January
January 8, 2025 to January 29, 2025
Braiding Sweetgrass for Educators Course (4 x 60 min sessions)
Join us for these four engaging and insightful online sessions which will unpack the essential elements of Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults.
This will be facilitated by award-winning and best-selling Indigenous author, Monique Gray Smith, who adapted Robin Wall Kimmerer’s New York Times Best selling book, Braiding Sweetgrass for a new generation of readers. She is well known for her storytelling, spirit of generosity and focus on resilience.
Monique will taking you on a learning journey, exploring the 6 sections of the book and the chapters within each of them, including key content for classroom and school use.
Dates and Times:
Wednesday, Jan 8, 15, 22, 29 –...
January 14, 2025 to February 20, 2025
We are thrilled to offer our Nature-Based Teacher Certification as an online option! You will gain a deeper understanding of nature pedagogy and practices as you earn this introductory credential. To date, we have certified more than one thousand teachers from all 50 states and 24 countries, each gaining strategies and tools for unique nature-based settings. Now it's your turn!
Our 36-hour course provides in-depth study of best practices in nature-based early childhood education to prepare you for meaningful outdoor learning experiences. We draw from experienced educators with diverse perspectives to help you hone your own approaches to nature-based ECE. Whether you are in a formal school or childcare setting or working in a nature or...
January 14, 2025 to February 25, 2025
We've just released our free Winter Outdoor Learning Virtual Workshops featuring over 20 partners & presenters! ❄️❄️❄️
Jan 14: Outdoor Learning in the Early Years
Feb 4: Climate and Sustainability Education Games and Resources
Feb 11: Disability Justice in Outdoor Learning
Feb 18: Indigenous Resources for the Early & Elementary Years
Feb 25: Teaching Ideas and Activities for using Sit Spots
These are all listed here: https://outdoorlearning.com/workshops
January 25, 2025
This two-part workshop (2 sessions, 3 hours each) presented by Dr. Rachel Larimore of Samara Early Learning is designed to help you plan for a successful new nature-based school or program—from a business perspective. . We’ll discuss key questions to ask before embarking on writing a business plan, components of the plan, and how to write a plan that gives an accurate picture of your vision.
The workshop itself will be a mix of presentations and small-group interaction and problem-solving. Here’s what we’ll cover:
Session 1 focus:
→ Components of a business plan
→ Step 1: Making a go/no-go decision
→ Step 2: Gathering the Facts
Session 2 focus:
→ Step 3: Making key decisions
→ Step 4: Completing the Details...
January 27, 2025 to March 24, 2025
This three-part series is packed with practical approaches to help refresh winter teaching practices here at the start of a new year! Join experienced practitioners during this inspiring (and useful!) virtual series. Classes will meet on January 27th, February 24th, and March 24th. Read on for detailed descriptions of each session!
Purchase the whole series at a discount or select individual sessions that work best for you!
Monday, January 27th from 7-8:00 PM (EST) [1hr]
Chilly Childcare Cheer: Cold Weather Activities with Infants to Five-year-olds
Presented by Anne Berardi of Berardi Family Farm Childcare
Monday, February 24th from 7-9 PM (EST) [2hrs]
Wilderness Mental Health First Aid
Presented by Nicole Thurrell of...
January 30, 2025 to May 29, 2025
Join us for four thought provoking, intimate, and wise visits as Monique and her Indigenous guests explore the ways stories are medicine, the ways to use stories and storytelling and to listen to the stories that have influenced our hearts and life journeys.
Jan 30: Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer
March 27: Richard Van Camp
April 24: Judy Halbert and Linda Kaser
May 29: Leona Prince
February
February 3, 2025
Let’s get resourced, y’all! Many educators learn to put everyone else’s needs ahead of their own, and then we wonder why we’re depleted. Taking cues from nature, we can learn to assess our needs and make reasonable, flexible plans to meet them.
In this workshop, you will learn how to assess (and meet!) your basic needs through daily connection with nature. Utilizing the tools you learn will ensure you’re resourced and ready to show up in a way that serves everyone - especially you!
