Creative Toolbox

Just announced our slimmed down, still awesome, more affordable BC Explorer Paddling Course has now released. Perfect for those needing an introductory experience and pushing to obtain their DoE award. Fireside AdventuresVancouver Outdoor School. Send us your feedback.

BC Explorer Summer Paddle Camp for Youth (4 Days) BC Explorer Paddle Edition is a summer expedition camp for youth aged 11-16. We camp, canoe, and more on the Sunshine Coast and Howe Sound near Vancouver.

COME TO OUR TOWNHALL VIRTUAL MEETING FOR PARENTS SEEKING UNIQUE, CREATIVE AND LAND BASED LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR THEIR CHILDREN THIS SCHOOL YEAR.

Friday, August 23rd at 7:30 PM - TONIGHT
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpdeGprDkqH9YsciNXvMaOSMCcbfOjariT #/registration

Hello!
As the fall semester approaches, we're thrilled to invite you to learn more about our Fieldschool program. We know how important it is for families to find the right educational environment, and we'd love to share what makes Fieldschool special.
At Fieldschool, we strive to deliver excellence by focusing on:
Outdoor Experiential Education (OEE): Hands-on learning in nature.
Performing Arts: Encouraging creativity and self-expression.
Life & Social Skill-Building: Developing essential skills for everyday life.
Community Projects: Engaging in meaningful work that benefits others.
Environmental/Climate Change Stewardship: Fostering a sense of responsibility towards our planet.
We understand that you may have questions or want to know more about how Fieldschool can support your child's growth. That's why we're hosting a Zoom information sessions:
Friday, August 23rd at 7:30 PM
To secure your spot, simply click on the links above to register for the session that best fits your schedule. Join Jeff Willis, the founder of Vancouver Outdoor School, and Jojo Payne, the founder of the Star Project, to learn more about the exciting offerings this fall. Learn more about them below!
We're excited to connect with you and discuss how Fieldschool can be a part of your family's educational journey. If you have any questions in the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Fieldschool Townhall. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting. Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Fieldschool Townhall. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

As much as adults complain about kids being on their devices and not paying attention, I believe adults are way worse than teens.

Recently I was teaching a course where I asked educators to stop blaming kids over use of technology. 'Kids didn't invent it, kids didn't set a low bar of expectations and kids didn't invent schooling and sense of community" "That all rests on adults shoulder in this world".

I cannot believe how many adults i have encountered personally and professionally who have sh*tty time management, constantly distracted, don't read emails (can't even reply), struggle with accountability, are indecisive, want the world handed it to them all the time and paid huge bucks, their life is overly connected to their phones and tell me - "I am just too busy these days". I am tired of adults labelling kids. I think adults can be horrible role models, hypocritical and cause more problems then solutions.

So please adult friends - put your phone down, stop deflecting, manage your time better and honestly - read your bloody emails that people have taken the time to send you.

Kids are watching - YOU.

If you and your staff team are looking for professional development training, team building, opportunities for post covid staff engagement and/or to do something totally out of the box, please connect with me directly as I am back at it. [email protected]. Heck I even take staff teams paddle boarding, canoeing, hiking, in the park and outside your office - it's all about you, your team and the importance of collaboration and fresh ideas. www.creativetoolbox.ca

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays, everyone. We would like to take this time to thank everyone for supporting and making this year a very special one for all of us. The team at Fireside Adventures wish you a merry, safe Christmas and a Happy New Year! 🎁

Check it out.
https://vancouveroutdoorschool.com/field-school-program/

It is official! Vancouver Outdoor School has just launched an elementary field school program for parents not ready to send their kids back to school. #

Hi Friends, We are not being silent and polarized by the fallout of COVID-19 but rather doing our best to bring people together, share ideas and keeping things in perspective. We created Insights and Ideas as a free platform and opportunity for colleagues to share their knowledge and create supportive communities. Each we are rolling out two to three sessions - stay tuned. This coming Monday (see below) we have invited two incredible speakers to help us who run non-profits and/or small businesses. It is not a webinar (death by powerpoint and webinar - killing our brains and soul) and nor is it having someone talking at you. It is interactive, focused and participatory. What To DoRead Below and share with friendsSend me an email to be invited and share with me one to two questions you would like the speakers to address. They are reading your questions and preparing their presentation around what you are askingReceive an invitation to register - then registerOur Zoom Session opens up 5 minutes before we start - turn on your camera (we like to see you place)A way we go as I will be moving quickly through as a moderator. Both Crystal and Jenny will be making themselves available afterwards. SEE BELOWAttention and SHARE - free and interactive.

