Workshops- Nature Education 101:From Conception to Birth

Workshop Description:

Caution! Those of you who are brave enough to join us for this workshop may experience longing and possibly get impregnated with a vision and a hope for a better future in the field of connecting children back to nature.

Discovery staff will share their experiences from the beginning stages of planning and through the labour pains of getting everyone on board, from staff, to parents, children and community businesses. We will unpack the daily life which occurred from planned to unplanned play experiences.

Our environment was vast, fresh and inviting for our children to move and grow in social emotional and physical skills. We all grew in resilience, meeting new challenges as they occurred. Our desire is to inspire others to take up the challenge by beginning with spending a whole day and then working towards 2 full weeks outside or more!  We believe that children are healthier and happier when they spend time outside, interacting with nature. Our story is unique and new. We’ll enjoy sharing about how wonderful our journey was with you and hope to hear some of your experiences.

Presenters:

Doris Storey–

Doris is an ECE2 who has worked in the field since 1990. Doris has been at Discovery Children’s centre since 2002 and is currently the supervisor of the Christian preschool program. Connecting children to nature has been a natural teaching approach from her long experience of living up in the Yukon Territory. She enjoys camping, fishing, hunting and playing board games with family and friends.

Anja Balharry is an ECE2 who has worked in the field since 1993. She has worked at Discovery Children’s centre since 1997 and is currently the supervisor of the Flex program. Anja enjoys incorporating nature into the daily experiences for children, indoors and out. She enjoys hiking, cooking and baking.