TimberNook Elgin

09/13/2024

Let them climb! ❤️💚

06/11/2024

What a great day!

The first-ever International Day of Play is being observed and celebrated today - on June 11! Honouring and celebrating play recognizes it as an essential part of a child’s well-being and development. And all children should have the opportunity, time and space they need to play. How will you play today?

05/23/2024

Sadly, the time has come… we will be permanently closing June 26th. With the increasing costs of materials, staff and the overwhelming government costs, coupled with the increasing cost of living, we are no longer able to support our family like so many other small businesses in Ontario. We had a baby one year ago and I was also not able to access paid maternity leave due to being self-employed, nor could we access reliable daycare (still and he’s over 1). On top of this, there was a staffing crisis for most small businesses over the past year so it was very difficult to keep the business running when I was home with the baby. This has resulted in burnout, as well as the business being in a difficult place after years of hard work to get us where we had been. All of this to say that it’s time to close.

I want to thank our amazing community of supporters for five years of business success, but more importantly the absolute joy your families brought to our neck of the woods. I couldn’t have imagined such a joyous and meaningful career. I wish owning the business wasn’t so draining and expensive or I’d never give it up. I can only hope we’ve made a difference and provided fond memories for the children who joined us in the woods and perhaps imparted some knowledge to parents along the way. My goal has always been to make an impact on the bigger picture- that children get outside for large chunks of time everyday to positively impact their development. I will continue to work toward this goal through our sister business Outdoor Occupational Therapy Elgin. I will be taking the summer to decide how to move forward, so please follow me there to see what we decide to offer in the fall. We may provide some outdoor offerings through our nature based OT services. Continued in comments.

04/15/2024

🌷The spring weather is finally here, just in time for our next session of Tiny Ones!

Get outside with your little one and enjoy the company of other like minded families for our weekly forest school play group! We will explore a different story and play theme each week while the littles also explore our forest, play in the stream and look for toads. Not to mention, the swings, forts and dress up stations!

Tiny Ones is for children from walking age through 6 with a caregiver and runs Wednesday mornings from 10am to noon. Register for all 5 weeks of the session and receive a discount or register for one week using the “single session” link on our website. www.timbernook.com/provider/timbernook-elgin/

04/09/2024

Check out this amazing podcast episode with Dr. Becky and Jonathan Haidt. It aligns so well with our TimberNook philosophies (of course because Jonathan collaborates with some of our favourite experts such as Peter Gray and Lenore Skenazy). I was interested to learn more about their joint project “The Let Grow Project”. Parents and teachers definitely need to check this out to see how we can make a difference in our local communities to improve mental wellness and competency in children. We highly recommend giving this a listen and looking more into this fascinating project!

‎Show Good Inside with Dr. Becky, Ep The Anxious Generation with Jonathan Haidt - Mar 25, 2024

04/04/2024

🌧️Another fun MUD DAY in the books!🪱

It’s always beautiful to watch the children get messy and act so carefree when they know they have permission to get dirty! It can be hard as the parent sometimes to feel ok with messy clothes and shoes, but the benefits of messy play are immense including:
✋ sensory and nervous system benefits
✋ building resilience
✋ learning that you can play outdoors in all weather conditions rather than waiting for “perfect weather”
✋ connection to oneself and the Earth
✋ fostering curiosity, exploration, focus, and persistence
✋ builds fine and gross motor skills
✋ supports creative thinking and social skills
…and so much more! Let your kids get messy!

There are still spots to join us this spring at Tiny Ones www.timbernook.com/provider/timbernook-elgin/

04/03/2024

On this “World Autism Awareness Day”, we are standing with autistic individuals and calling for not simply awareness (I think we know autism exists at this point?!), but rather acceptance and appreciation of this neurotype which has so much to offer the world. Consider reading more this month about the experiences and perspectives of autistic adults, the ableist history of the puzzle piece symbol and the corruption associated with Autism Speaks.

Autism Acceptance > Autism Awareness

03/28/2024

So happy to be part of this amazing team!

🍁Did you know TimberNook has 3 amazing locations in Canada? 🌟

🌲 Alberta: TimberNook of Greater Calgary– Calgary
🌞 Ontario: TimberNook Elgin – Port Stanley
🌷 Saskatchewan: – Saskatoon

Join us for unforgettable outdoor play experiences in these beautiful Canadian landscapes! 🍁

BUT wait there are more! TimberNook is a WORLD WIDE organization!🌏
🍄There are over 40 locations in the US!
🐞3 are located in Australia!
🦋We even have 2 locations in the UK!

We are growing with a a HUGE team working with us to provide high quality local programs. It is so amazing to be apart of this strong team who are all working ot get children outside!

03/27/2024