THE GOOD PLACE
Championing Nature-Based Learning for Kids in Niagara
Wellchild Niagara gives kids a head start by equipping them with coping and resilience strategies.
By Lana Hall
(Above) Early childhood educator Rachelle Gibbs. (Below) The power of nature — and yoga — on display. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BRIANNA LILLIAN PHOTOGRAPHY; COURTESY OF WELLCHILD NIAGARA
Rachelle Gibbs has spent two decades working with children, including as a yoga instructor. While working in the crisis response field, the early childhood educator met a 10-year-old who reported feeling suicidal. “A lightbulb went off in my brain, and I thought, ‘We can equip kids with the skills before they reach that crisis point,’” says Gibbs.
That’s what led her to found Wellchild Niagara, a not-for-profit organization offering holistic, play-based mindfulness and nature programs for children and youth in the Niagara Region. Since formally launching only a year ago, the organization has expanded its offerings to include a yoga program and a nature exploration program. They also host March break and summer day camp programs that combine yoga, forest exploration, arts and crafts, and activities that teach emotional regulation and resilience.
“Our approach to child programs is looking at the whole child,” says Gibbs. “We’re looking at their physical health, their emotional health, and their social and their spiritual health in the way that they connect to nature.”
Kids in the year-round nature wellness program held on Saturdays, for example, get to explore Malcolmson Eco-Park in St. Catharines. During the one-hour session at the park, kids are encouraged to notice changes in the environment, details in the flora and fauna, and to spend some time sketching or writing about their experiences. “That connection to nature — we know can be very positive.”
In the future, Gibbs would like to launch a youth leadership program and develop a community hub where children, youth and families can access holistic resources and community programming under one roof.
In her line of work, Gibbs has seen an increase in kids experiencing severe anxiety at home and at school. It’s something she believes needs a “more skillful approach” in treating, one that’s proactive, play-based and accessible. Often, support services for youth are either focused on academic interventions or on providing mental health support once a child is already experiencing symptoms of distress, she says. The tools taught in Wellchild’s programs — such as mindfulness, teamwork and emotional regulation skills — are designed to give children and youth coping strategies and skills they can use in social, academic and extracurricular situations.
“We’re kind of equipping kids with the skills before they reach that point of needing it.” CAA
“Our approach to child programs is looking at the whole child, we’re looking at their physical health, their emotional health, and their social and their spiritual health in the way that they connect to nature.”
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(From left) Early childhood educator Rachelle Gibbs; The power of nature — and the partner tree yoga pose — on display. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BRIANNA LILLIAN PHOTOGRAPHY; COURTESY OF WELLCHILD NIAGARA
Rachelle Gibbs has spent two decades working with children, including as a yoga instructor. While working in the crisis response field, the early childhood educator met a 10-year-old who reported feeling suicidal. “A lightbulb went off in my brain, and I thought, ‘We can equip kids with the skills before they reach that crisis point,’” says Gibbs.
That’s what led her to found Wellchild Niagara, a not-for-profit organization offering holistic, play-based mindfulness and nature programs for children and youth in the Niagara Region. Since formally launching only a year ago, the organization has expanded its offerings to include a yoga program and a nature exploration program. They also host March break and summer day camp programs that combine yoga, forest exploration, arts and crafts, and activities that teach emotional regulation and resilience.
“Our approach to child programs is looking at the whole child,” says Gibbs. “We’re looking at their physical health, their emotional health, and their social and their spiritual health in the way that they connect to nature.”
Kids in the year-round nature wellness program held on Saturdays, for example, get to explore Malcolmson Eco-Park in St. Catharines. During the one-hour session at the park, kids are encouraged to notice changes in the environment, details in the flora and fauna, and to spend some time sketching or writing about their experiences. “That connection to nature — we know can be very positive.”
In the future, Gibbs would like to launch a youth leadership program and develop a community hub where children, youth and families can access holistic resources and community programming under one roof.
In her line of work, Gibbs has seen an increase in kids experiencing severe anxiety at home and at school. It’s something she believes needs a “more skillful approach” in treating, one that’s proactive, play-based and accessible. Often, support services for youth are either focused on academic interventions or on providing mental health support once a child is already experiencing symptoms of distress, she says. The tools taught in Wellchild’s programs — such as mindfulness, teamwork and emotional regulation skills — are designed to give children and youth coping strategies and skills they can use in social, academic and extracurricular situations.
“We’re kind of equipping kids with the skills before they reach that point of needing it.” CAA
(From top) Early childhood educator Rachelle Gibbs; The power of nature — and the partner tree yoga pose — on display. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BRIANNA LILLIAN PHOTOGRAPHY; COURTESY OF WELLCHILD NIAGARA
(From top) Early childhood educator Rachelle Gibbs; The power of nature — and the partner tree yoga pose — on display. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BRIANNA LILLIAN PHOTOGRAPHY; COURTESY OF WELLCHILD NIAGARA