Program Overview
Give Your Child The Gift Of Mud, Wonder, And Freedom In Brighton, Cavan, And Cobourg, Ontario
Childhood Is Meant To Be Messy
At Child of the Wild, we create space for children to slow down, explore, and grow in ways that nurture their whole selves — body, mind, and spirit. Every season, every session, every location is rooted in the same belief: your wild ones thrive when they have the freedom to simply be.
Explore Our 3 Locations
Brighton | The Hippie House
Tucked away on a private acre, The Hippie House feels like stepping into a storybook. Children gather under the yurt, create in the mud kitchen, tend the gardens, and share laughter around the firepit. Our chickens and ducks love daily visits, and when the rain comes, a cozy indoor haven welcomes us in.
Cavan | Maple Mountain Forest
Here, 51 acres of maple and pine forest invite endless adventure. Trails twist through the forest, leading us to all sorts of hidden gems to explore. Our yurt, mud kitchen, fire circle, and climber root us to our homebase area. This location is ever evolving… what will our next addition be?
Cobourg | Foragers Farms
On this abundant land, 50 acres of farm meet 70 acres of enchanted forest and trails. Together, they hold four homebases: The Workshop, The Yurt, Cedarville, and The Enchanted Forest & Creek. Children roam, discover, and return with stories of their own. Parents get an added treat at pick up, too, with Foragers Self-Serve Farmstand, open May through October.
Our 4 Seasonal Sessions
Frosty Mornings,
Warm Hearts
WINTER SESSION
Session Length:
10 Weeks
Session Dates:
Jan 19 - Mar 27, 2026
Location(s):
Brighton ONLY
Location Schedule:
Every Wednesday in Brighton
Spring into Discovery
SPRING SESSION
Session Length:
12 Weeks
Session Dates:
Apr 6 - Jun 26, 2026
Location(s):
Brighton, Cavan & Cobourg
Location Schedule:
Tuesdays & Thursdays (Brighton)
Tuesdays & Thursdays (Cavan)
Wednesdays & Fridays (Cobourg)
Warm Days Wild Ways
SUMMER SESSION
Session Length:
8 Weeks
Session Dates:
Jul 6 - Aug 28, 2026
Location(s):
Brighton, Cavan & Cobourg
Location Schedule:
Tuesdays & Thursdays (Brighton)
Tuesdays & Thursdays (Cavan)
Wednesdays & Fridays (Cobourg)
Fall into Learning
FALL SESSION
Session Length:
12 Weeks
Session Dates:
Sept 14 - Dec 4, 2026
Location(s):
Brighton, Cavan & Cobourg
Location Schedule:
Tuesdays & Thursdays (Brighton)
Tuesdays & Thursdays (Cavan)
Wednesdays & Fridays (Cobourg)
Check Out Last Winters Themes
Our learning is guided by a weekly theme that balances structured learning with flexibility, because we encourage spontaneous child-led and in-the-flow experiences.
Last Winters Themes:
Week 1: CommUNITY Connections: Cacao Ceremony + Wood Burning
Week 2: Sun Bread Story Seed Study- “Gifts of the Sun” Mobiles
Week 3: Sun Bread Story Seed Study- Bird Tweets + Squirrel Treats
Week 4: Sun Bread Story Seed Study- Puppet Show & Fireside Cooking “Sun Bread Sticks
Week 5: Imboloc Celebration- Fascinating Fires- Fat Lamps, Fire Starters & Charcoal Pencils
Week 6: Love Day Celebration @ Nature Nook Academy (Field Trip)
Week 7: Track Traps & Animal Skat
Week 8: Snow Flakes + Snow Forts
Week 9: Pancake THURSDAY- Fireside Cooking
Week 10: Through the Lens of Predators & Prey
Week 11: Spring Equinox/Ostara Celebration- Eggciting Crafts
Week 12: Session Celebration + Closure: Cacao Ceremony
EXPLORE WINTER SESSIONS
Last Springs Themes:
Week 1: CommUNITY Connections- Planting Seeds
Week 2: Bird Bonanza: Nests + Eggs
Week 3: Bird Bonanza- Sweet Songs + Sights
Week 4: Making an Impact- Earth Day Adventure
Week 5: Earth Keepers- The Story in the Stones
Week 6: Animal Adaptations- Fur & Feathers
Week 7: Animal Adaptations- Wee Wanderers & Bushy Tails (Ganaraska Field Trip)
Week 8: The Tiny Seed- Book Study & Experiment
Week 9: Bugs & Grubs- Up Close + Personal
Week 10: Enchanting the Forest + Fungi Fun
Week 11: Blooming Wisdom- Exploring the Magic of Flowers
Week 12: Session Closure + Summer Solstice Forest Festival
EXPLORE SPRING SESSIONS
Last Summer Themes:
