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Become a certified Forest & Nature School Practitioner

The Child and Nature Alliance of Canada aims to support high-quality Forest/Nature School practice and programming through evidence-based, practical, and inspiring professional learning opportunities, community building, and advocacy.

Our goal is for all children in Canada to have the opportunity to lead their play and learning on the Land as an integral part of their education and healthy development.

See 2025 Courses

About the Forest and Nature School Practitioners Course

The Forest and Nature School Practitioners Course is a year-long certificate course that consists of both in-person outdoor, experiential learning, as well as an optional, online self-directed certification. We have been offering this course since 2012, adapting and improving it each year based on participant feedback and the ever-evolving Forest/Nature School landscape in Canada. While some things have changed, what remains consistent is our intention to offer an immersive and transformative professional learning experience with like-minded educators and the Land.

We currently offer the course in two formats:

Original

Five consecutive days of in-person learning outside, followed by an optional 12 months of online coursework to receive certification. Please note that both the in-person and online parts of the course are required for certification. (See “Invest in Your Career” below, for more information.)

Modular

Five days of in-person learning outside (spread over two weekends, usually six to eight weeks apart), followed by an optional 12 months of online coursework to receive certification.Please note that both the in-person and online parts of the course are required for certification. (See “Invest in Your Career” below, for more information.)

We currently offer three pathways to certification:

Lead Designation in a Regulated Setting

This designation is for professionals that currently work in a regulated setting like a licensed childcare program, a school, an extra-curricular program or other program where children attend regularly.

Lead Designation in an Independent Setting

This designation is for those interested in running independent programming, such as new private Forest/Nature School Programs.

Support Designation in an Existing Setting

This designation is for those working in an existing Forest/Nature based program as support to other trained professionals.

Invest in Your Career

5-Day In Person Training

$ 1950

per personIncludes 40 hours of in-person training on the Land with experienced Facilitators.

*Please note that the in-person training is a prerequisite for completing the online coursework and receiving certification.*

Online Coursework & Certification (Optional)

$ 295

per personIncludes 12 months of online coursework and mentorship from a CNAC Facilitator, introduction to regional and national communities of practice, and Forest & Nature School Practitioner Certification upon completion.

If you choose not to pursue certification at the time of registration but decide you’d like to after completing the in-person training, don’t worry! You’ll have the opportunity to opt in to the online coursework and certification anytime within 12 months of completing the in-person training – at a time that best suits you.

Kindly note, accommodations, travel expenses, and meals are not included in the course fees. Participants are responsible for booking their own travel and accommodation, as well as bringing their own meals to the in-person training days. We include some lodging options in the Welcome Package that participants receive upon registration. If you would like a list of suggested accommodations please let us know and we can provide options for you to review!

The Child and Nature Alliance of Canada is a charitable non-profit, and because of costs involved in coordinating each course, the $650 course deposit is non-refundable and non-transferrable. In addition, the remainder of the course fees are non-refundable 12 weeks before the in-person start date. Cancellations within 12 weeks of the course start date are subject to a fee. Please take the time to consider whether this course is something you can commit to at this time.

If the cost of the course presents a barrier for you, please reach out to us at admin@childnature.ca to inquire about our flexible payment options and available training grants.

Our Commitment to Truth Telling and Reconciliation

Relationship with the Land is at the heart of what we do, and this Land is Indigenous Land. 

Although many people in Canada trace the roots of “Forest/Nature School” back to the United Kingdom, and look to CNAC as a national leader in land-based learning, we acknowledge that Indigenous peoples have been learning with the Land since time immemorial. 

As a white settler-founded organization that works on and benefits from stolen Land, we have appropriated and caused harm to Indigenous Peoples’ knowledges and sovereignty on this Land. We have come to understand that we cannot ethically speak of learning and connecting with the Land without telling the truth about its colonization, and honouring and centring Indigenous sovereignty as we support the development of relationships to the earth in a holistic way. We are grateful to the many Indigenous Elders, Knowledge Keepers, communities, and team members who have worked with us over the last 10 years and have supported us in deepening our understanding and responsibilities to our core values of Justice, Truth, Community, and Accountability.