Creative Toolbox's Insights and Ideas Zoom Session
Topic: COVID Remedies For Small Business and Non-Profits
Monday April 20, 2020 9am - 10:30am
Speakers: Crystal Ready (Ready Books) and Jenny Hansen (Capri Business and Personal Insurance).
Moderator: Jeff Willis.Contact [email protected] to register for this unique sessions.Creative Toolbox's Insights and Ideas Zoom Sessions continue to bring people together for honest, real and raw conversations about navigating through our COVID's challenging times. It can feel like minefield of obstacles and a tsunami of information to process. Well - it doesn't have to be. It is time to reset and understand the best paths before you.Do you close down, temporary shutter your doors, stay open, lay off staff and/or take government subsidies as you navigate this storm? Is it time to rethink your business plan? What does my bookkeeper need to know and be doing right now? Will my insurance go up? What is happening with business interruption coverage? If I am not running my business, should I cancel my insurance policy?This week Creative Toolbox has invited Crystal Ready (Ready Books Consulting LTD) an amazing business coach and entrepreneur to answer your questions regarding your options, opportunities and considerations for your business and/or non-profit.Jenny Hansen an expert in customer service and insurance brokerage (Capricmw Insurance) will provide blunt questions and insights while also answering your questions.I have had the privilege to work closely with Crystal and Jenny who have been instrumental in helping me make informed decisions and mapping out my options to move forward as a company. They are the best in their industry and we grateful they are sharing their insights and ideas with us.Contact: [email protected] to be invited.

SIGN UP
Creative Toolbox and Fireside Adventures is pleased to invite you to our free Zoom Town Hall Meeting called Getting Real With Recovery: Reframe. Reset. Reimagine - Moving Forward From The Covid Crash.

Monday April 06, 2020 10:00am

Jeff Willis is moderating a 2-hour session with 3 special guests who have personal and professional insight and experiences with loss, grief and most importantly the steps to recovery.

We are inviting outdoor educators, early educators, support workers, small business owners and anyone needing a few tools, insights, information and support in moving forward. Who cares about your title or position – it is for those ready and interested in laying out your options.

Yes the shock and grief of the traumatic impacts of COVID are real. Learning about acceptance, mental wellness practices and tools in supporting the choices we can make are critical as people decide their recovery plans (business, economic, family, connections to nature and more). COVID-19 is a global traumatic event causing tremendous strain on our mental wellness, sense of safety and our lens on life. However - it is not the end of the world and we can begin rethink how we can move forward.

Jeff has invited three close friends who have tremendous professional and personal experiences in regards to the steps of moving forward and setting our recovery plans (individual, family, business). They are sharing their knowledge and stories to give insight, ideas and hope to move forward.

You are invited to partake in a ZOOM town hall meeting that is informative, refreshing, positive and real (un-sanitized life stories) to help you lay out what is next.

We are accepting 65 attendees for the town hall. Our panel contributors will share their stories and insights and then we open the chat line to answer your questions directly.

About The Speakers

Jamie Waterlow - Community Advocate and Contributor
As an amputee and living with a disability Jamie understands that everyone and their families faces challenges in their lives. He believes in the principle of community development and the benefits of working collectively to achieve common goals and works to bring people together through laughter and shared experiences. Jamie will share a personal story of his recovery steps after being informed by doctors they were going to remove his leg.

Ryan Salter - Clinical Counsellor and Contributor
Ryan is a Clinical Counsellor, and has been working in the mental health field for 12 years. He currently helps adults experiencing anxiety, but previously worked primarily with at risk youth and young adults in the community mental health system. Drawing from a Buddhist background, he explores the questions of how we can stay present, focused, and flexible in the wave of these uncertain times. Ryan will provide a clinical outline of the stages of grief and steps in creating recovery plan.

Jordan Birch "Birchy" - Counsellor, Story Contributor and Business Owner
A social impact entrepreneur, management consultant, adventurer, guide, philanthropist and enlightened former addict whose talk and enthusiasm energizes others. He holds a Masters in Applied Ecopsychology and is recognized as a thought leader in the field. As the former Executive Director of Now That’s Ugly Society, Jordan co-founded the Original Ugly Christmas Sweater™ Party and Dash, the infamous giving phenomenon that helps grant the wishes of children living with a critical illness. He is the co-founder and President of PHOX Foods, a lifestyle brand makes HEAL the Complete Plant-based Meal that meets Health Canada's highest standard for complete meal replacement formulas.

