The KAN provides a holistic nature-connected environment for ourselves and our children. We started in 2008 with a Forest Preschool, which has evolved to a full academic, art-intensive, nature-connected school for children up to grade 8. Inspired by Waldorf & ENKI pedagogies, we strive to nurture through heart connection the inherent vitality and wisdom of our shared human journey.
2026-2027 Art & Nature School Offerings
Preschool-Kindergarten (Ages 3 – 5)
Tuesday to Thursday, 9am to 12noon.
For the youngest children in our school environment, this is a first step in expanding the sense of home and safety into a bigger world that has dependable seasonal, weekly and daily rhythms: Our nature connection sets the focus for activities, projects and crafts connected to the seasons. Our weekly rhythms will guide us through cooking, art, creative play and care for our environment. While each day will bring us a school-wide gathering circle, adventure walk, story, snack, project, creative play and chores as the young child makes the first steps toward participating in a group outside of their family home.
As such, a typical day has us out on an adventure to explore the woods, gardens, wetlands and fields through all the season and then returning to the cozy cabin for snack and tea, a story, perhaps a simple project that flows into creative play and eventually chores and singing our way out for a closing circle.
The return home for lunch and rest time, after a full morning of adventure & integrated play will nourish your child and family rhythms through the week.
2026-27 Schedule Details, Enrolment Process & Registration Forms
This morning program runs Tuesdays to Thursdays from 9:00 am – 12noon from September to early June. Enrolment for new families opens on June 2nd. If you are a new family please fill out our New Family Application Form and follow the steps in our Application and Enrolment Section.
The cost is $2550 for the 2026-2027 school year (plus a one-time $100 materials fee due upon registration). A monthly payment plan is outlined on the registration form.
Grade 1 Class (ages 5.5-6)*
Tuesday to Thursday, 9am to 3pm.
The Grade One child is nourished by the dependable environment and rhythm of the whole group with play still at the forefront of exploring relationships and themselves. At the same time, they are now seeking to take hold of learning that will bring them a sense of new independence and competence. As the first grader is making first steps into a bigger, more structured and demanding world, the theme for this grade is the interconnectedness of the world and the wisdom of the many who have gone before.
All academic lessons are offered through movement, story and artistic digestion to bring the active connections to language arts and math and nature sciences.
In keeping with this, the core of the language arts and social studies curricula is fairy tales from around the world. These stories present the child with an imaginative and archetypal map of the process of growing up. Using these stories children practice letter and sound recognition, writing and early reading skills.
The math curriculum begins with an exploration of the qualities of numbers as they exist in nature. It then moves into exploring number relationships through the four processes (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) and simple calculations with these.
Creative play & active walks continue to be an important nourishment for this group. Every day will include nature walks and open ended play in nature. This is central to the vitality of the early childhood experience and all the more so as they delve into greater focused academic work, they will need the balance of expanded play and movement in their daily rhythm.
2026-27 Schedule & Tuition Details, Enrolment Process & Registration Forms
This 3-day academic program runs Tuesdays to Thursdays from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm from September to early June with an optional bi-weekly Friday Elementary Wild Child add-on (ages 6-10*). Enrolment for new families opens on June 2nd. If you are a new family please fill out our New Family Application Form and follow the steps in our Application and Enrolment Section.
The cost is $3550 for the 2026-2027 school year (plus a one-time $100 materials fee due upon registration). A monthly payment plan is outlined on the registration form. For the optional Wild Child costs, please see the registration form.
Junior Elementary Class (ages 6.5-8)*
Tuesday to Thursday, 9am to 3pm.
Around age seven, children undergo a developmental shift, transitioning from early childhood to increased independence and awareness of the wonders of social life and ready to play a trick, or turn any situation into a game. Therefore, the theme of our stories now shift from the symbolic archetypal world of folk and fairy tales of first grade, to delve into the play of relationships. Trickster tales let the children explore their clever and mischievous nature in a safe context. These are paired with stories of sages from many cultures and traditions to help the child experience how lively nature can mature into compassionate action. These stories, mirror how the children’s own inquisitive, mischievous and stubborn nature can become a source of courage and strength to meet the world with compassion.
