Sierra Club PEI Wild Child Program

Sierra Club PEI Wild Child Program Sierra Club Wild Child program is an environmental education program designed to give children an opportunity to experience, explore, and play in nature.

PEI Wild Child is an environmental education program of PEI Sierra Club
(http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Local/2015-03-09/article-4070224/Sierra-Club%26rsquo%3Bs-Wild-Child-program-is-nature-inspired-fun/1)
designed to strengthen the 'outdoors' component of child care services, by having the children explore nature with the Wild Child staff-person and volunteers leading enthusiastic games and quiet activities. We at PEI Sierra Club want to continue and expand this important program. We've been holding fundraisers and reaching out to donors, funders and community organizations, asking them to help connect more young children with nature in the year ahead. Sierra Club Atlantic Canada Chapter developed Wild Child in response to the growing body of research showing that children need experiences in the natural world for healthy development. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJihjQK0Qso&feature=player_embedded
This 'nature immersion' program was delivered very successfully to children in fourteen day-cares and after-school programs in the Charlottetown area this winter. It is so important to give children an opportunity to experience, explore, and play in nature. Learning to have no fear of bugs, birds and other wild life is the first step to helping protect 'Mother Nature' and getting a strong foundation for good mental health. Relaxing and connecting by listening to the wind in the trees and other sounds of nature gives young children a necessary break from modern technology. To quote the elder Luther Standing Bear in the 1930s, "the old Lakota was wise. He knew that a man’s heart, away from nature, becomes hard; he knew that lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to lack of respect for humans, too. So he kept his children close to nature’s softening influence."

All year round we teach children the joys about being one with nature, that includes the creepy crawlies! As snow begins...
12/09/2025

All year round we teach children the joys about being one with nature, that includes the creepy crawlies! As snow begins to fall, we teach them about where bugs go during the colder months and how to identify animal tracks! Teaching about the land and animals we live on helps foster children's appreciation for the world around them.

Thank you to the funding from PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund for supporting the Wild Child programs!

Thank you PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund for sponsoring our program and allowing children to get out and explore the gre...
12/08/2025

Thank you PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund for sponsoring our program and allowing children to get out and explore the great outdoors!

🍂✨️ Wrapping up an unforgettable fall season!🌲 From climbing trees, jumping in leaves, or feeling the warm sun on our fa...
12/05/2025

🍂✨️ Wrapping up an unforgettable fall season!🌲 From climbing trees, jumping in leaves, or feeling the warm sun on our faces, every day was an adventure! ☀️

For the families that participate, please take a moment to fill out our feedback form! We appreciate all your feedback and notes about the impact of the program, and how we can make it even better!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeDTHoWLq5CnNgTdSVThT4fAqogT2l9F5rAyFzRnxMwWmHtZA/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=116174200832772436883

Huge thank you to the PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund and the United Way of PEI for funding our Forest School Programs thus gear and helping make the magic happen and accessible for ALL children!! 🐿🦇

12/02/2025

This Giving Tuesday, help us open the forest to every child!

At PEI Wild Child, we believe all kids deserve the chance to explore, play, and learn in nature — regardless of financial barriers.

Your donation directly supports subsidized program spots for families who otherwise wouldn’t be able to join us. Together, we can make outdoor, land-based learning accessible to all.

👉 Donate today: https://www.sierraclub.ca/ways-to-support/donate/
(Please write “for the PEI Wild Child program” in the comments so your gift goes directly to sponsoring a child.)

Thank you for helping us nurture connection, confidence, and belonging — one muddy, joy-filled day at a time. 🌲💚

Last week, we had the absolutely pleasure of hosting a group of Early Childhood Educator Students from Holland College f...
11/26/2025

Last week, we had the absolutely pleasure of hosting a group of Early Childhood Educator Students from Holland College for a workshop on Outdoor Learning and Play for their 'Environment as Third Teacher' class.

We started fires with flint and steel, made horse chestnut soap, hung in hammocks, made nature art, split wood, did some small world building, played games, ran around, and talked about Forest School pedagogy and the benefits and challenges of taking kids outside!

We had such a great time and it was so lovely to hear reflections from the class about how they felt their stress melt away and their mood improve from spending the morning outside. Nature play benefits us humans of all ages!

A Huge Thank you to the Wildlife Conservation Fund for making it possible for us to run Nature Immersion Programs again ...
11/13/2025

A Huge Thank you to the Wildlife Conservation Fund for making it possible for us to run Nature Immersion Programs again this Fall and Winter! We are so excited to engage children and youth in PEI in learning all about the wild life that is right outside of our doors in PEI!