About Your Moderator
Jeff Willis – owner of Fireside Adventures, Vancouver Outdoor School and Creative Toolbox.
As a skilled energetic facilitator and speaker, Jeff has spent nearly years working with a variety of organizations using supportive, innovative and experiential techniques to improve team collaboration and simplifying what seems complex to simple steps forward. . His passion is derived from his breadth of understanding of experiential education, his various senior roles within the outdoor recreation industry, successful entrepreneurial endeavours and a committed community advocate.

“Obstacles can be opportunities – just depends on how you view them”

Hi there,

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Apr 6, 2020 10:00 AM Vancouver

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us04web.zoom.us/…/u5Moc-6rrzwu8c2IHlUG_L_qm1lzGNZo8w

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

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It’s That Time of Year: Let’s Talk About Training.

In a few months, the warmer weather will have arrived and the days will have gotten longer. Thank goodness!!

I am reaching out to book your annual staff training and passing along a number of new trainings and opportunities for this year. Keep in mind – we are always able to customize this and that to make something awesome for you and your team. We are already booking up quickly so please feel free to reach out to me personally at [email protected].

Winter Opportunities:
We are now renting snowshoes to our clients at $15+ GST per pair, up to 12 pairs for you to take your staff team, friends and clients. All the shoes are for adults. Please contact [email protected] to rent your snowshoes.

Snowshoe Winter Gourmet 3 hour Experience – we are running a three-hour snowshoe and gourmet cooking/eating experience with one of our facilitators.
Please contact [email protected] to learn more.

Spring Opportunities:
Mr. Canoe Head & The Team of Misfits– Full Day
Canoe Lessons – Team Building Activities – Outdoor Skills
A full-day workshop where Jeff and his team customize an experience (we have some suggestions) where your team gets out on the water to paddle, hike and partake in a number of team building activities. Minimum 10 - Maximum 24

The Best of The Box (core training workshops)
We do our best to knock it out of the park and change things up often, but our core training workshops are still going strong and are very popular. To learn more, please go to www.creativetoolbox.ca. We provide half and full day training sessions and as usual, we like to add in new material every year.

1. Tools for Tough Times: The Secrets of Working With Those With Challenging Behaviours
2. Tools for Tough Times Revival: Unplugging The Little Monsters and Reconnecting With the Virtues of Childhood Learning.
3. Messiness of Play: Why Pigpen Ruled The Peanut Gang
4. Going Beyond the Typical Recreational and Camp Activities and Sports: Infusing Nature-Based Activities and Games
5. Programming on a Shoestring Budget
6. Parks and Recreation Toolkit for Program Staff
7. Canadian Bacon of Play

New Creative Toolbox Workshops:
Wild Gourmet – Half Day
Team Building Through Outside Gourmet Cooking
Hands-on outdoor cooking lessons, creating delicious and healthy “bush snacks” with an experienced wilderness cook. ‘Wild Gourmet’ includes discussions surrounding food literacy, holistic student wellness practices, and natural food systems. Learn interactive activities to integrate into the classroom while teaching the importance of healthy and local foods. Imagine it!

Forest Medicine and Fire Starting for Summer Staff – Half or Full Day
Bringing the Forest to Your Summer Plans
The basics of place-based learning and outdoor experiential education focusing on environmental responsibility, student stewardship, outdoor skills and forest exploration. Enjoy a half or full day interactive workshop with nature and eco-based activities, projects, and a sharing circle; all of which you can take back to the classroom. Learn the craft of lighting a fire: what to use for tinder and fire building essentials including flint and steel. Go on a plant-based medicine walk; get to know some local forest edibles and how to use your nearby forest as an “outdoor classroom”.

Knowledge-based training covering the basics of community outdoor experiential education and the importance of respect for the planet, oneself and others.

Through The Lens – Half Day
Film Making and Photography for Kids
Have you ever taken an awesome photo? Probably yes, but the reality is most of the photos you have taken probably aren’t amazing. Some should probably be deleted. Come and learn how to not only take some spectacular photos and use them to enhance your camp/centre, but also how to use photography and/or videos as a core learning tool with learners. We’ll teach the principles of photography, how to lead activities on a shoestring budget, and will cover the importance of getting permission and confidentiality agreements to take and post photos online.

