PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Are you curious about Outdoor Education and the philosophy and practice of forest school? Join forest school educators from around Metro Vancouver and beyond for a professional development session.
Take a look at current workshops or contact us to learn more.
FOREST SCHOOL GAMES AND SKILLS TRAINING 2022
October 2nd 2022
Games and Skills Workshop
Join fellow forest educators for a fun day of games and skills sharing! Bring a game or skill to share, or bring a notebook and write down new activities to try out with your own forest group. This is a hands-on co-operative day so feel free to jump in and share!
When: Sunday, October 2nd 2022 9:30-4:00
Where: Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve, North Vancouver
Cost: By Donation to Harmony Gardens - Donations collected day of.
FOREST SCHOOL TRAINING 2022: SKILLS WEEKEND
March 4th and 5th 2023
Skills Weekend Workshop
Do you want to join the outdoor learning fun for two days in March? Join us for our Skills Weekend. You'll learn hands-on skills such as working with ropes, tarps, and knives, making cordage, plant identification, animal tracking and more.
When: Saturday & Sunday March 4th and 5th 2023, 9:30-4:30
Where: Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve, North Vancouver
Cost: $185
Tricia Edgar
Professional Development
Professional Development
Professional development can take place in the forests where we work, at your school, or online. Our workshops can be tailored to your needs and may include:
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An exploration of forest school philosophy
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Risk assessment, impact assessment, and site selection
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Sharing stories and storytelling techniques
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Sensory activities to help you bridge between structured and play-based learning
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Hands-on skills such as ropes, tarps, knife work, weaving, and making cordage
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Plant identification
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Animal tracking
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Reflective nature connection practices
ONLINE CLASSES
Learn online with Fresh Air Learning!
These 1.5 hour workshops are available to childcare centres, ECEs, teachers, and parents. Contact us to book a date. We are happy to work with groups around the world on the Zoom platform.Cost: $150-$225 *Sliding scale.
Cones, clay, leaves: there is so much to play with right outside your door. Discover the delight of playing and learning from loose parts play in nature! Engage with a variety of loose parts in this hands-on workshop and reflect on your play experiences. We’ll also share examples of loose parts creations to inspire your practice.
LOVING THE OUTDOORS THROUGH LITERATURE
LEARNING IN THE FOREST
What is forest school, and how does it work? In this workshop, you'll learn about the forest school philosophy and the roles of children and adults at forest school. We will also discuss some of the fundamentals of forest school, such as site selection and assessment, impact assessment, risky play, and what to wear.
LEARNING WITH LOOSE PARTS
Cones, clay, leaves: there is so much to play with right outside your door. Discover the delight of playing and learning from loose parts play in nature! Engage with a variety of loose parts in this hands-on workshop and reflect on your play experiences. We’ll also share examples of loose parts creations to inspire your practice.
Consider the role of storytelling in connecting children to themselves, each other, and the land. Learn child-centred storytelling techniques that will help you bring your personal stories and stories from books into the outdoors, and get introduced to a variety of beautiful and funny stories to bring into your outdoor classroom.
IN SCHOOL MENTORSHIP
In School Mentorship
Our school programs work to make outdoor learning simple for you as a teacher.
We work with you to help determine where you can go. We help you assess the risks and the learning and stewardship possibilities in these spaces. We help you make the connections between curriculum and what your students experience outdoors. We co-teach with you to model outdoor teaching techniques as you develop your own outdoor education skills.
We offer:
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On site professional development, including a site walk and assessment
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Consultation with your school's teaching team to discuss your curriculum needs
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Help communicating with children, staff, and parents
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Eight two-hour sessions with your group during a school term.
Location: Vancouver, North Shore, Burnaby,
Cost: $0-$1500
Thanks to our funders, we can offer limited sliding scale pricing for this program, including very low cost options for inner city schools. Please inquire about sliding scale options.
This program is funded in part by the Edith Lando Charitable Foundation.
FOREST SCHOOL TRAINING 2023
Dates in August TBD
5 Days of Wonderful Outdoor Learning
Are you curious about the philosophy and practice of forest school? Join forest school educators from around Metro Vancouver and beyond for five days of outdoor learning that will include:
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Forest school philosophy
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Risk assessment, impact assessment, and site selection
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Sharing songs and stories
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Activities to help you bridge between structured learning and play-based learning
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Hands-on basics such as ropes, tarps, knife work, weaving, and making cordage
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Plant identification and activities that you can do with plants
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Animal tracking
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Nature connection practices such as nature journaling and sit spot
One of the best parts of the week is meeting enthusiastic educators like yourself who are keen to share!
When: August (Exact dates to be announced)
Where: Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve, North Vancouver
Cost: $660
Tricia Edgar
Daniella Roze