February 10, 2025
Using reflection, discussion, and assessment tools, participants will assess their nature-based education programs for accessibility. They will also begin developing an action plan to improve inclusion. Taught from the perspective of a pediatric physical therapist, this workshop will encourage participants to reflect on their own intersectionality and positionality, especially related to ableism. We will learn about disability considerations and mobility equipment, as well as gain an understanding of laws and policies impacting accessibility. Integrating evidence-based practices and the experiences of disabled children and families, session participants will explore strategies and approaches for welcoming all families in nature-based...
February 17, 2025
When we take learning outdoors, we get to learn in the company of so many more-than-humans. While grown-ups may understand the opportunities and richness that comes from supporting respectful interactions and observations of the creatures around us, encountering differences in the wild (and in the world) can elicit strong emotional reactions in the children...
March
March 24, 2025 to March 26, 2025
Jonesborough, TN 37659
Third Annual Forest School Teacher Training | Forest School Teacher Institute in Partnership with The Department Of Early Childhood Education - East Tennessee University
Join Dr. Jean Lomino, Founder and Director of Forest School Teacher Institute along with ETSU professors of Early Childhood Education, Dr. Jane Broderick and Dr. Pam Evanshen at The Camp at Buffalo Mountain for three days of sweet communion with like-minded people, learning together how to engage with children in a forest school. The Camp at Buffalo Mountain is tucked into a scenic valley in the Cherokee National Forest. You can explore miles of trails, a cascading mountain creek, and a reflecting pond set among the gifts of an Appalachian Spring.
Participants will...
April
April 14, 2025 to April 17, 2025
374 Preserve Road
The Montour Preserve
Danville, PA 17821
FSTI with Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association
and Vernal School Environmental Education Partnership
Present
FOREST SCHOOL TEACHER CERTIFICATE TRAINING
Plus Additional Level I Forest School Naturalist CertificationWe are excited to announce our first Forest School Teacher Institute Certification Course in the state of Pennsylvania. Enjoy sweet communion with like-minded people, while exploring 640 scenic acres at Montour Preserve. Training will take place onsite, amidst forests, meadows, a 165-acre lake and a remarkable fossil pit!
You will observe children engaging in self-directed exploration at nearby River Valley Nature School while practicing observation and assessment strategies. Discover how to use music as a teaching...
April 25, 2025
West St Paul, MN 55118
Join Dodge Nature Preschool for a one-day conference designed to inspire and encourage outdoor learning in early childhood. Find inspiration, engage in dialogue with colleagues, and learn practical ideas to help incorporate nature-based education into your classroom and school environment.
Join us at the Learning Conference to:
-Hike with a guide through Dodge Nature Center and Preschool grounds
-Observe in preschool outdoor classrooms
-Engage with materials in the resource room
-Participate in two breakout sessions:
-Habitat Hike – With the guidance of a Dodge Nature Center naturalist, learn about local habitats and ecosystems. Find out what natural resources you can use to go deeper in your own setting.
-Nature’s...
May
May 19, 2025 to May 22, 2025
Forest School Teacher Institute is delighted to announce that we are bringing our training to Boston, May 19-22, with support from Boston Outdoor Preschool Network! This opportunity is the right choice for educators and advocates from around the world who seek to provide nature-based preschool education in urban and suburban settings. During this four-day event, participants will complete 26 hours of observation, instruction and practice, to earn a Forest School Teacher Certificate of Completion. And of course, all of this happens amidst the beauty and energy of one of America’s most historic cities!
TUITION INCLUDES
*Prerequisite online Introduction to Forest School Course of Study (3 classes,1.5 hours each)
*26 hours of class...
June
June 4, 2025 to June 6, 2025
Little Rock, AR 72122
This is a professional conference for outdoor preschool educators or those that aspire to be, that feels like a summer camp! It is held in a camp-like setting and will be a chance to dig deep into practice through theory and hands-on workshops, while also enjoying a retreat like atmosphere.
-Keynote: Rachel Larimore
-Multiple tracks for different experience levels
-Sessions for both program & classroom leaders
-Workshops exploring both theory & practical skills
-Exploration of Ferncliff Nature Preschool facilities
-On-site Housing & Meals
