Outdoor play for all
Weekend fun outside with your whole family
Join a group of fellow nature-lovers to relax, learn, and play outside in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield.
✓ Ages 0 to 99
✓ all abilitIES welcome
✓ FREE PLAY Focused
What if you spent a few hours in the forest every week with friends?
You’ll feel calmer, happier, and more connected. Your kids will be less hyper and sleep better. You’ll feel healthier and stronger, inside and out. That’s just what nature does.
And you’ll find people who share your love of nature, learn something new, and enjoy time with your family and new friends.
Forest Community: Family-friendly fun and learning at your local park
Join a group of a local families and friends to explore, learn, and play in the forest at a local Salaberry-de-Valleyfield park.
What is the Forest Community? A few hours on the weekend when we gather together to enjoy time outside with the whole family.
Each week we invite local experts or Indigenous speakers to share knowledge and lead activities. Activities like:
- Foraging
- Yoga
- Music
- Outdoor skills
- Crafts (ex. basket weaving)
- Storytelling
What is NOT the Forest Community?
- This is NOT an exercise program (we mostly relax!)
- This is NOT a structured course (though we learn a lot)
- This is NOT focused on one age group (all ages are welcome)
Picture this…
You arrive at the forest on a chilly but bright morning.
We sit in a circle while the kids play mud kitchen nearby. You chat with friends about your week.
When everyone has arrived, a guest speaker begins showing us how to make instruments out of sticks. One of your kids is interested, deeply focused on their creation.
Your other kid drifts in and out freely, and decides to climb a tree nearby with their friends. That’s okay — the forest school teacher watches the tree climbers while you help make the instruments. There’s no pressure. Everyone participates how they want.
Some of the adults start playing music with their new instruments and the kids join in, playing and dancing. We startle some crows out of the trees and sing caw caw caw along with them.
When everyone is hungry, we pull out blankets and have lunch on the forest floor. The kids romp around, snacking and playing with their instruments. They find earthworms to be their new “pets”.
After a couple hours, you get back in your car. You head home feeling refreshed, connected, and grounded. Your kids are happy. Your family feels whole. Your mind feels clear. And you’re ready for the week ahead.
Spring 2026 Session
March 1 – April 26
8-week session
No class on April 5 for the holiday
11am to 1pm on Sundays. Some classes may be at alternate times to accommodate guest speakers.
Most classes held at Parc régional des Îles-de-Saint-Timothée. Some classes may require travel to other locations.
Schedule
Full schedule of speakers will be announced in February.
Mar 1 – Shelter building with Cleo
Mar 8 – Kids yoga with Kim
Mar 15 – Crafts with Laura from Hudson Forest Play
Mar 22 – Drama workshop with Josee
Mar 29 – Dog day with Chloe, Animal Therapist
Apr 5 – No class (Holiday)
Saturday Apr 11 @ 1:30 – Singalong with Alana from Groovegarten (note different day!)
Apr 19 – Nature under the microscope with Cleo
Apr 26 – Indigenous traditions with Kawisente McGregor (At Kanawake)
We accomodate and welcome everyone
- All ages (from babies to great grandparents)
- All levels of outdoor skills (from novice to expert)
- All abilities and differences (physical disabilities, intellectual disabilities, neurodivergence, and more)
- All languages (we are fully bilingual French/English and welcome other language speakers)
- All backgrounds (we do not discriminate against anyone)
- All family types (from solo parent to the biggest families)
Not sure if you’ve found your “people”? Here’s a quick list to see if this is the program for you…
The Forest Community is for you if…
- You love nature and being outside
- You care about the environment and other beings
- You respect Indigenous peoples and seek reconciliation
- You wish you spent more time outside, but it’s hard to make the time
- You’d like to make more local friends
- You value intergenerational friendships and knowledge sharing
- You like to learn and to share what you know
- You crave more relaxation and peace
The Forest Community is NOT for you if…
- You have no interest in building community
- You don’t want to get cold, wet, or dirty
- You disrespect the environment
- You crave a lot of structure
- You don’t like to learn or try new things
- You’re looking for high-intensity outdoor adventures
- You just don’t like being outside… that’s fine, not everyone does!
Ready to join us?
1. Fill out the registration form by selecting a buttoN
2. Send your payment via Interac e-transfer to valleyfieldjouedehors @ gmail.com (pricing options below)
Pricing Options
Drop-In
$25
per family per day
Not available every weekend? Pay for only the days you’d like to attend.
Full Session
$150
per family for 8-week session
Get a discount when you register your family for the whole 8-week session, and come play with us every week!
FAQs
What is your cancellation policy?
The session is cancelled in case of extreme weather that endangers participants, or if the leader is sick and unable to find a replacement. We do NOT cancel for the rain — bring your rainboots and get ready to get wet! If sessions are cancelled, there will be make up sessions in May.
What kind of activities or lessons does the organiser prepare?
Every week we host a different guest who will lead activities like crafts, yoga, music, foraging, and more. You and your children are welcome to participate in these activities as much or as little as you’d like. The kids are always allowed to freely play if they prefer, and the forest school organizer is there to supervise the playing kids while our guest leads the activity for those who are interested. Explore new interests with no pressure!
Why do you bring together all ages?
Our society separates people by ages almost everywhere. That’s a sad loss for us, because we can learn so much from people who are older and younger than us. We want to rebuild those intergenerational connections: older children teaching younger children, grandparents sharing stories, adults learning and caring for each other. If you’ve ever wished you could spend a day in a hunter-gatherer band, just spending time outside with people of all ages and watching the children together, that’s what we’re doing here!
Are drop-ins allowed?
Yes, drop-ins are welcome!
What is the registration fee used for?
The Valleyfield Joue Dehors organiser doesn’t keep the registration fees. The fees are used to cover insurance, which is expensive for outdoor programs. The fees are also used to pay experts, especially Indigenous speakers, who visit the program.
What accomodations are available for disabilities?
We will do everything possible to accommodate your needs. This includes mobility needs, sensory needs, language needs, and more. Let us know what works best for you and we’ll do it. Nobody gets left behind at Community Playtime.
What are the rules and details?
I’ll send details to everyone after they register. If you would like to see the full participant handbook before registering, email us at [email protected] and we’ll share it with you.
What if I can’t afford the registration fee?
Email us at [email protected] and we’ll give you a discount. We do not want money to be a block that prevents anyone from participating.
Led by a tree-hugger just like you
Hi! I’m Cleoniki and I’ll be leading your outdoor adventures.
I’ve been a nature-lover since I was little, lecturing other kids on the playground about how they shouldn’t step on ants.
Now, I’m a Forest School Practitioner leading forest school and community events in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield.
I started this adventure to give my daughter more opportunities to play outside, and to offer the same to my community. I deeply believe that everyone — of all ages and abilities — deserves more opportunities to play outside with friends.
Want to come play?
I would be thrilled to meet you.
Come join us!
