What is Fieldschool?
Experiential, immersive, adaptive, child-centred, out of the box, rebellious, adventurous, and guided by our collective wonder (and a little bit of punk rock).
Looking for the nitty gritty details?
Click here to check out the specifics of Fieldschool’s 2024-2025 year, including pick-up/drop-off times and locations, the semester calendar and important dates, a week at a glance, and more!
Fieldschool is a rebel and with over 800 days of off-the-wall programming, we’ve learned countless tricks of the trade and discovered:
- Nobody knows Vancouver like we do. Whether it’s the choice parkour spots, the best coffee shops for a day of DnD, or VR companies that let us test their tech, we know hundreds of secret spots where adventure awaits!
- Our model of learning is dynamite for learners who don’t fit in a box, are considered neurodiverse, and/or just need extra fun, novelty, and connection.
- Learners thrive in small-group (1:6 ratio) settings with a focus on relationships and real-world experiences. We help kids grow their “street smarts”, sense of humour and sense of wonder about the world.
- Fieldschool is not a replacement for brick and mortar school but rather something different that can work alongside it.
Where it’s all going next…
Our standard has always been to be the “punk rock” of education. For four years, Fieldschool has been in the process of discovering our “jam”. We always knew we weren’t a brick-and-mortar school, but we also didn’t want to get pigeonholed as just another outdoor kids program. For our fifth year, we are shaking up our status quo and doubling down on making Fieldschool even more awesome!
What we are not…
- Coaching
- Childcare/babysitting
- A replacement for brick and mortar school
Fieldschool Highlights
- Crescent Beach Base Camp: Located just a few steps from Crescent Beach, Alex House is the perfect location for our Wilderness Theatre, Parkour Academy, and Outdoor Education programs that run Tuesday and Wednesday. For Vancouver-based learners, we run our Magic School Bus shuttle to and from Alex House.
- Into the Wild Days: Wednesdays and Thursdays are full-on days of nature- and urban-based field trips across Vancouver, including hiking, paddleboarding, swimming, parkour, biking, and so much more! These days are Vancouver-based, with pick-up and drop-off at Douglas Park(with an option for pick-up/drop-off at for our Richmond, Surrey, and Delta learners).
Click here to learn more about our new performing arts program, specialized tutoring services, home base, Into the Wild Days, and more!
What sets Fieldschool apart?
The start of an incredible journey
Our Fieldschool learners have a special opportunity: to spend their entire childhood immersed in nature, urban parks and community spaces that support childhood development and meet our high benchmark for wonder, play, and character building.
We are outdoor experiential educators with an emphasis on land- and project-based education in nature and local communities. We include physical literacy, life-skills, leadership, expressive arts, and climate science education that is hands-on and relevant.
All learners are truly welcome
Parents = active stakeholders in the experience
Co-shape your child’s educational journey. We share all of our detailed learning plans transparently so that you are 100% in the loop and can provide insights and feedback in real time. Fieldschool is a shared investment between instructors and parents to co-create a unique and life-changing educational experience where your kids are truly seen, heard, and believed.
Connected to additional support services (BTT)
Between The Trees (BTT) is an extension of Fieldschool where we offer 1:1 or small-group mentorship services that are custom-designed to meet your learner’s needs, including integration into Fieldschool’s small-group environment. BTT is offered by the same highly qualified instructors who run Fieldschool and is available 12 months per year, 7 days per week. Click here to learn about Between the Trees.
An official Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Centre
VOS is a certified to support learners through the process of receiving the DofE Award. This prestigious award is internationally renowned, focusing on building life and outdoor skills through adventure, and looks excellent on resumes and post-secondary applications. What’s even more valuable? Getting it is a lot of fun! Click here to learn more.
The Big Questions
Who is signing up for Fieldschool and why?
There is no ‘typical’ Fieldschool family, each is as unique as the next. However, there are a few common themes when it comes to who fits well with Fieldschool. Fieldschool families:
- Value the natural world and getting outside
- Want an educational environment for their learner that is well-rounded, combining life skills, outdoor experiences, expressive arts, and climate change education
- Know that feeling comfortable is most important as the foundation for getting learners outside their comfort zones
- Are open to flexibility and experimentation in an educational setting driven by curiosity and exploration
Why do families with these values fit with Fieldschool? Because we couldn’t agree more!
Who are the people making Fieldschool special?
Just like our learners and families, no two of our Fieldschool staff are alike. VOS is a community, and our staff are early childhood educators, youth workers, former teachers, past parents and campers, and so much more. What unites all our staff is a drive to create meaningful, challenging, and exciting educational experiences that are driven by putting kids first.
All our staff have their own experiences and stories that make their role in the company unique. Whether it’s the CEO or the office staff, everyone that works at Fieldschool has experienced working with our learners in the field, and look forward to being in the field any chance they get.
To learn more about our one-of-a-kind Fieldschool staff, visit our team page to learn more about each person’s story.
What are the next steps?
Ready to jump in? Here are a few simple steps that will take you from new-to-Fieldschool to ready-to-join-the-excitement:
Step 1: Contact us with your details and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible to arrange an interview and book your free try-out session.
Step 2: Enjoy a free try-out session so we can show you what we do.
Step 3: Register for Fieldschool and begin your adventure with us!
How did we get here? Our story…
A 20-year history of putting kids first through wonder-driven, out-of-the-box outdoor experiential education.
Where it all began…
It all started 4 years ago during the pandemic. Many families from our sister company, Fireside Adventures, called us to ask “please take my kid outside, exploring, learning and socializing… they are driving me nuts!!”. So we said, “why not? We’d been creating dynamic outdoor experiences for 20 years…” why not do some field trips! And so Fieldschool was born. Good times… awesome stories and lots of laughs (and some tears)… but we really didn’t think Fieldschool would last more than four months. Pandemic over, back to regular life, right?
Four years and counting…
Well, four years later, we’re going stronger than ever. Over time, Fieldschool has grown in some important ways:
- Consistent pickup and drop-off location but exploring a new place each day via foot, bike, bus, Skytrain, van, even scooter!
- We can now offer 2–4 days a week (Tues-Fri) for home learners while also offering drop-in availability for brick-and-mortar kids (surprisingly popular)
- We integrate custom and 1:1 support through our Between the Trees Mentorship program for learners who are needing additional support
- Support and connection for older learners through our Vancouver Youth Leadership Centre
- More and more dynamic, off-the-wall, experiential, all over Metro Vancouver and always out of left field!
