Outdoor Learning Conference 2025: Full Schedule

Welcome to the 2025 Outdoor Learning Conference

11:00am MDT

Relating to Place by Mapping with our Bodies: Indigenous Wayfinding and Decolonial Remapping FILLING

Friday May 9, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm MDT

Wayfinding means knowing where we are, where we want to go, and identifying the best route to get there. The workshop presenters will share their experiences delivering land-based programming on an urban campus to show how wayfinding has helped students develop their sense of place and belonging in the city. This mapping workshop offers an alternative way of understanding our relationship to place and provides a means of restorying urban and other places as Indigenous land. Participants will be invited to see the land through an Indigenous lens and learn about inherently place-based Indigenous knowledge systems. Participants will map place with their bodies, explore Indigenous and decolonial approaches to mapping, and learn to notice and relate to often overlooked natural and built landforms and landmarks. This 75-minute mapping activity and interactive discussion will involve critical reflections about place, wayfinding, and Indigenous kinscapes – the constellations of relationships between people, land, and place."

Speakers

Nicki Ferland

University of Manitoba

Nicki Ferland (she/they) is a two-spirit Métis mother, wife, aunty and helper. Her parents are both descended from scrip-bearing Métis families with ancestral roots in St. Vital and St-Boniface (Winnipeg), and Lorette, Manitoba. Nicki has a Master of Education in Indigenous Land-Based... Read More →

Meghan Young

University of Manitoba

Meghan Young (she/her) is a Red River Métis woman from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is Métis through her maternal side with ancestral connections to St. Norbert, St. Vital and St. Boniface, Manitoba. Meghan has an undergraduate degree in Indigenous studies and is currently a graduate... Read More →

Ashley Wolfe

My name is Ashley Wolfe, and my traditional name is White Thunderbird Woman. My maternal line comes from Peguis First Nation (modern day Selkirk and St. Peter’s, Manitoba) and I currently reside near Beausejour, in the RM of Brokenhead, and I am Wolf Clan. I am a Land-Based Educator... Read More →

Friday May 9, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm MDT
Great Blue Heron

Indigenous Ways of Knowing Workshop

2:00pm MDT

Eels are Life: Following Katew Through Their Life Journey to Help Us Learn More About Ours - A Land & Sea-Based Learning Unit Example LIMITED

Friday May 9, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm MDT

Great Blue Heron

In our session we will be exploring the traditional teachings around eels in the Mi'kmaw culture while weaving this knowledge together with cross-curricular outcomes from varying topics in science, math, language and social studies. This is meant to be a template for a fully developed unit that fits into a Land & Sea Based Learning Guide that can be adapted by teachers to fit their grade and specific classroom. The guide will be organized around the cultural activities, rather than the outcomes, in order to demonstrate how a land-based activity can bring together different topics and subjects in a way that makes more sense to learners. How to adapt the teachings and learning experiences to specific grades and school settings, as well as how to evaluate the learning experiences will also be discussed.

Speakers

Jennifer Sawlor

STEM Mentor, Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey

My name is Jen and I am a passionate educator, nature lover, and ally of Indigenous peoples and their teachings. In my 22 year education career, I have worked as a teacher in many different types of school systems in culturally diverse communities across Canada and the world. For... Read More →

Anika Braithwaite

Wagmatcookewey School - Wagmatcook First Nation

Anika is a dedicated, passionate teacher who goes above and beyond for her students. She's been actively pursuing professional development in areas like STEM and land-based learning for many years and is constantly working collaboratively with other educators to bring Indigenous ways... Read More →

Friday May 9, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm MDT
Great Blue Heron

Indigenous Ways of Knowing Workshop

3:15pm MDT

Bridging Land, Learning and Culture LIMITED

Friday May 9, 2025 3:15pm - 4:30pm MDT

Great Blue Heron

Experience a transformative approach to outdoor education that bridges Indigenous knowledge with cross-curricular learning. Developed in collaboration with land based leaders and educators, our Outdoor Education curriculum immerses students in activities like wildlife identification, tracking, traditional harvesting, and seasonal activities like wild rice gathering, trapping, and ice fishing. Through discussion, this workshop will guide participants through integrating these land-based practices with key academic subjects, including literacy, math, and science.

Participants will explore how to braid together outdoor education, traditional knowledge and curriculum expectations. They will discover how doing this can enrich students' learning, promote respect for Indigenous heritage, and empower educators to build meaningful connections between culture, community and the classroom.

This workshop is presented by outdoor educators Weslie, Daniel and Alysha-Lynn, who live and work in Lac Seul First Nation, Ontario.

Speakers

Alysha-Lynn Kooter

Lac Seul Education Authority - Lac Seul First Nation

With over three years of experience as an outdoor educator, I am dedicated to empowering both teachers and students to connect with nature in meaningful ways. Currently, I teach in Lac Seul First Nation in northwestern Ontario, on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek and Ojibwe... Read More →

Weslie Wabano

Lac Seul Education Authority - Lac Seul First Nation

"I am a land-based educator and Indigenous leader in our community, with over five years of experience teaching students the essential skills of hunting, fishing, and traditional knowledge. My connection to my culture drives my passion for sharing the wisdom and practices of Indigenous... Read More →

Daniel Bottle

Daniel Bottle, a proud member of Lac Seul First Nation, is an Indigenous educator and community leader with over five years of experience facilitating land-based learning in his community. With a focus on traditional teachings, Daniel guides students through hands-on experiences in... Read More →

Friday May 9, 2025 3:15pm - 4:30pm MDT
Great Blue Heron

Indigenous Ways of Knowing Workshop

9:45am MDT

Reconciliation resources for French language educators LIMITED

Saturday May 10, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am MDT

Great Blue Heron

Partie 1
Dans cet atelier, nous vous présenterons des ressources francophones pour aller à la rencontre des peuples autochtones. Ensemble, nous découvrirons des livres et des sites web afin de mieux tisser les savoirs autochtones dans notre pédagogie en nature dans un contexte francophone. Nous mettrons également à l'avant-plan des exemples d’occasions de collaboration qui découlent du fait d’être tous deux dans un contexte de minorité langagière.
In this workshop we will share different French-language resources to better weave indigenous knowledge into our outdoor learning in a francophone context. We will also highlight examples of collaborative opportunities between french speaking communities and indigenous communities that arise from both being in a minority-language context.

Speakers

Julie McLean

École élémentaire et secondaire publique Rivière Rideau, Child and Nature Alliance of Canada

Julie is a teacher who is passionate about outdoor education in all its forms. She currently teaches outdoor sciences and is the coordinator of a forest and nature school program in a Franco-Ontarian school where she coaches and mentors other educators in implementing this type of... Read More →

CYNTHIA LAPIERRE

Conseil de la Nation Huronne-Wendat

"Cynthia Lapierre yiatsih. Franco-Ontarienne chia' Wendat endi'. Yänionnyen' iwayitiohkou'tenh. My name is Cynthia Lapierre. I am Franco-Ontarienne and Wendat. I am Bear Clan. I have called many Lands home. I was born and raised on the traditional lands of the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek... Read More →

Saturday May 10, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am MDT
Great Blue Heron

Indigenous Ways of Knowing Workshop

Outdoor Learning Conference 2025