Outdoor Learning Conference 2025

Outdoor Learning Conference 2025

Welcome to the 2025 Outdoor Learning Conference

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6:00am MDT

60 min Gentle Movement & Mindfulness Session 201Sylvia Ann Fox • Heidi Davis Sacred Buffalo (Tunnel) Mountain Hike *Unguided* Tunnel Mountain Trailhead (Lower Parking Area)

7:30am MDT

Breakfast at Vistas (included) Vistas Dining Room

8:45am MDT

Morning Gratitude Kinnear CentreSylvia Ann Fox

9:00am MDT

Climate and Environment Keynote Speaker Kinnear CentreDr. Ellen Field

10:00am MDT

Coffee Break (Included) Kinnear Centre

10:15am MDT

Break/ Reflection Time Kinnear Centre

10:59am MDT

*Education Session B* Kinnear Centre

11:00am MDT

Assessment of/as/for Learning, Environmental and Sustainability Education, and High School Learners BeaverJanna Barkman Compost and Climate: The Environmental and Emotional Benefits of Community Engaged Composting DeerTamika Whitenack • Sophia Maria Fox Forest Play: Curiosity Inspired Learning OwlDavid Verhulst Nature Journaling: A Tool for Conservation and Connection PorcupineSonya Rokosh • David Norwell Semer des graines: Le jardin scolaire pour entrer en relation avec le territoire /Planting seeds: school gardening as a way of connecting with the land TurtleJulie McLean • CYNTHIA LAPIERRE Teaching Climate Science and Salmon Education in the Outdoors ButterflyNathan Zabel • Grace Maxa Teaching Math Outdoors for K-5 Educators RavenRachel Tidd Building communities of care CougarLaurel Donison Building resilience through the cycle of the year BearAlix Wilson Diverse Voices, Open Spaces: Storybook Adventures with Loose Parts MooseIsabella Liu Empowering Schools: A Comprehensive School Health Approach to Climate Change 203Brenton Button Getting grounded with nature journaling WolfAlison Katzko • Carissa Esau Our Stories, Our Land: Connecting Personal Narratives to the Land SquirrelAllyson Fedak • Mohammed Razi Taming the Anxious Brain with Nature in Mind ToadHeidi Schreiber-Pan askîhk kiskinohamâtowin Métis Land-Based Learning 201Holly Brandsma • Cheryl Devin Indinawemaaganidog: Roots of Connection Honouring all our Relations ChickdeeElder Melissa Roberts • Jasmine Sgambelluri • Kali Bernst Integration of OneHealth, Two-Eyed seeing, and Ethical space in Environmental Education KingfisherAlison Cuffley Relating to Place by Mapping with our Bodies: Indigenous Wayfinding and Decolonial Remapping Great Blue HeronNicki Ferland • Meghan Young • Ashley Wolfe Relationship with Land, Truth and Reconciliation RacoonLise Brown • Adrian Alphonso Turtle Island Time SnailMichael Ross • Coralee Miller

