Book a Professional Development Workshop!

How to Start a Forest/Nature School Webinar Series

Are you hoping to start your own Forest and Nature School program, but you’re not sure where to start? Join us for this 2-part webinar series! Our bilingual panel of experienced FNS founders/practitioners from across the country will share how they started their programs, things they wish they knew before they got started, and things they’d do differently now! You can also gain access to all webinar resources and recordings!

For more info contact admin@childnature.ca

Introduction to Risky Play

This full day workshop covers the importance of risky play to children’s learning and development, with a focus on both theory as well as the practice of supporting children to intrinsically navigate risk in their lives. In this workshop we will define “risky play”, explore the benefits of children having freedom in their play, ending with tangible resources on how to support children in this, while fulfilling our duty of care as educators, parents, and/or care providers.

For more info contact admin@childnature.ca

Tools Workshop

This is an outdoor, experiential workshop for any adult who wishes to be more comfortable working with tools and/or working with tools with children in their programs. You will have an opportunity to:

• Practice working with bow saws, hand drills and knives
• Learn to build shelters with tarps and ropes
• Create your own wooden item
• Understand the ecological impact of using tools and harvesting from the Land
• Learn how to support tool use and practice with children in your programs

For more info contact admin@childnature.ca

Youth Safe Outdoors Training Workshops

To maximize effective and efficient use of YouthSafe Outdoors resources, we offer hands-on opportunities increase commitment and capacity to use the YSO resources well, thus saving organizations countless hours in preparing for and administrating outings and helping ensure staff and families have peace of mind that activities are sufficiently safe.

A full-day workshop (6.5 hours) for educators directly involved in providing higher care activities to get them oriented to and trained in the use of the full resource including risk management planning exercises, case studies, and self-reliance instruction.

Find out more here.

Interpreter Training Courses

The Interpretive Guides Association offers a series of training courses and exams designed to provide guides with skills and knowledge to effectively communicate our unique local natural and cultural heritage to visitors. They provide training focused on sharing the natural and cultural heritage for hiking guides, museum interpreters, bus tour guides, information centre staff, rafting guides, horse packing guides, scuba guides, mountain guides and anyone interested in learning more about the Rockies. They also offer group management training for interpretive hiking guides.

For more info contact info@interpretiveguides.org.

Columbia Outdoor School

Think Outside the traditional classroom and step into a world where teaching meets adventure! This energizing outdoor workshop will equip you with practical, curriculum-connected activities that bring lessons to life under the open sky. Discover creative ways to incorporate Indigenous Knowledge and Perspectives as a non-Indigenous educator, brainstorm fresh ideas for outdoor curriculum connections, and engage students in reporting that’s as interactive as the environment itself. Plus, walk away with resources and lots of lessons to make outdoor education a breeze. Join us for a day of learning that’s not just outside the box—but outside in every sense of the word!

For more info contact shonna@columbiaoutdoorschool.com

Foundation Workshops

Choose from these foundation workshops. These are the recommended sequence of sessions to build a strong foundation for environmental teaching and learning

• Exploring Place with Inquiry: strategies for learner-centred engagement
• Biodiversity in the School Grounds: examining and defining the features around us as resources for learning
• Beyond the School Grounds: examining and defining the features around us as resources for learning
• Close Counts: school Grounds as a Place for Learning Discovering learning opportunities just out the door
• Connections to Competencies & Assessment Strategies: examining competencies (core and curricular) and strategies for assessment with outdoor learning
• Exploring Biodiversity Project-Based Learning: fundamentals of empowering students to design and implement their project ideas
• Outdoor Learning Engages Everyone: going outside is a great first step for engaging learners

For more info contact Kerrie.Mortin@hctf.ca

Theme Workshops

Check out these topic or theme based workshops, which can be customized based on your school’s needs.

• Climate Change: exploring impacts and adaptations for water, trees and wildlife
• DIY Outdoor Learning Kit: how to make a box of props and tools
• Watersheds
• Wetlands
• Let’s Go on A Field Trip: a session that explores ideas, places and activities for planning and taking field outings to forests, grasslands and ponds, oceansƒ
• Seeing Math and Literacy in Nature: a session to explore connections and ideas for Mathematics and English Language Arts learning outside ƒ
• People and Plants: a session exploring local and traditional plant knowledge and our connections to them and some ideas for native plant gardensƒ
• PALS: a session for people assisting learning in schools with strategies and ideas to support teaching and learning outdoors

For more info contact Kerrie.Mortin@hctf.ca

Activity Guide Workshops

These activity guide workshops are based on resources HCTF Education delivers for Project Wild, Project Wet and Project Learning Tree

• Below Zero: a workshop for teachers is a professional development opportunity aimed at providing educators with the knowledge and tools needed to effectively teach about winter ecology.
• Project Learning Tree’s (PLT): exploring Your Environment workshop is an interactive, hands-on professional development opportunity for K-12 educators to enhance their knowledge and skills in environmental education.
• Project WET’s Getting Little Feet WET: provides K-2 teachers with hands-on, interactive activities to teach young students about the importance of water and water resources.
• Growing Up WILD: a resource designed for pre K-2 educators, which provides a set of activities and materials to engage young children in learning about nature and wildlife.
• Project WET (Water Education for Teachers): a workshop designed to educate and engage teachers, students, and community members about water resources and the importance of water conservation.
• The Project WILD (Wildlife in Learning Design): a workshop designed to provide educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to engage students in learning about wildlife and the natural world.
• Project Learning Tree’s Trees and Me: provides K-2 teachers with a variety of activities and lesson plans to engage young students in learning about trees and their importance.

For more info contact Kerrie.Mortin@hctf.ca

Invasive-Wise Education

Invasive-Wise Education is an online workshop for K-12 educators that provides resources, curriculum-based lesson plans, and training. We support you to teach about and help prevent the spread of invasive species, while fostering a deeper
connection to nature.

For more info contact education.lead@bcinvasives.ca

Deeply Connecting with Nature

Those who have a deep connection with nature have many attributes needed to thrive in our rapidly changing world: inner happiness, empathy and respect for nature, a commitment to helping others grow and a clear sense of personal vision. Inspiring children to develop these attributes can be achieved through the artful (and sometimes invisible) practice of “core routines.” In this workshop we’ll explore several proven learning habits (core routines) that, when practiced, help people develop a strong and lasting bond with the natural world.

For more info contact Dave Verhulst at ntforestplay@gmail.com.

Stories of Connection

When children are deeply connected with the natural world, they are more connected to themselves, they are happier and more hopeful. During this interactive workshop we’ll share stories and experiences from the field and introduce some of the tools and techniques we integrate into Nature’s Tracks Forest Play programs that get kids learning (without knowing it) and deeply connected with the natural world.

For more info contact Dave Verhulst at ntforestplay@gmail.com

Coyote Mentoring: Exploring the Wonder of Nature-Based Education 

Coyote Mentoring is a powerful nature-based educational model that fosters a deep connection with the natural world. Focusing on play, story telling and nature crafts, Coyote Mentoring is an amazing way of getting both children and adults to learn…without knowing it.

For more info contact Dave Verhulst at ntforestplay@gmail.com.