The stories centre around many types of people (perhaps a healer, a religious leader, a freedom fighter, an artist, a poet, a writer, a scientist, and so on.) so that the child will experience wisdom and compassion without borders.
We will also strengthen the mathematical foundations built this year with a review of the four processes; and diving deep into the experience of Tricky Mischief (our central math character from the land of Jewel) who helps bring chaos to order through the discovery of Place Value.
Science will continue to be centred around nature immersion through the seasons, with a new focus on larger natural phenomenon like tornados, wildfires and aurora borealis, mirroring the energetic of this age. Writing & Art will continue to be central to the learning process of taking hold.
2026-27 Schedule & Tuition Details, Enrolment Process & Registration Forms
This 3-day academic program runs Tuesdays to Thursdays from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm from September to early June with an optional bi-weekly Wild Child Monday add-on. Enrolment is open, but space is limited. If you are a new family please fill out our New Family Application Form and follow the steps in our Application and Enrolment Section.
The cost is $3550 for the 2026-2027 school year (plus a one-time $100 materials fee due upon registration). A monthly payment plan is outlined on the registration form. For the optional Wild Child costs, please see the registration form.
*note – age ranges are given as guidance, but each family should meet with the director and class teachers to discuss the best fit for their child(ren)
Senior Elementary Class (ages 8-10)*
Tuesday to Thursday, 9am to 3pm.
For the third, fourth and fifth grader, the art-intensive global cultures learning has deepened into epic cultural immersion stories which explore the practicalities of living on Earth from the cultural clothing of a particular region and society. The class will explore again all the practicalities of living and surviving from housing, food, clothing – along with social dances and crafts.
The science & math will also be connected to the cultural unit. Writing & Art will continue to be central to the learning process of taking hold. The shorter winter term will take one of the Sage-Trickster units not yet covered by the class, and bring together both elementary classes in a unified group but each working to their own levels. This larger class format will enable greater sustainability of both groups long term.
2026-27 Schedule & Tuition Details, Enrolment Process & Registration Forms
This 3-day academic program that runs Tuesdays to Thursdays from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm from September to early June with an optional bi-weekly Wild Child add-on. Enrollment for new families opens on June 2nd. If you are a new family please fill out our New Family Application Form and follow the steps in our Application and Enrolment Section.
The cost is $3550 for the 2026-2027 school year (plus a one-time $100 materials fee due upon registration). A monthly payment plan is outlined on the registration form. For the optional Wild Child cost, please see the registration form.
*note – age ranges are given as guidance, but each family should meet with the director and class teachers to discuss the best fit for their child(ren)
Middle School Class: (ages 11-14)*
Monday to Thursday, 9am to 3pm.
This is a 4 day academic program. Central to this class is the exploration of humanities through cultural immersion connected to biographical journeys of individuals who have played pivot roles in societal change points of human history. The underlying questions now become – what has influenced the way things are now? What journeys of struggle and courage have people gone through to stand up for their truth. Academically, the students are honing into more realms of writing styles and grammar concepts but still in a story-connected, experiential way.
How do societal worldviews shift? What is the ‘truth’ as we go from the accepted norms to new discoveries that don’t seem to fit? From Leonardo DaVinci to Mikolaj Kopernik to Maria Sibylla, we will experience some of the individuals who were part of the bursting to life after death…bringing forth the rebirth/renaissance.
Science will include astronomy, entomology and ongoing natural sciences and ecology. The math program will follow now mostly Jamie York Math academy with some of the story connected units from Enki’s grade 7 program (including ratios & exponents & pre-algebra).
This 4-day program is the full academic program, supported by the lead teacher(s). It will balance out the larger academic curriculum, with more project & theme based studies, that include connected outdoor learning throughout the week.
2026-27 Schedule & Tuition Details, Enrolment Process & Registration Forms
This 4-day Enki Grades program with optional bi-weekly Wild Child add-on runs Monday to Thursday from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm from September to early June. Enrollment for new families opens on June 2nd. If you are a new family please fill out our New Family Application Form and follow the steps in our Application and Enrolment Section.