Parkour For Adults Half Day
Hard-core parkour! Whether you’ve witnessed it in blockbuster chase scenes, streets, or in that one (in)famous episode of The Office, the exciting discipline of parkour has been growing in popularity over the last two decades. Defined simply as, ‘the art of getting from A to B as quickly and efficiently as possible’, parkour involves surpassing physical obstacles through running, jumping, and vaulting movements.

While jumping from rooftop to rooftop and diving over fences sounds like fun if you’re a bendy sixteen-year-old with fresh knees, what can parkour offer a busy adult who’s fine taking the escalator? At its core, parkour is a discipline of balance, strength, and adaptation to challenges. Aside from promoting physical and mental strength, it offers a number of useful skills including the ability to fall without injury and to climb over short obstacles in a safe manner. What’s more, research shows that regular engagement improves hand and eye coordination. Parkour does wonders in getting middle age folks feeling young again.

New! Climate Change Education For Early Education and Summer Camps - half day
Leadership = Action in Motion. Education = Wisdom and Direction
As you know, climate change will fundamentally reshape everything in our present lives and for future generations in all aspects of our business including: early education, parks and recreation and summer camps. Instead of focusing on the doom and gloom of the crisis, we provide a practical approach in teaching and talking about climate change through an “education and recreation lens” used in conjugation with hands-on modules. We also incorporate principles of leadership and stewardship with easy steps to reduce your carbon footprint.

Learn facts of climate change and how to engage our young learners to become proactive, focused and hopeful. Experience action-oriented and adaptable training for an ever-changing world and learn how to bring it into your centre/camp. Get inspired by others teaching their students about climate change through: project-based learning, field trips, expressive arts, summer school courses, community engagement and peaceful advocacy. We base our Climate Change Education on science, and we integrate both an Indigenous and Western perspective.

THE GRAND SLAM “OH MY GOD TWO DAYS” OF CREATIVE TOOLBOX
MEGA SUMMER STAFF TRAINING.

Two full days of 2 hour back-to-back modules. Everything we teach is not found in your training manual. These modules encourage your staff to be interactive and foster innovation within your team. Everything can be implemented into spring and summer plans. In this training, staff will learn the importance of and how to run the following workshops:
• Forest Medicine and Fire Starting – Connecting the importance of risk management and leave no trace principles with a flint and steel fire challenge, fire building essentials, plant-based medicine walks and edible forest walks.
• Wild Gourmet: Cooking and Creating Delicious Bush Snacks – a hands-on outdoor cooking lesson making delicious, healthy and yummy “bush snacks” with an experienced wilderness gourmet cook. Participants will make fruit & chocolate kabobs, bannock and oatmeal crisp.
• First Peoples Perspectives – staff will learn the importance of and how to lead: acknowledgments and welcoming when visiting a community, the significance of oral storytelling, reconciliation blanket exercise (understanding the impact of colonialism and the importance of reconciliation) and the importance of the students participating in numerous Indigenous games.

• Wilderness STEM: Design Thinking – the “art & design” of shelter building using basic principles of engineering, hand tools and mathematics. Students placed on teams compete in engineering and building the best forest fort. Science. Technology. Engineering. Math – STEM in the forest
• Green Gorilla: All Natural Toothpaste and Lip Balm Making – students will learn the simple steps of reducing their ecological footprint while working on various projects such as seed balls, making all-natural toothpaste, lip balms and more!
• Climate Change Education and Expressive Arts – staff will learn about the impacts and causes of climate change, and will learn how to support students in expressing their hopes, concerns and ideas through various forms, creative outlets and art installations.
• Things That Fly: Goofy Science – an action-packed workshop with students making various types of paper airplanes, Mentos in a soda bottle, kite-making and more. Designing things that fly and estimating how high and/or far they will go.
• Where the Wild Things Play – 100% environmental camp-style games and nature-based activities that are educational, active and fun for students, while engaging with each other and the environment around them. Letting students get wild as they play.
• Wilderness Pursuits: Essential Outdoor Skills – teaching about the importance and basics of knot skills, knife skills, shelter building, orienteering, setting up tents, and outdoor risk management.

Professional Development Workshops | Creative Toolbox Creative Toolbox provides customized professional development workshops, experiential programming and consultation services to corporates & educators.

Hi parents - check this out as it is an important tool.

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