Outdoor Learning Conference 2025: Full Schedule

Welcome to the 2025 Outdoor Learning Conference

11:00am MDT

Getting grounded with nature journaling LIMITED

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

Join us for a hands-on Creative Nature Journaling Workshop designed to spark curiosity, foster reflection, and enhance mindfulness. In this session, you will explore journaling routines inspired by Project Zero and John Muir Laws, combining observation, sketching, reflective writing, and watercolour painting. No prior art experience is needed—just a willingness to connect with nature and reflect creatively. This workshop will provide fresh ways to explore the natural world and inspire self-expression.

Through interactive stations, you’ll practice thinking routines and art techniques that help ignite curiosity and engage deeper thinking. You’ll leave with practical tools to enhance your own journaling, and ideas to inspire your learners to foster creativity. Also, you will gain valuable strategies to help learners better understand and interpret the world around them. Don’t miss this opportunity to nurture your creativity, well-being, and connection to nature!

Speakers

Alison Katzko

Katzko, Calgary Board of Education, and GEOEC (Global, Environmental, Outdoor Education Council of Alberta).

"Educator, artist and outdoor enthusiast, Alison Katzko currently teaches elementary students in Calgary, Canada. Alison is a watercolour artist and has done public art projects with the City of Calgary. She is also on the Executive Board of the Global, Environmental and Outdoor Education... Read More →

Carissa Esau

GEOEC/CBE

"Carissa Esau is a math, science, music and outdoor education teacher at a junior high school in Calgary, AB. She has been involved in a number of outdoor education programs including overnight programming, outdoor journaling and painting, climbing, rappelling and canoeing. In the... Read More →

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

Health and Wellbeing Workshop

2:00pm MDT

Playful Literacy Routines FULL

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

Wolf

Join Megan & Lisa to review effective and efficient literacy routines that build supportive relationships with people, place and Indigenous ways of knowing. We’ll build on participant experiences and expertise to consider how slow pedagogies, alongside pedagogies of place and play, can support structured literacy. Finally, we will reflect on our role as teachers when provisioning and curating texts, resources, and loose parts that support playful literacy outdoors. This workshop will be interactive and engaging for all participants, however this session will be best suited for school teachers with classroom experience teaching Language Arts K-7.

Speakers

Megan Zeni

Teacher Consultant, Provincial Outreach Program for the Early Years (POPEY)

Megan has over 25 years’ experience as a professional K-7 educator, is widely known for her expertise in school gardens and risky play at school and is currently employed as an Early Learning Teacher Consultant (locally with SD#38 as well as provincially with POPEY in BC). Megan... Read More →

Lisa Thomas

POPEY

Lisa Thomas is the Program Coordinator and a Teacher Consultant for the Provincial Outreach Program for the Early Years (POPEY), and has been with POPEY since its inception in 2014. She has 23 years of experience as a classroom teacher and teacher consultant in BC, and completed her... Read More →

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

Health and Wellbeing Workshop

3:15pm MDT

Moving from truth to living reconciliation : A settlers journey integrating Indigenous teachings into my life (both personal and professional) - bilingual materials provided (French & English) LIMITED

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

Wolf

Tansi / Hello (French description follows)

Please join me as I tell my story of learning about truth and then finding a way to live reconciliation as a settler educator. Let's learn to walk on this pathway together.

This session will be a heartfelt sharing of my candid journal entries and experiences as I embarked on my journey from Truth to lived reconciliation. Over the past 2 years, I have had a full transformation in my approach to life as I have learned to embrace the teachings of my new Sundance Society in Enoch, Alberta ( The Northern Buffalo Sundance Society) I have developed some very solid relationships over the process and bridged some divides ( both personally and with my new Indigenous brothers and sisters) as well as healed some deep personal wounds. It is an ever evolving journey and one that I hope by sharing will encourage others to cross the same bridge towards authentic and lived reconciliation.

I will also ask participants to join me in a talking circle activity that explores the 4 healings as they pertain to the Medicine Wheel and the 4 directions that I have learned and modified with the help of my Indigenous knowledge keeper friend ,the late Roderick Freeman ( High Flying Eagle) , into an ELA / FLA / CALM / HEALTH workshop to do with students. All materials will be provided as well as a link to my ressources so you can make use of it at your respective school sites or other groups.

I sincerely look forward to sharing my story with you all and to hearing your stories as well!

Tansi / Bonjour

Rejoignez-moi afin que je puisse raconter mon histoire vers la découverte de la vérité et mon voyage à trouver des moyens de vivre la réconciliation en tant qu'éducateur "colon".
Apprenons à marcher ensemble sur ce chemin!

La session comportera un partage d'extraits de mes journaux intimes ainsi que mes expériences le long de mon voyage de la Vérité envers une "réconciliation vécue". Ces 2 ans, j'ai eu une transformation complète dans mon approche à la vie à mesure que j'ai accepté les apprentissages du Northern Buffalo Sundance Society à Enoch, Alberta. J'ai développé des relations solides à travers ce temps et j'ai également bâti des ponts à travers certaines "fossés" ( personnelles ainsi qu'avec mes nouveaux confrères autochtones) puis guérit certaines vieilles cicatrices émotives. C'est un voyage en évolution constante et j'espère qu'en partageant, je puisse encourager d'autres à prendre le saut aussi entre vérité et "réconciliation vécue"

Il y aura aussi une activité en cercle qui explore les 4 guérissons associés avec le cercle d'influences et les 4 directions que j'ai développé avec l'aide de mon maintenant défunt bon ami et Gardien du Savoir Roderick Freeman ( High Flying Eagle). Les ressources s'appliquent pour un cours de santé ou de français et seront fournies ainsi qu'un lien aux copies numériques afin que vous puissiez vous en servir.

J'ai bien hâte de partager mon histoire avec vous et d'entendre les vôtres aussi !

Speakers

Marty McKeever

Marty McKeever is a settler who teaches at Paul Kane High School in Saint Albert, Alberta. He has been teaching French Immersion for 18 years and Wildlife for 5 years. He is an outdoor enthusiast who on weekends can be found hiking, fishing, camping or visiting the dog park with... Read More →

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

Indigenous Ways of Knowing Workshop, Indigenous Ways of Knowing

Outdoor Learning Conference 2025