Otter Pups

Yes and No… 80% of our time together is outside, rain or shine, in all seasons! This immersive outdoor experience is directly linked to the increased physical and emotional resilience developed in Otter Pups.

Otter Pups families also register with a public online school that is a ministry funded blended learning program. This supports learners in satisfying grade-level outcomes while being fully immersed in nature.

The online school’s model is a blended-learning public education service. They provide funding for a certified teacher to deliver and oversee academic curriculum integration and issue our students regular report cards and parent-teacher conferences, meeting the same curriculum goals as any other public or private school in the province. The school has about 650 students across the province who participate in outdoor education programs or homeschool programs.

Technically speaking, the students are enrolled in an "online” program, and the certified teacher takes on the responsibility of creating a Personalized Learning Plan which includes academic classes led by them in person, learning with parents at home, and learning on wilderness days with Thriving Roots. They will help keep your child on track with BC curriculum standards (reading, writing, math, etc.) and leverage their learning through this unique place-based experiential model. At-home parent support is still required to supplement learning and report academic outcomes through an online portfolio model.

Students are divided into groups, based on grade level and abilities, in order to target specific learning needs.

The Certified Teacher attends Mondays and Thursdays and is able to schedule “office hours” so families can connect for one-on-one support.

At Otter Pups, we see learning as an integrative, full-sensory and multi-disciplinary experience! Much of what we learn and experience is embedded in the BC Elementary Curriculum. Subjects covered indirectly are: Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, Applied Skills & Technologies, Physical Education, Art, and sometimes even French and Math!

Students registered in Otter Pups also follow a home schooling curriculum and reporting process, co-designed with the academic teacher to ensure curriculum areas not covered Mon-Thurs can be covered at home on Fridays during their home learning day.

With enough parent support and communication with the academic teacher, students will fulfil and even excel with grade-level ministry academic requirements.

Generally, no. When providing feedback we aim to reflect students’ personal strengths and growth areas, as well as encourage self validation. In our mentoring approach we focus on inspiring motivation from the intrinsic rewards of pursuing a passion or project instead of external rewards of letter grades. To provide a quantitative way to track progress, we sometimes allocate “challenge levels” to certain activities.

Term Report Cards are still provided through the online school and written by the academic teachers.

One of our favourite parts of Otter Pups is the close community that develops between families. Family events include:

• Seasonal potluck gatherings:

  • September: Welcome Potluck,

  • November: Ancestor Feast,

  • December: Winter Celebration,

  • April: Spring Gathering, etc.

• June: Year-end Celebration with parents and siblings!

Students must register and attend all three days. We generate a level of connection and emotional safety at Otter Pups that is unique from other education experiences and this requires regular attendance and commitment to the group.

Children must be 5 years old by September 1st to attend Otter Pups. This is important in terms of the physical exertion and weather resilience needed for the year-round outdoor programs.