tulips, while visits to High Park facilitated studies of cherry blossoms, budding trees, and newly arrived birds. Recognizing the abundance of dandelions in a local park, students decided to investigate their uses beyond being a mere weed, specifically exploring their potential as a natural dye. They responsibly collected dandelions, ensuring an ample supply remained for pollinators, then examined the plant parts and chose to use only the flowers for a more vibrant yellow. By blending the dandelion flowers with water to create a paste for play-dough, students engaged in a multi-sensory, tactile learning experience that visibly incorporated natural elements, reinforcing understanding through direct engagement.

Hands-on Learning Outdoors Increases Student Engagement and Inquiry

The emphasis on hands-on engagement and students pursuing their own areas of inquiry suggests that nature-based learning is not solely focused on what is learned, but profoundly influences how it is learned. The direct, tactile experiences inherent in interacting with nature naturally ignite curiosity, which in turn motivates students to ask questions and independently seek answers. This shifts the educational paradigm from one primarily driven by teacher instruction to one powered by student-driven exploration. This method cultivates intrinsic motivation and self-directed learning skills, which are essential for lifelong learning and adaptability in a constantly evolving world. By allowing students to explore their surroundings intimately and follow their emerging interests, Oak Learners fosters intellectual autonomy and a genuine love for discovery, moving beyond rote memorization. This also implies a flexible curriculum that can adapt to student interests, a hallmark of progressive educational practices.

Furthermore, the integration of physical and cognitive engagement in nature is a crucial aspect of this model. The physical acts of dissecting a plant, planting seeds, or creating dandelion play-dough are directly interwoven with cognitive processes such as questioning, researching, problem-solving, and conceptual understanding. It is not merely physical activity within nature, but rather physical activity serving as a direct pathway to deeper cognitive understanding. This suggests that for Oak Learners, the body and mind are intrinsically linked in the learning process, particularly when situated in a natural environment. This holistic integration of physical and cognitive engagement likely contributes to more robust memory formation, deeper conceptual understanding, and a more embodied form of knowledge acquisition, contrasting sharply with purely abstract, classroom-bound learning. It reinforces the understanding that learning is an active, rather than passive, endeavor.

Embracing Risky Play for Resilience

Risky Play at Oak Learners is defined as exploration or activities that involve an element of risk or exposure to new, challenging situations, where children are encouraged to push their boundaries and discover their capabilities. It is important to clarify that this does not imply dangerous activities but rather situations that challenge a child’s perceived limits in a controlled environment. Examples include children attempting to balance on stepping stones or climbing high on a play structure at a park.

This form of play is considered essential for a child’s comprehensive development. Cognitively, it teaches children about the world, sharpens critical thinking, and enhances problem-solving skills. Physically, it helps children understand their own limitations and abilities, while developing gross motor skills and perpetual-orientation skills. Socially, engaging in risky play with peers encourages conflict resolution and communication skills. Psychologically, it provides a safe context for children to manage their emotions and confront fears. As Sandseter & Kennair (2011) are quoted, taking risks “provides the child with an exhilarating positive emotion and expose the child to the stimuli they previously have feared. As the child’s coping skills improve, these situations and stimuli may be mastered and no longer be feared”.

This emphasis on positive emotions and mastering previously feared stimuli reveals that risky play is not merely about physical safety but profoundly impacts psychological growth. It functions as a calculated pedagogical tool, a controlled exposure to challenge that, when successfully navigated, builds self-efficacy and emotional regulation.

Cultivating Community and Environmental Stewardship

A fundamental tenet of Oak Learners’ philosophy is “community,” which views students as active and vital members of the local community. This commitment is reinforced by the regular utilization of local parks and natural spaces as integral components of their Outdoor Learning curriculum, thereby strengthening students’ connection to their community and environment.

This dedication to community involvement and environmental responsibility is vividly demonstrated through the annual Earth Day shoreline cleanup. On Monday, April 22, 2024, the entire student body and staff participated in a significant shoreline cleanup at Colonel Samuel Smith Park. The primary objective of this activity was to contribute to keeping the shoreline and park free of litter, directly impacting the local ecosystem.

Participation in such community cleanups is considered integral to teaching students that “even small efforts can make a significant difference”. This practical engagement serves as a powerful lesson in civic responsibility and collective action. By actively participating in the cleanup, students are not just learning about environmental issues; they are acting as responsible citizens, directly experiencing the impact of their collective efforts. The concept that “small efforts” can lead to “significant difference” directly imparts a sense of agency and impact, which are foundational elements of civic engagement. The event also reinforces crucial lessons in Outdoor Education, particularly the principle of “leave no trace”. The school’s philosophy extends beyond a single event, emphasizing that for Oak Learners, “Earth Day is every day,” signifying a continuous, embedded commitment to environmental stewardship rather than a one-off annual observance. This approach fosters active citizenship and a profound sense of collective responsibility from a young age, cultivating values such as stewardship, community contribution, and environmental consciousness, thereby preparing students to be engaged and responsible members of society.

At Oak Learners, we understand that every child learns differently and we love that!

Many families who seek out Oak Learners have experienced the trials of parenting a child who needs something “more” than what is traditionally offered by both public and private educational institutions. The answer for many families lies in an alternative learning environment that encourages individuality, curiosity and creativity through unique learning opportunities.

While acknowledging the importance of ensuring our students are meeting or exceeding the Ontario Curriculum, Oak Learners provides an enhanced alternative education program which draws from the educational philosophies of Reggio Emilia, Montessori, Waldorf, Unschooling and Constructivism. Our program is enriched through the Arts, outdoor exploration and through encouraging the natural curiosity of our learners. We believe in a wholistic approach to growth, taking into consideration the whole body, person, or unit, the mind, body and spirit, emphasizing the importance of the whole as well as the interdependence of its parts.

The Bridge the Gap program is intended to supplement an existing school program, including homeschooling. Students attend Bridge the Gap for one, two or three days per week and participate in programs that will support their challenges or enhance their strengths. During the intake process, our Principal will work together with the student, their family and teachers to design an individual program that complements the rest of their school week.