Forest school expands understanding of the outdoors. The ultimate goal is to promote and facilitate the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development of children and adults through meaningful interactions in the natural environment.

Algonquin’s allure is tied to its vastness. It encompasses 7,630 square kilometers, most wilderness — making it substantially larger than Prince Edward Island.

A leisurely 15-kilometre paddle in the afternoon sunshine brings us to an island complete with all the quintessential elements that make up a back-country campsite. The requisite fire ring featured prominently on a narrow whaleback at the island’s southern terminus, complemented by two small tent sites neatly tucked in between flagged pines and black spruce. The afternoon gives way to a quiet summer evening, the kind that is only interrupted by the alluring call of loons echoing over the water.