12:15pm MDT

Lunch (Included) Vistas Dining Room

1:30pm MDT

Break/ Reflection Time Kinnear Centre

1:59pm MDT

*Education Session C* Kinnear Centre

2:00pm MDT

Branching Out: Exploring Forestry Education 201 (Indoor Space)Jenna Forslund Building Climate Literacy – Supporting the Climate Education Framework Through Environmental Storytelling. BeaverCrystal Roberts • Meaghan Wilbur • Nikki LeBlanc Charting the Future of Outdoor Learning: Emerging Trends and Transformative Practices ButterflyJanet Dyment Il était une fois en Antarctique... TurtleCarrie Antoniazzi Little Explorers, Big Discoveries: The Schoolyard Expedition" KingfisherCourt Rustemeyer Storied Landscapes: Strategies and activities for place-response teaching and learning DeerGlen Thielmann Unlocking the Power of Song for Environmental Learning ChickadeeRemy Rodden An exploration of how Celtic wisdom and nature connection can promote well-being on a personal and collective level. RacoonNiamh Oliver • Peter Walsh Celebrating and Sustaining Experiential and Outdoor Education Programs ToadNick Townley • Ryan Barfoot Deepening the Connection to Nature Through Music and the Arts (English) SquirrelJennifer Engbrecht Nature's Path to Wellness - for you and your students BearVicki Perkins Playful Literacy Routines WolfMegan Zeni • Lisa Thomas School Ground Solutions at The Intersection of Health, Education and Nature 203 (Indoor Space)Laura Hergott Slowing Down: Connecting to Nature Right Where/Who You are SnailStephanie Aleksiuk The Power of a Relational, Values-Driven Approach to Building Adult Capacity for Outdoor Early Learning OtterChristine Alden Walking the Labyrinth: A Journey of Mindfulness and Wellness in Nature MooseMarjan Akbari • Meagan McNichol Beyond the Child: Exploring Land-Led Pedagogies in K-6 Outdoor Education EagleAlyson McMullen • Krista Spence Eels are Life: Following Katew Through Their Life Journey to Help Us Learn More About Ours - A Land & Sea-Based Learning Unit Example Great Blue HeronJennifer Sawlor • Anika Braithwaite Healing with the Land: Indigenous Perspectives on Forest Immersion and Children’s Wellbeing RavenJacqueline Bennett Leading through Land-based Learning OwlLindy Henderson • Lowell Johnston Let's Meet Kakwa (Porcupine) PorcupineGenevieve Prevost When ¢ik̓ku (robin) connects you to Land: How to use your experience and weave Indigenous knowledge "in a good way" (Marshall and Zimanyi, 2024). SquirrelFaye O'Neil • Dr. Sylvie de Grandpré

3:14pm MDT

*Education Session D* Kinnear Centre

3:15pm MDT

A Curriculum of Connection: How Outdoor Education can help move the needle on Canada’s Sustainable Development Goals DeerFiona Hough Connecting to place through writing outside. ToadFrances McCoubrey From Awe to Action: Inspiring Inquiry and Environmental Responsibility Through Nature Exploration OwlDr. Rosanna Ruiz • Christa Dillabaugh How Outdoor and Environmental Education Empowers Participants to Address Climate Change & Other Global Environmental Challenges 203Grant Linney Mastering the use of PHENOLOGY in your OUTDOOR classroom SnailAndrea Barnes Principles for Transformative Learning With/In/For the More-Than-Human World: Ecologizing Professional Learning for In-Service Educators TurtleDr. Gillian Judson • Beverley Bunker • Kelsey Keller The Big Reconnect: How Innovative Outdoor Education Cultivates Connection to Self, Community, and Nature in K-12 Schools OtterSusan Licher • Daniel Mendel • Jen Halliday • Alana Kessler-Yudin Water Connects All Things: Combination Workshop Two Educator Guides! – Foundations of Water Education and Water in Earth Systems Certification Workshop RavenMaxine Koskie • Billie Jo Reid “Scavenger Hunts, Compass Courses, Maps and More: Engaging Your Students with Curriculum-Connected Outdoor Exploration” PorcupineBraeden Kelly "Because I Wanted Everyone to Know We Need to Take Care of Our Lands": Exploring Children's Rights and Generating Their Perspectives of the Outdoors EagleDr. Kimberly Squires • Starlene Ruttan • Kim Barton Connecter l'esprit et le corps en nature: une approche immersive pour les éducateurs et les élèves CougarMarieke Herrera • Elizabeth Bianchi Nature-based learning and risky play in a public school setting RacoonSylvie Tissandier To Build a Yarn Environment BearMark Reinhart Bridging Land, Learning and Culture Great Blue HeronAlysha-Lynn Kooter • Weslie Wabano • Daniel Bottle Indigenous and Land-Based Education at Akinomaagayegaamikoong: A Reciprocal Model for Public Education ButterflyJennifer Bailey • Jerica Fraser Learning/teaching Indigenous games MooseTerry Lakey Moving from truth to living reconciliation : A settlers journey integrating Indigenous teachings into my life (both personal and professional) - bilingual materials provided (French & English) WolfMarty McKeever Nurturing Kinship with Nature's Rhythms: Storying the Seasons through Etuaptmumk/Two-Eyed Seeing BeaverLouise Zimanyi • Dr. Albert Marshall Walking with Our Relations: Nature's Wisdom in Supporting Student Emotional Health KingfisherMarla Klyne

4:30pm MDT

Afternoon Social and Exhibitor Fair Kinnear Centre

5:30pm MDT

Dinner (NOT included with registration) Choose your own adventure

8:00pm MDT

Live Music and Dancing on the Patio Kinnear Patio Firepit 1Heather Gemmell

Outdoor Learning Conference 2025

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