b'CLIMB A TREE! Working in teams of three and learning how toMEET A FROG! open the garlic, get the bulbs and then plant them.DOGWOOD FOREST OFFERS NATURE-BASED LEARNINGNotextbooksareneededatteam earned their Forest SchoolDogwood Forest school. Practitioners Certi cation as their Outdoor education programsdream evolved. They researched are held for all ages, from babiesforestschoolsintheUKand to teenagers, on a 57-acre local Scandinavia and connected with propertywhichcanbebesttheGuelphOutdoorSchool. describedasMotherNaturesEventually,thecouplegaveup classroom.supplyteachingtodedicate Theres a diversity of naturalthemselves full time to running featuresincludingforests,dryDogwoodForestseducational land, wetlands, springs, pondsenrichment programs.and streams to explore.Itallstartedin2003,when Thechildrenoftenseedeer,Brads mother Lisa purchased theraccoons, coyotes, skunks, foxes,propertyat620ScugogLine4, weasels and squirrels. (And oncePortPerry. Aschoolteacherand a squirrel ate a kids lunch!)aquatic instructor, Lisa began of-Theres also an abundance offering swimming lessons in their feathered friends. Nuthatches eatpool in 2006.right out of the students hands.Somekidswantedtostay There are cheeky ravens that canand explore the property, Brad Bob, the Ruler of the Bridge, was named by mimic kids voices, herons on therecalled. This led to the establish-the family. ponds,chickadees,king shers,ment of a half-day summer day blue jays, wrens and raptor birdscamp program.such as owls, turkey vultures andMichellebroughtthemagic hawks. Theres also a rich varietyto the forest, he commented.of insects and trees, including ofAtthere were only halfrst, course, dogwoods. a dozen kids. At the peak time, We are one big happy family in2017-2018, there were 70 enrolled. one big happy forest, commentedCOVID hit which put the for-Brad Graves, aka Mosquito. Bradest school on hold for a year, but and his wife Michelle Graves, akaitsbackupandrunningagain Doe, are both certi ed teachers andwith a wide variety of program the owners of Dogwood Forest.o eringsandpandemicsafety BradstudiedGeographyprotocols.and Physical EducationThere are year-round andMichellestud- programsaswellas iedGeographyandsummercampsand Religion, well prepar- PA day adventures. The Graves family in the heart of the forest. If youing them for the rolesWhentheGraves notice the tree stump to the left, it is in the shape of a heart and when it came down, the stump saidofoperatingaforestdaughter Adelaide, akaMichelle (aka Doe), holding Elaina (aka Fire y), Adelaide (aka Ladybug) and Brad (aka Mosquito) and of course their dog whose nameit all. Doe, holding Fire y, Ladybug and Mosquito. school.Eventually,the.Please turn to page 4 is none other than Forest. Not pictured is Foxy the dog who was busy running ahead!FOCUS - NOVEMBER 20223'