William Fox Elementary
We’re back for the fourth year in a row! Thank you for being a part of the YOW story.
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Everything you need in once place!
My 7 yo son participated in an Art Adventures after school program that he has absolutely LOVED. He wanted to go everyday and the artwork he brought home was so creative. Thank you Youth Outdoor Workshops for offering such a wonderful program!
They are also one of the few affordable, but high quality options out there it seems. My child has learned so much from attending and always wants to go.
If you’re looking for a quality outdoor program local to Richmond, I highly recommend this one!
Days
Hours
Minutes
Until Registration Opens
Risk-Based Play
Risk-based play means letting children navigate age-appropriate challenges – climbing trees, balancing on uneven terrain, using real tools – with guidance rather than constant intervention. We teach kids to assess their own capabilities and make sound judgments about what they can handle. This approach builds genuine confidence, develops critical thinking skills, and helps children learn to trust themselves in uncertain situations.
Montessori Methods
Montessori methods put children in the driver’s seat of their own learning. Students vote on daily activities, choose how to approach challenges, and direct their exploration based on genuine interest rather than adult agendas. We provide the framework and materials, then step back to let natural curiosity take over. This builds ownership, decision-making skills, and the kind of engaged learning that happens when kids actually care about what they’re doing.
Nature-Based
Nature-based learning means the outdoors isn’t just our classroom – it’s our curriculum. Creek beds teach physics, seasonal changes teach observation skills, and muddy slopes teach persistence better than any worksheet could. We’re outside in all weather because nature provides the sensory input, physical challenge, and unpredictability that screens and indoor spaces simply can’t replicate. Kids leave our programs knowing how to read their environment, not just facts about it.
Outdoor Explorers
I hope you’re prepared for muddy boots and wild adventures! Your child will climb, explore, build forts, play games, and discover the incredible world right outside their door. From creek exploration to nature scavenger hunts, every day brings new challenges that build confidence, teamwork, and self-reliance.
This is learning disguised as play – expect your explorer to come home with grass stains, big smiles, and stories about the amazing things they discovered in nature!
Art Adventures
Get ready for messy hands and big discoveries! Your child will create sculptures from natural materials, paint with plant-based pigments, sketch outdoor observations, and transform recycled treasures into masterpieces.
This isn’t your typical indoor art class – we believe the best creativity happens when kids connect with the natural world. Expect your artist to come home with dirt under their fingernails and stories about their latest creation!
Art Adventures Tuesday
September 15 – November 3
Outdoor Explorers Wednesday
September 16 – November 4
YOW @ Fox
Fall 2026
Multiple Days Welcome!
Your child can register for multiple days per week – every session offers completely different activities, so there’s always something new to explore!
A quick note on registration for Fall 2026 at Fox
We’ve always run our own registration, but things look a little different this year. All Fox programs have moved onto a single platform, so that’s where you’ll find us this fall!
Registration now opens Friday, September 4th at 9am.
Thanks for rolling with us on this one,
Kristen
You Can Breathe Easy
Flexible, straight-forward seasonal programming designed around real family life.
$14.17/
Per Hour
$21.25/
Per Day
$170/
Per Season
Ask Us
Anything
Getting Started
Can my child do both Art Adventures and Outdoor Explorers?
Absolutely — and a lot of families do exactly that. The two programs complement each other nicely: Art Adventures brings nature to the table through leaf printing, clay work, basket weaving, and mandalas, while Outdoor Explorers is more active, mud play, animal tracking, water filtering, games and discovery. Together they give kids a genuinely well-rounded outdoor education experience. Each track runs on different days, so enrollment in both is easy to manage.
How many students do you need to run a program? When will I know if it’s confirmed?
Programs need at least 7 students to run. We’ll send a confirmation email the week before the season begins, so you’ll have plenty of time to plan. In the event we don’t hit 7 enrollments, we’ll give you all full refunds immediately.
Do you offer Scholarships?
