Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. All programs are designed to integrate directly with territorial curriculum expectations.

All teachers in the Experiential Homeschool Program, Wild Thursdays and Wild Fridays are certified Canadian teachers with Bachelor of Education degrees.

• At least one staff member has Wilderness First Responder
• All canoe experiences are led by a staff member with canoe certification from RCABC.
• All WILDE School staff have several common traits. These include; resilience and grit, a passion for the great outdoors, a desire to help young people learn and grow, and a sense of urgency to better prepare students for an ever-changing world.

We currently design programs for young people aged 5-15.

Please send an email to info@yukonwildschool.ca

Wild Thursdays and Wild Fridays are enrichment programs for students who attend public school 4 days/week. If you are looking for a physically demanding and academically stimulating experience for your child, this is the program for you. Most learning is hands-on and outdoors. Classes are on the move and active. Teachers prepare engaging lesson plans and students are expected to work hard and participate.

The Experiential Homeschool Program is a program for students who are homeschooled. This is a two-day/week program which runs from early September to early June. This program focuses on the Science, ADST, Art and PE curriculum. Many aspects of this program support a student's literacy and numeracy development. If your homeschooled child loves the outdoors, learning with their hands and in a team atmosphere, then this is for them. This program is team-taught by two certified teachers. Students are primarily in mixed-grade groups (K-3 and 4-7).

Our teacher-to-student ratio in all programs, including summer camp and the after-school club, does not exceed 1:12.

Yes, all programs abide by a strict code of conduct to protect the experience of all children.

The safety of participants and staff is important to us. Risk management is an active process for our team and participants alike. We are constantly assessing risk and identifying hazards. Once a hazard is identified, we consider the likelihood and consequences of that hazard and possible mitigation strategies. If we cannot mitigate the hazard to a reasonable likelihood or consequence, then we consider changing the activity or venue. Some hazards are so integral to outdoor and experiential learning in a forest that we must accept them. For example, we must accept the hazard presented by sticks, logs, trees, etc. when working in a forest. This involves the assumption of risk by families choosing our programs. We are always happy to discuss what we do and how we do it with families as we practice informed consent.

• Hike
• Canoe
• Teambuilding activities
• Nature-based activities
• Journaling
• Art activities

Our staff are trained specifically for these situations and are experts at helping young children feel comfortable, participate in activities, and make new friends.

Summer camp staff have a passion for the great outdoors and are gifted at getting children equally stoked. All staff have canoe certification, first aid training and an RCMP vulnerable sector check.

Our summer camp director is a certified teacher and canoe instructor with over a decade of summer camp experience.

No. What they need is similar to what they would pack for a school field trip. A backpack, water bottle, lunch, hat, raincoat etc.

WILDE School of Yukon's summer camp is inspired by research and based on decades of experience possessed by our staff. After a week of summer camp your child will walk away with new skills, a deeper connection to and understanding of nature, and inspired for more. We approach summer camp as an opportunity to learn and grow and not merely a week of childcare because school is on break. Once your child turns 12 they can transition from a camper to LIT and potentially even summer camp instructor and have a paying summer job. There is an opportunity for growth within the WILDE School family of programs.

This program is for aspiring leaders, so no previous leadership experience is necessary. You can assess if your child is ready for this by asking them a few key questions such as; Do they enjoy working with younger kids? Do they like being outside during the summer break? Did they like summer camp when they were campers? Do they see themselves working at a summer camp someday? Do they enjoy being physically active and doing things that are sometimes physically challenging? If they answered yes to most of these questions, then it's probably a good fit for them.

A lot of young people this age are starting to think about their first job. It's a massive step to go from being a camper or simply taking the summers off to taking on a summer job and having expectations as a paid employee! The LIT program is the ultimate bridge program. LITs learn vital leadership skills such as communication, conflict resolution, problem-solving, facilitation and more. All under the gentle guidance of the camp director and camp staff. LITs get feedback through the program, and mistakes are seen as learning opportunities. LITs often form new friendships with other like-minded young leaders in a healthy, screen-free environment.

Campers participate in outdoor adventure and experiential learning activities. These include learning more about the forest that surrounds us, including animal tracking, tree identification, and habitat observations. We mix nature-based learning with fun! Campers will hike, make forts, learn new knots, and play games such as Wolf Pack, Predator-Prey, and Capture the Flag. There will be opportunities for arts and crafts and journaling.

