"OAK" standing for Outdoor Active Kids - an after school program, that allows ki
OAK is a program I developed for my son and his friends as an after school "un-program". OAK allowed them to be outside, to be active and free to play for 2 hours a day. The idea was inspired by 3 things: 1) my childhood where after school programming meant playing with friends in the school yard or our backyards until called in for dinner, and 2) my learning about Forrest Schools - a movement devoted to siting everyday education outdoors, 3) my fundamental belief that in order for people to appreciate and want to protect the environment, they need to experience the simple beauty, freedom and benefit of being outdoors. OAK is a very simple concept: kids play outdoors for 2 hours after school, either at school or a local green space, supervised by a local person hired by the families involved. OAK is a cost-effective, creative yet simply idea for getting kids outdoors, active and appreciative of the simple pleasure of being outside and free to engage in creative play with their friends. The OAK program initiated at my son's school involved the participation of 7-10 children, depending on the day, who stayed on the school grounds or went to the local park after school for 2 hours per day (regardless of weather). On behalf of the participating families, I posted an ad in local community hot-spots seeking an after school activity co-ordinator encouraging high school, ECE and college/university students to apply. Each family paid $5.00 per hour so the student earned between $70-$100 per day - a great wage for the student, and a reasonable fee for after school child care. The principal of the school agreed to keep the washrooms open for the participating children, and pick up occurred at the school between 5 and 5:30 pm. On most days, the kids initiated their own activities or games, and on some days the activity co-ordinator introduced and/or facilitated games: capture the flag, manhunt, soccer, obstacle courses etc. On rainy days, a shelter was set up using a tarp, and on snow days the kids went tobogganing at the local park. Throughout the winter when the public rinks were open, the kids went skating several days per week. Families often packed snacks or reimbursed the co-ordinator when snacks were provided. OAK can be modified in several ways, which is part of its appeal. I believe the idea only needs to be sparked for it to spread to schools across the continent. The families at my son's school modified the core program to include PA day hikes (see attached photo of my son on one of the hikes). The cost for the day included the co-orinator fee and the bus (or a contribution toward gas). The average cost was ~$25 when car-pooling and ~ $40 when bussing - a reasonable fee compared to PA day camps. My vision for OAK is to develop a website and "how to" guide, as well as to tour schools in various jurisdictions to spark the idea and let communities run with it as they may. The website could also keep track of where and how the program was being implemented so as to continue to inspire other communities to grow the concept.