The Cottonwood Rose Learning Community
Our vision is to weave place based wisdom and nature literacy into the BC curriculum and we’re doing so through the guidance of BC certified teachers, deeply connected nature education partners and community enriching support!
Right on!
For curious families: Cottonwood Rose Learning Community is still in its early seasons of growth. We’re a small and deeply committed team building something ambitious — and like any living system, the program continues to evolve through reflection, experience, and relationship.
What’s emerging is a place-based learning community where academics, nature immersion, mentorship, and home learning are intentionally woven together. The vision is becoming clearer and stronger with each season.
As we prepare for the coming school year, we are inviting prospective families who feel aligned with this approach to learning and community to join an information session on Monday May 11th at 7pm.
📅 May 11
🕖 7:00 PM
📍 Online
🔗 meet.google.com/rpq-qmax-hdz
For registered families there is also a resource page linked here from which you can access all the most important program material.
Onward!
2026/27 Enrolment Application is HERE!
The start of something good
The Cottonwood Rose Learning Community is a place-based and nature-connected learning program located in Black Creek, at the north end of the Comox Valley. The program is stewarded by the Cottonwood Rose Farm Forest and Nature Learning Society in partnership with Heartwood Learning Communities through NIDES / SD71 and Hand in Hand Nature Education.
Our K–8 program brings together project-based academics, outdoor immersion, mentorship, and home learning into one interconnected learning ecosystem. Rather than treating learning as something that happens only indoors or within age-divided classrooms, we aim to create an experience where children learn through relationship — with place, with one another, with mentors, and with meaningful real-world work.
Students participate in three mixed-age cohorts and engage with the BC curriculum through hands-on, seasonal, and nature-connected learning experiences. Core academics are supported through Heartwood Learning Communities, while land-based programming, outdoor skills, ecological literacy, crafts, mentorships, and community experiences help bring learning to life in tangible ways.
The onsite program currently runs three days per week (Tuesday–Thursday). Mondays and Fridays are home learning days, where families continue with literacy, numeracy, projects, reading, and other learning activities connected to the broader rhythm of the program.
As a learning community, family participation remains an important part of the culture of the program. However, as the program evolves, we are working toward creating greater consistency, stability, and operational sustainability through increased staffing, clearer systems, and reduced reliance on in-class volunteering. Families are still encouraged to contribute through volunteer roles, PAC involvement, mentorship, community care, events, and stewardship of the land and learning spaces.
Program Partners:
Heartwood Learning Communities
Heartwood Learning Communities, offered in partnership with NIDES, a province wide alternative education programer, provides children with a blended education rooted in both academic excellence and experiential learning.
Students work with BC-certified teachers to meet curriculum requirements while engaging in nature-based programs, creative projects, and community-centered activities.
Families are supported with flexible learning pathways that honor each child’s curiosity and strengths. Through this model, children grow confident, capable, and connected—balancing the best of classroom learning with the wonder of hands-on discovery.
—> The Heartwood/NIDES partners bring 2 BC certified teachers to the program. These educators bring the academics, focused on numeracy and literacy, social sciences and sciences to the kids. The curriculum is finessed through the lens of nature and crafted alongside the nature educators so that there is some continuity in learning outcomes.
Program Partners:
Hand in Hand Nature Education & Danu Folk School
Hand in Hand Nature Education offers children a joyful introduction to learning in the outdoors.
The program emphasizes play, exploration, and relationship with the natural world.
Experienced educators guide children through songs, stories, and hands-on discovery in forests, fields, and streams.
By fostering curiosity, creativity, and care for the earth, Hand in Hand helps young learners build strong foundations for both academic and social growth—nurturing resilience, wonder, and a lifelong love of nature.
Danu Folk School invites children and youth into learning that’s rich, hands-on, and heart-centered.
Their instructors blend nature-based exploration, craft, herbal wisdom, storytelling, and seasonal rhythms to create warm, inclusive spaces where curiosity, belonging, and connection to land flourish.
Rooted in cultural traditions and ecological well-being, they guide young learners to discover with wonder, nurture skills with care, and build meaningful relationships with self, others, and the natural world.
The Educator Team
Bios from left to right
Amy Cousins is an educator at NIDES. With degrees in Anthropology, Environmental Studies, and Education. Amy weaves together ecological awareness, cultural grounding, and place-based learning to inspire students. Whether delving into local ecosystems, community relationships, or stories from the land, Amy fosters wonder, kindness, and connection in her classroom.
Allie Livesey, Education Director at Danu Folk School, is a joyful nature mentor, herbalist, and storyteller. Her teaching is shaped by her deep interest in ancestral traditions, herbal medicine, fibre arts, and storytelling—all of which nurture belonging, creativity, curiosity, and a profound connection with land and community.
Jay Roberts is a nature mentor, red seal carpenter, and gifted storyteller who loves sparking curiosity. With over a decade of experience, he guides kids and communities to connect deeply with land, culture, and each other through wonder, laughter, and hands-on learning. Jay’s daughter is in the program and their family has started several similar programs over the years.
Megan Pratley is an enthusiastic educator at NIDES specializing in early childhood education. She crafts playful, curiosity-driven learning environments that foster social, emotional, and sensory growth. With gentle guidance and warmth, she supports young learners as they explore, experiment, connect, and delight in discovery.
The Land
Cottonwood Rose is a land-based learning and community project unfolding on 46 forested acres in Black Creek, at the north end of the Comox Valley. Trails wind through the forest to gardens, gathering spaces, learning environments, creeks, and neighbouring parklands — creating a setting where education, stewardship, and community life can meaningfully intersect.
At its core, Cottonwood Rose is an exploration of how learning and community might be reimagined through deeper relationship with place, with one another, and with the living systems that sustain us. The land is home to a growing learning community, seasonal gatherings, mentorship, nature-based programming, and hands-on projects connected to farming, ecology, craftsmanship, and care for the land.
Children spend time outdoors in all seasons — building shelters, tending gardens, caring for animals, exploring the forest, learning practical skills, and engaging with the rhythms and responsibilities of shared community life. Alongside this, families, educators, mentors, and visitors contribute to shaping an evolving culture rooted in participation, curiosity, stewardship, and belonging.
Supported by an extended network of families, educators, mentors, volunteers, and Workaway visitors from around the world, Cottonwood Rose continues to grow slowly and intentionally as a place of learning, relationship, and experimentation — an ongoing attempt to create spaces where both children and adults can feel more connected, capable, and alive.
A parting word from the host family
Hey Folks!
We are Julianna, John, Finn and Christina.
Our family was inspired to kick off this project because we believe education is more than classrooms—it’s about community, connection, and shared purpose.
We wish for our children to grow up inspired by the land, guided by mentors, and supported by friends who feel like family.
By learning together outdoors, through song, story, craft, and exploration, we hope to nurture resilience, creativity, and joy in these kids.
For us, this is about more than just school—it’s about re-imagining how we raise the next generation, creating meaningful change, and building a stronger, more connected community that is rooted in care for each other and the earth.
We would love to have you join us and together we can make this something beautiful!
Contact us!
Say hello at cottonwoodrosesociety@gmail.com
We welcome conversations with families, educators, mentors, makers, growers, elders, and anyone who feels aligned with the spirit of the project.