Trailblazer

Full Day Programs   5-12 Years

We offer the Trailblazer program on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. The days are rich and varied, combining a balance of free play and structured learning. The educator team employs a responsive curriculum, allowing children to co-create and guide their learning. The diverse team of educators also sparks new threads of discovery by illuminating emerging ideas and creating provocations that instill curiosity and wonder.

The curriculum and activities are connected to learning from the land. Through playful experiences, children discover the interconnection of living things—how humans, plants, animals, and trees relate to and support one another. They begin to understand the world around them through direct and meaningful interactions.

By attending throughout most of the year, children observe seasonal changes firsthand. The life cycles of trees, plants, and insects are explored with fascination and a sense of novelty. When a child participates in the program over multiple years, they begin to understand these changes in a more intimate way, opening space for a unique and powerful relationship with the natural world. They become true stewards of the land, holding knowledge that is both precious and important

Central to our teaching methodology in the Trailblazer class is the relationship between child and educator. At TNNS, we nurture these relationships by maintaining a strong student-to-adult ratio, typically one educator for every seven students. Each child is respected and valued as an individual and is supported in developing their sense of belonging, responsibility, and role within the group.

We understand and value the importance of communication between school and family. Each month, we send out a comprehensive newsletter along with a video compilation of live-action clips. We also keep families up to date with classroom news through regular email communication.

Seasonal Registration 2026:

  • Monday
    $481.20
    • April 13 – June 8 (no class May 18)
    • 9:15 am-2:15 pm
    • Red Barn, 2631 Westminster Hwy, Richmond BC V7C 1A8
    • Event ID #00493344
    • FULL, waitlist only 
  • Wednesday
    $ 601.50
    • April 8 – June 10
    • 9:15 am-2:15 pm
    • Red Barn, 2631 Westminster Hwy, Richmond BC V7C 1A8
    • Event ID #00493330
    • FULL, waitlist only 
Join our waitlist—email us to add your child.

School year registration 2026/27:

  • Fridays
    • September – June
    • 9:15 am-2:15 pm
    • Red Barn, 2631 Westminster Hwy, Richmond BC V7C 1A8
    • Event ID #00500877
    • FULL, waitlist only 
  • Wdnesdays
    • September – June
    • 9:15 am-2:15 pm
    • Red Barn, 2631 Westminster Hwy, Richmond BC V7C 1A8
    • Event ID #00
    • FULL, waitlist only 
Join our waitlist—email us to add your child.

The following is a typical schedule for all Trailblazer classes, with the understanding that each day remains flexible and responsive to the children’s needs, energy levels, and the rhythms of the natural world (e.g., wind, rain, sun, snow):

A typical day as an Trailblazer:

  • 9:15 am
    Arrival & welcome
  • 9:15-9:30 am
    Settling in, reconnecting, game invitation
  • 9:30-9:45 am
    Opening group time; sharing the “Shape of the Day” schedule
  • 9:45-10:45 am
    Full group walk, free play, and nutrition break (brought from home)
  • 10:45-12:00 pm
    Small group inquiry
  • 12:00-1:00 pm
    Lunch (brought from home), games, tinkering, puzzles
  • 1:00-2:00 pm
    Two group options: typically a “big energy” walk and play, or an art/science/drama exploration
  • 2:00-2:15 pm
    Closing story and herbal tea

Notes from the Trail 

Leaf

Growing Together in the Miyawaki Forest

This past week, the Miyawaki Forest organizers gathered for a thoughtful workshop, taking a deeper look at how to care for and nurture this growing forest. At Terra Nova Rural Park, a beautiful Miyawaki Forest was established several years ago, and it continues to thrive as a vibrant learning space. Tending to this forest is at the heart of our Trailblazers’ land-based learning, offering not only opportunities to connect with the natural world, but also to build communication, collaboration, and a sense of shared responsibility. Time spent caring for a green space gently supports both our physical and mental well-being, inviting us to slow down and be present.

As we learned, tending to the forest can be a simple and meaningful practice:

Begin by greeting the forest—pausing to feel its energy and notice the subtle ways it has changed since your last visit. Bring along a pail to collect any garbage, and contribute to a compost pile that will, over time, return to the earth as rich soil. Help shape a clear and welcoming path by trimming long branches, pulling weeds, or gently pressing down the grass, making it easier for others to move through and understand the space. Along these paths, we discovered that the edges—where the trail meets the deeper forest—are full of life and biodiversity, rich with quiet activity and growth.

When it’s time to leave, take a moment to say goodbye. Notice the forest’s energy once more, and reflect on how your own energy may have shifted during your time there.

~Ilyssia

Leaf

“Children need the freedom to appreciate the infinite resources of their hands, their eyes and their ears, the resources of forms, materials, sounds and colours”.

Loris Malaguzzi, the founder of the Reggio Emilia approach,