The CNAC team is learning to care deeply about past, present, and future generations, and living in right-relations with ourselves, each other, and the Land. We are committed to co-creating current and future programming with Indigenous partners, so that our programming  is safe, meaningful, and culturally relevant for all participants. 

To that end, we endeavour to center Indigenous voices in the Practitioners Course by:

  • Listening to and collaborating with Indigeneous peoples across Canada to identify best practices of how to work, live and reciprocal relationship with Land 
  • Centering the regional, traditional knowledges gifted from Elders, Knowledge Sharers and other Indigenous community members everytime we gather on the Land
  • Empowering our partners across Canada to build long-term, reciprocal relationships with Indigenous peoples and First Nations. 
  • Working to break down financial and other barriers for Indigenous participants
  • Inviting and hiring more Indigenous peoples across Canada  to engage in this work with us
  • Discussing with participants our collective and individual responsibilities to truth telling and reconciliation as educators seeking to foster connections among children and the Land
  • Highlighting and centering Indigenous voices and  knowledge in our recommended resources
  • Continually analyzing and re-working our programs with Indigenous team members, hosts, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers across Canada, so that they might better serve both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada, in alignment with our values of Justice, Truth, Community, and Accountability.

Course Offerings

Please note that it takes about 10-20 minutes to complete the registration process. The registration page will time out after 45 minutes, so we encourage you to set aside 20 minutes to fully complete the form in one sitting to avoid getting timed out.

British Columbia

Fauquier, BC

Host: Applegrove Nature School
Dates: June 16 – 20, 2025

Revelstoke, BC

Location: Big Eddy Park
Dates: July 25 – 29, 2025

Nanaimo, BC

Location: Bayview Elementary School
Host: Nanaimo Forest School
Dates: September 27 – 28 & October 3 – 5, 2025

Alberta

Calgary, AB

Host: CNAC
Location: Fish Creek Provincial Park [Exact Location: TBD]
Dates: October 6 – 10, 2025

Saskatchewan

Manitoba

Ontario

Tiny, ON

Host: Tiny Forest Academy
Dates: March 21 – 23 & April 12 – 13, 2025

Picton, ON

Host: That Blue Barn
Dates: April 11 – 15, 2025

Kingston, ON

Host: Kingston Forest & Nature School
Dates: October 24 – 26 & November 8 – 9, 2025

Guelph, ON

Host: The Guelph Outdoor School
Dates: May 19 – 23, 2025

Port Perry, ON

Host: Dogwood Forest
Dates: March 29 – 30 & April 12 – 14, 2025

Quebec

New Brunswick

Nova Scotia

Bridgewater, NS

Host: Wild Wonders Forest School
Dates: November 3 – 7, 2025

Prince Edward Island

Newfoundland and Labrador

Yukon / Northwest Territories / Nunavut

Whitehorse, YT

Host: Yukon Wild School
Dates: April 9 – 13, 2025

Interested in hosting the Forest and Nature School Practitioners course in your community? Apply now.

Testimonials

“This course surprised and exceeded my expectations. The ideas I had about the course were not the full picture of everything that was packed into this experience. It was so much more!”

“I really enjoyed the opportunity to network with the other participants. The sense of community was very valuable. I also liked the opportunities to have conversation amongst smaller groups with a given subject, prompt, or idea to discuss. It provided different perspectives & knowledge that I would not have gotten from simply reading a book.”

“Honestly, this course challenged me in a lot of ways and has me rethinking my work in my classroom. I felt the most meaningful part was the work on Indigenous perspectives. ”

“The stories that were told and the connections we made with the land were both powerful and humbling. I felt honoured to be a part of the training and to gather with local people.”

“I have a much deeper understanding of the work I need to do now. I honestly had no idea what reconciliation really is.”

“The entire session was incredible. I wish it was longer. The facilitators were so warm, professional and knowledgeable.”

“I would recommend your program to anyone with interest in bringing children closer to nature. I was more than pleased with the course and what I learned. I can see what I still need to learn/experience/practice. It has given me the confidence to move forward in creating a forest school program.”

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