The cost is $4550 for the 2026-2027 school year (plus a one-time $100 materials fee due upon registration). A monthly payment plan is outlined on the registration form. For the optional Wild Child cost, please see the registration form.
* Age ranges are given as guidance, but each family should meet with the director and class teachers to discuss the best fit for their child.
* An overview of the Enki Education pedagogical approach is available at www.enkieducation.org. If you have any questions, please reach out to Tegan Wong-Daugherty, our school director.
Tuition Relief & Credits Options:
• Applications for one-time tuition relief will be accepted. A form will need to be filled out with your registration form and it will be presented to the board.
• Workshare options will be considered based on the needs of the classroom teacher or the centre. A formal application is to be submitted at the time of registration. A contract will be made up between KANC and the parent regarding the arrangement.
Application and Enrolment Process
We welcome inquiries from parents and families wishing to learn more about the Knowlesville Art & Nature School offerings. The following application and enrolment process is designed to help families understand what the school brings to their children, and how they can support their children’s education at the Art & Nature School.
Step 1
Arrange a Tour or attend an Open House: Tours can be booked by contacting the School Director. Open Houses are scheduled periodically throughout the year.
Step 2
Review our current School Year Offerings above and complete a registration form for each child
Physical copies are available at the KAN Centre. ** New families must fill out a New Families Application Form! Send both forms to admin@knowlesvillenature.ca upon completion.
Step 3
Interview with the Class Teacher and/or School Director: The parents and student(s) will attend an interview with the class teacher.
Step 4
After the interview, students applying to the grades program ideally will be able to visit the class for 1-3 days. They will have the opportunity to experience the school day with their peers and the teacher will have the opportunity to see the child at work in the class. Alternatively, if applying when the school is not in session, we recommend that your child(ren) enroll in our summer nature camps to start making connections with the land and community that support the school.
Step 5
Acceptance: Once the student has been accepted by the teacher, an acceptance letter will be sent and the family will have 2 weeks to book an enrolment meeting.
Step 6
Complete Enrolment Contract and Payment Schedule with our office administrator.
Please contact us more information about any of our programs or to arrange a visit, by e-mailing hello@knowlesvillenature.ca or call the school at 506-375-6400.
School-Wide Curriculum Goals
At the Art & Nature School we offer opportunities for children to explore and learn in ways that engage their whole being and cultivates independent thinking and creative problem-solving.
We are pioneering an Enki Nature School Curriculum that nurtures child-centred, humanities connected learning through global cultural immersion.
The Head
Thinking and Knowledge
The Art & Nature School’s emphasis is not on what to think but on how to think. It embraces complexity through simple acts. To be truly prepared for the future, it will not only be necessary to discover unknown answers to a given problem, it will be necessary to define the problem, ask the right questions, and envision many different solutions.
The Heart
Feelings and Motivation
We feel that all people have vitality, wisdom and compassion at their core. We strive for a learning community that engages the hearts of the children to help uncover their own inherent capacity to care about themselves and their fellow human beings; to discover the wonder and inter-relationships in this world, and to experience many ways to engage and create. Artistic activities (painting, drawing, drama, music, and handicrafts) are part of the school experience each day. They foster a heartfelt connection between the student and the subject and make education more meaningful and memorable.
The Hands
Purposeful Activity
The goal of education is to instill confidence and fosters self-esteem in order to find a meaningful path in a complex and confusing world where self-determination and strong character are needed. Handwork includes knitting, woodworking, sewing, gardening, cooking and general care of their school environment. All of these meaningful tasks help to create responsible free individuals who can ultimately contribute to the vitality of their families and communities.
Spirituality
Our school families come from various religious and cultural backgrounds. The curriculum is not based on a particular religious doctrine. Rather, it is based on the belief that there is a spiritual dimension to each human being that also requires nurturing.
Affordability
The KAN School benefits from amazing teachers, support staff and volunteers who are passionate about making a vibrant learning environment for all. In addition to a great volunteer base, we are grateful for professionals and local businesses who give us in-kind support and/or donations towards our organization. This ongoing support makes it possible to keep tuition affordable for families of diverse economic realities.