Week 1: CommUNITY Connections & Field Notebooks
Week 2: Caterpillars, Chrysalis’ & Cocoons
Week 3: Fairy & Forest Folkore
Week 4: A *Natural* World of Colour: Plant Tie Dye
Week 5: Honouring our Heritage
Week 6: Summer *Nature* Olympic Games
Week 7: Wild Blooms & Pollinators
Week 8: Woodland Bonanza & Celebration
EXPLORE SUMMER SESSIONS
Last Fall Themes:
Week 1: Fall Festival & Equinox Celebration
Week 2: Together on Turtle Island
Week 3: Beaver Pond *Hands On* Study(Field Trip)
Week 4: Natures Palette: Fall into Colour
Week 5: Harvest Hooray: Abundance & Appreciation (Thanksgiving)
Week 6: Pumpkin Palooza (Field Trip)
Week 7: Ancestor Adventure: The Magic of Remembering (Samhain / Halloween)
Week 8: Migration Marvels
Week 9: Fascinating Fires: Charcoal Pencils & Flame Inspired Creations
Week 10: Campfire Shares: Storytelling & Cacao
Week 11: Winter Wonderland Preparedness & Hibernation
Week 12: SNOW Much Fun! Session Closure & Celebration
EXPLORE FALL SESSIONS
Things You Want To Know
Age Range:
Our programs are designed for children ages 4–11, but this is simply a guide. Every child is unique, and we’re happy to chat with you if your one(s) falls outside this range to see if it’s a good fit.
Who thrives at Child of the Wild:
Whether you’re a homeschooling family looking to enrich your curriculum with outdoor experiences, or a public schooling family seeking to deepen your child’s connection to nature, our programs are perfect for:
Curious kids who thrive in the outdoors
Parents who value child-led discovery and hands-on learning
Families who want to connect with a like-hearted community
What a typical day looks like:
9:30am- Drop off
9:30am-10:00am- Morning circle
10:00am-10:30am- First snack
10:30am-12:00pm- Theme centered activity/forest exploration/free play
12:00pm-1:00pm- lunch
1:00pm-2:30pm- Theme centered activity/forest exploration/free play
2:30pm-3:00pm- Second snack/pack up
3:00pm-3:30pm- Closing circle
3:30pm- Pick up
With a child enrolled, you’ll get added to private and location-specific Facebook groups for photos, day summaries, and relevant communications.
Lunches and allergies:
We follow a “boomerang lunch” approach: everything your child brings (including wrappers) comes home again. Please pack a healthy, litter-free lunch and a full reusable water bottle. For safety, we have a strict no food sharing rule. Any allergy restrictions will be shared with families before the session begins.
Bathroom breaks:
Although we promote, support and encourage bathroom breaks in nature, we understand that this isn’t every child’s preference. As such, each location has indoor bathroom access or access to a porta-potty.
Risky Play:
We are big advocates of risky play and appreciate the influence this has on children to build resilience and confidence. Our experienced facilitators provide a safe and supportive environment for kids to explore, challenge themselves, and learn through risky play, while carefully managing risk and ensuring safety.
Field trips:
Each session, aside from summer, we come together once or twice throughout for program-wide field trips! These are intentionally planned and with relevance to our weekly themes. They naturally become commUNITY days as the wilds from each location and parent volunteers (optional) come together for a day of fun!
How much it all costs:
We believe that nature-based learning should be accessible to ALL families. To support this vision, we offer sibling discounts and sliding scale rates to ensure that our programs are as inclusive and affordable as possible.
Please see our Bridge to the Wild page for more information.
If A Wild Journey Awaits For Your Wild One(s), Register And/Or Join Our Waitlists Linked Below.
If registering for our upcoming session, you will receive confirmation upon doing so, along with a welcome email and our Wildling Welcome Guide (PDF) with all the information you need to know!
If joining our waitlist, you will be contacted via your preferred contact method(s) a few weeks prior to registration opening for that session.