See Below for our Press release.
Media Release:
For Immediate Release

Sierra Club is putting the ‘wild’ back into your Wild Child with the help of the PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund

November 18, 2025 —This Fall and Winter, the PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund is making it possible for Sierra Club Canada Foundation to offer FREE Nature Immersion Programming to child care centres, schools, community groups, and afterschool programs across PEI.

The PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund is generated from fees charged for hunting, trapping and angling licences, as well as sale of specialized Conservation Licence Plates. Awards are merit-based and support groups across PEI working on projects that benefit wildlife and wildlife conservation on the Island.

“We believe that connecting kids to nature through immersive play-based experiences is a vital component to creating future generations who understand the value that wildlife and wildlife conservation plays here on PEI” said Hannah Gehrels, the PEI Wild Child Programs Manager, “if we’re going to ask our kids to care for and protect nature, we need to be giving them opportunities to enjoy and develop a love for it first”.

Groups that are interested in participating in this free program can get in touch with the program through natureimmersion@sierraclub.ca, by phoning 902-940-2263, or by filling out the visit request form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScA-1MBLKBHCFtHHPiSbI0Gv_PyEeHTn--m_W2e1efK273vZQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=114074564300975218904.

“Often we will go to childcare centres, or Girl Guide groups, or afterschool programs and take kids outside to a natural area near their centre and play outside for an hour or two, and we repeat these visits so that the kids start to develop a relationship with the land” said Gehrels, “but we’re also happy to host groups that want to come to our forest school sites and stay for a longer period of time too!”

Media contact: Hannah Gehrels
peiwildchild@sierraclub.ca
902-940-226

We are excited to announce that we are offering Nature Immersion visits this fall and winter!! All thanks to the generou...
11/13/2025

We are excited to announce that we are offering Nature Immersion visits this fall and winter!! All thanks to the generous support of the PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund 🌍

🌳 What is the Nature Immersion program? Our Wild Child Educators will come to your school, early childhood center, or community group (anywhere in PEI) for a FREE outdoor-based facilitated visit with the goal of connecting kids with nature through nature-based play! ❄️

Activities can include:
🐦 Bird calls
💦 Puddle jumping
🦫 Wildlife tracking
🌱 learning about invasive species
🏰 Fort building
🔍 Scavenger hunts
🦟 Learning about species at risk
🎨 Nature art & more!

Each visit lasts about 1 hour, but we can adjust to your student's needs. Let’s explore the great outdoors together! 🌳✨

If you are interested in having us come to your school, early childhood center, or community group sometime this fall or winter, please fill out this request form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScA-1MBLKBHCFtHHPiSbI0Gv_PyEeHTn--m_W2e1efK273vZQ/viewform?fbclid=IwdGRjcAODO39jbGNrA4M7c2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHgofPwal0uU4LKZ42-wCB0Imomi9aue_vJx_2gM9GyeDMJ7S59U609rAq4fX_aem_pb7Y1HA9WHz_cz8tlD_Cnw&brid=gCLd8f8zF5eY0odec557ag

We are excited to announce that we are offering Nature Immersion visits this fall and winter!! All thanks to the generou...
11/13/2025

We are excited to announce that we are offering Nature Immersion visits this fall and winter!! All thanks to the generous support of the PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund 🌍

🌳 What is the Nature Immersion program? Our Wild Child Educators will come to your school, early childhood center, or community group (anywhere in PEI) for a FREE outdoor-based facilitated visit with the goal of connecting kids with nature through nature-based play! ❄️

Activities can include:
🐦 Bird calls
💦 Puddle jumping
🦫 Wildlife tracking
🌱 learning about invasive species
🏰 Fort building
🔍 Scavenger hunts
🦟 Learning about species at risk
🎨 Nature art & more!

Each visit lasts about 1 hour, but we can adjust to your student's needs. Let’s explore the great outdoors together! 🌳✨

If you are interested in having us come to your school, early childhood center, or community group sometime this fall or winter, please fill out this request form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScA-1MBLKBHCFtHHPiSbI0Gv_PyEeHTn--m_W2e1efK273vZQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=114074564300975218904

11/06/2025

Our friends at Mi'kmaq Family Resource Center / Aboriginal Headstart in Charlottetown have 2 fulltime spots available for Indigenous children aged 22 months to Pre K. They are a small centre that offers cultural teachings, school readiness, and lots of time outdoors. They also go on monthly outings. Please reach out to Barb at bmckennatoole.mahs@hotmail.com if you would like to discuss a spot!

Address

81 Prince Street
Charlottetown, PE
C1A4R3

Telephone

902-940-2263

Website

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