Yes! Thanks to the generosity of Fox PTA, we’re thrilled to continuously offer a scholarship to any interested parents for 50% off the cost of programs. Use code FOXFRIENDS at checkout!
What the Program Looks Like
How long is each session?
At Fox, sessions run from 3 to 4:30 PM. Each session is 90 minutes of hands-on outdoor programming.
Are both tracks really that different from each other?
They really are. Art Adventures is rooted in nature-based making — the materials we use come from outside, the processes are slow and sensory, and kids leave with something tangible. Outdoor Explorers is more kinetic: building, tracking, exploring, and figuring things out on the fly. Both are child-led and Montessori-inspired, but the day-to-day experience feels pretty distinct.
Pickup and Logistics
How does pickup work at Fox?
Programs end at 4:30 PM sharp. This spring, unlike last season, pickup will happen right at our picnic tables to the left of the main Hanover entrance! This is standard for us, every season except Winter.
Can students in YMCA Aftercare participate?
Yes! At the end of each session, we walk YMCA Aftercare students directly to YMCA staff in the basement. No extra logistics on your end.
What if my child is absent?
Life happens — we totally get it. We can’t offer make-up sessions or refunds for individual absences, but if we have to cancel a session due to weather or something on our end, we’ll schedule a make-up day and let you know right away.
Do you actually go outside in all weather?
We do. Rain, mud, cold — all of it is part of the experience, and honestly part of what makes it valuable. We only cancel for genuinely unsafe conditions, and we’ll notify families immediately if that happens. Otherwise, expect to be outside. Please dress your child for it.
What to Wear and Bring
What should my child wear?
Clothes that can get dirty. That’s really the main thing. We really would advise against your child wearing anything they have sentimental feelings about.
Is my child going to come home muddy?
Very possibly, yes. Mud, dirt, paint, and general mess are what a good session looks like. We believe deeply that nature is awesome, and messy outdoor play is where real sensory learning and confidence-building happen. If your child comes home with leaves in their hair and mud on their knees, the day went well.
Our Approach
What does “Montessori-inspired” actually mean for your programs?
It means kids lead. We build our sessions around child-directed discovery, hands-on exploration, and working at each child’s own pace. Students choose what interests them, collaborate when it feels right, and develop real confidence through real experiences — not worksheets. You don’t need a Montessori background to enroll; we bring these principles to students in any school setting.
Why outdoor education specifically?
Because nature offers something a classroom genuinely can’t: real risk, real problem-solving, and immediate feedback. Time outside strengthens immune systems, improves focus, builds resilience, and develops spatial reasoning and risk assessment skills. It’s also where kids consistently discover they’re braver and more capable than they thought they were… and, you can’t throw mud around inside.
My child is shy or hesitant about new activities. Will they be okay?
This comes up a lot, and the honest answer is: yes, they’ll be fine. Our child-led approach means students can engage at whatever level feels comfortable. We never push, and we never rush. Some of our most initially hesitant students have surprised themselves — and their parents — by the end of a season.
My child has a ton of energy. Is this actually a good fit?
It’s a great fit. We genuinely love high-energy kids. Our programs tend to attract active, curious, and neurodiverse children who thrive when they have space to move, explore, and channel that energy into something real. This is exactly the environment those kids do well in.
Cancellations and Refunds
What’s your cancellation and refund policy? We allow cancellations up to two weeks before a program begins with full refund plus a $50 admin fee. After that point, we’re not able to offer refunds — our small team does significant advance planning, and we need that lead time to make it work. If you need to withdraw before the two-week mark, reach out and we’ll discuss your options.
What if the program gets cancelled due to weather or low enrollment? If we have to cancel a session for weather, we’ll schedule a make-up day and notify families right away. If enrollment doesn’t reach our minimum of 7 students, we’ll let you know the week before the season starts — with enough time to make other plans.
Thank you for your curiosity
Contact
youthoutdoorworkshops
@gmail.com
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Youth Outdoor Workshops