Two weeks. March Break Camp takes place during the two-week school break.

Yes. However, our staff are great at challenging campers to grow and try new things if they come for multiple weeks.

Each group has access to a warm shelter in the event of inclement weather. Groups will eat, journal, and craft in a warm shelter.

Each group has a group leader plus two LITs. Group sizes are capped at 12. There is a Camp Director who supports three groups of campers.

Each staff member must have an RCMP vulnerable sector check completed, plus first aid training. All WILDE School staff have a passion for getting students stoked about the great outdoors and truly are here to support children.

During March Break Camp, a limited number of LITs from Summer Camp 2025 participate. These LITs have been trained and have at least one summer of LIT experience. Training included safety, non-violent crisis intervention, and leadership (communication, facilitation, problem-solving etc.).

Hidden Valley and Golden Horn Elementary Schools.

The Outdoor Adventure Club (OAC) operates at your child's school. We utilize the forest next to the school.

The OAC operates from the time school ends for the day until 5:00 pm. Parents can pick up their child at any time.

Staff will be employed by Yukon Wild School. Staff must have experience working with youth aged 5-12, possess a recent VSC RCMP check, and have valid First Aid Certification. Staff will report to the ED of Yukon Wild School.

Students will be signed in and signed out, much like they would be for a summer camp. There is a consistent sign-in location and time.

We understand that there are daily alterations to a child's after-school plan. We will have a designated email: OAC@yukonwildschool.ca and a phone line for parents to communicate changes to daily plans or absenteeism. Yukon Wild School staff communicate with each other via radios and cell phones.

Maximum of 1:12

We are outside. We have a warming hut with a small wood stove that we use on cold days. We have access to the school for bathroom use.

We will use the same risk management system as Yukon Wild School. This is a very similar process that all Yukon Public Schools use. Before students participate, we identify hazards and mitigate them. Sometimes this looks like removing the hazard, sometimes this means changing a plan or how we operate. Our team has over 20 years of risk management experience with youth in the Yukon.

Each session costs $25.00. Sign-up is done monthly. You can choose either 2 days, 3 days or 5 days per week.

These trips are for K-12 public school classes looking for a curriculum-linked custom field trip.

The WILDE School of Yukon campus at 18 Metropolit Lane, Whitehorse, Yukon

Two weeks

Absolutely. As the classroom teacher, you are responsible for ensuring your students are representing their school well and on their best behaviour. The WILDE School facilitator(s) will take care of the programming.

No. This is a Department of Education field trip to WILDE School. Students will always be the ultimate responsibility of the classroom teacher.

The most authentic way to grow your ability to teach outside is to learn outside. We believe that PD should be experiential, outside and fun! Teaching outside effectively in the Yukon can be challenging. Our team of facilitators will lead teachers in content that has been generated and taught right here in Whitehorse. When it comes to learning outside in the Yukon in any season, WILDE School leads the way.

It depends on the type of PD you choose. During regularly scheduled PD days, ProD will be hosted at the stunning WILDE School of Yukon campus located at 18 Metropolit Lane.

If you choose a visitation, you can visit WILDE School on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday any week of the school year to shadow a class in action, meet staff and learn how we work in the great outdoors.

A class visit brings a WILDE School teacher to your school to work with your class for a ½ day in the forest next to your school. You will team teach with the teacher followed by a debriefing session immediately after.

PD is available on regularly scheduled PD days, a visitation or class visit by a WILDE School facilitator.

Talk to your current post secondary institution about making arrangements for an alternative placement. WILDE School has hosted several highly successful practicums over the last few years.

If you are recently out of school and would like to arrange an internship please contact us to set up an interview. Internships are mutually beneficial where the intern gains valuable experience from experts in the field at no cost, and WILDE School benefits from the assistance of the intern with daily tasks. Internship length are flexible and can be discussed with WILDE School.

Forest Therapy is led by a certified Forest Therapist in a natural setting. The benefits of nature contact and immersion are widely known and forest therapy helps maximize the benefits. In forest therapy, the forest is the therapist and guide opens the door. It's not what people typically imagine when they hear the term therapy. Forest therapy is typically a very relaxing and sometimes meditative experience. Everyone gets something unique and unifying from their experience with a guide in a forest. There are thousands of forest therapists now all over the world.

Forest Therapy sessions take place at WILDE School and the incredible forest beyond. Session dates are posted on our website. You can also join our mailing list to get notifications about upcoming courses.

2 hours