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- Autumn Reset: Fall Into Nature-Based Learning
Autumn Reset: Fall into Nature-Based Learning
Sat., October 3, 2026 from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education
Philadelphia, PA
Register today to reserve your spot!
About this Nature-Based Training
Join us again with our partners at Schuylkill Center in Philly for an exciting day of learning! Just when you need it most, this Autumn Reset will energize and inspire your practice! Packed with tips, tools, and strategies, you will walk away feeling empowered and ready to engage in nature-based learning and play.
Our Professional Learning Retreats bring together experts in the field of nature-based education to share ideas and practices with a variety of hands-on sessions. ANBE will provide a professional development certificate at the conclusion of the event which can be used in some states towards continuing education hours. Please check with your state department of education! Remember to dress for the weather, as most of this training takes place outdoors, rain or shine. Coffee/tea with lite breakfast and lunch is included, please bring your canteen for drinks throughout the day.
Note: We strive for zero waste during our training events; please bring your canteen for drinks.
This training is ideal for educators, caregivers, and others working with children in programs that prioritize nature-based experiences. Our participants work in all kinds of settings, from nature-based schools and forest kindergartens to public schools, traditional preschools, HeadStart programs, child care settings, and more.
Overview of Retreat Topics
- Science Inquiry
- Nature Art
- Documentation and Assessment
- Mindfulness and Forest Bathing
- Site Tour and programs overview of Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education
Workshop Descriptions
Beyond a Photograph: Methods for Documenting Nature-Based Learning
Monica Wiedel-Lubinski, Founder & Executive Director, ANBE
Documentation is a powerful way to capture and communicate children’s growth, creativity, and curiosity - especially when it comes to nature-based learning and play. This workshop explores practical approaches to document experiences using photos, journals, and logs, along with strategies that highlight children’s explorations, discoveries, and learning in natural environments. Drawing from examples in the presenter's book, Nature-Based Early Childhood Education, participants will discover a repertoire of tools that can help make learning visible, support planning and reflective teaching practices, and encourage family engagement, all while celebrating the wonder of nature play.
Nature Art - Fairy Houses
Melissa Sheppard, Star Child Nature School
Fairy houses bring magic and whimsy to any program (or home) and foster imaginative play and a connection
to your inner child. Using natural gathered materials participants will build beautiful rustic fairy houses to inspire and spark creativity. Come learn how to enjoy the process for yourself, and/or adapt as an artistic adventure for your students in your own program!
Relational Forest Bathing
Anisa George, Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Certified Guide
Inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, relational forest therapy, is a mindful experience that takes us out of our thinking brains and into our senses and the present moment. A trained guide will take you through a relaxing sequence of invitations to help you engage with the land. We will cover less than a mile, and the walk will not include strenuous activity. Unlike hiking, forest therapy is not a practice of exertion, but of slowing down and reconnecting. Participants will be standing and sitting for periods up to 20 minutes.
From Dip Nets to Deer Tracks, Using Nature as Our Science Lab
Emily Woodmansee, Bluestone Village
Get under logs, in the stream, and investigate rocks during this hands-on, immersive workshop. We'll use state and NextGen preschool science standards as our guide while we explore the natural world through experimentation, observation, and inquiry. Participants will come away with new ideas to implement right away to foster a love of science in their classroom, as well as gain personal nature knowledge.
Presenter Bios
Monica Wiedel-Lubinski (she/her), Executive Director of ANBE
Founder/cofounder of three nature preschool programs in Maryland and consultant to countless others starting forest and nature schools in the U.S. and abroad, Monica brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to help you jump-start your own nature-based program! She is the coauthor of award-winning Nature Play Workshop for Families (Quarto, 2020) and recently released Nature-Based Early Childhood Education (NAEYC, 2025). Monica earned a Bachelor’s degree in Art Educ. (K-12) and Master’s degree in Early Childhood Ed. from Towson University, Baltimore, MD and completed year-long graduate fellowship with UMBC/UMASS in 2024. Monica is deeply engaged in the Outdoor Preschool Licensing pilot, enacted in 2023 in Maryland as she advocates for more equitable access to nature-based education. She is a wife and mother of two and enjoys spending time in nature with her family.
Melissa Sheppard (she/her) - Founder of Star Child Nature School
Melissa is the founder and co-owner of Star Child Nature School in Burlington County NJ. She is a Level 3 ANBE Certified NBE and a Waldorf Certified ECE. As a child she was always outside. This fostered a love of the trees, the smell of the grass, the crispness of the cold and a reverence for the natural world. Melissa hopes to bring the joy and wonder she felt growing up in nature to the retreat and looks forward to creating together!
Emily Woodmansee (she/her) - Executive Director, Bluestone Village
Emily Woodmansee is a nature-based educator, naturalist, and play enthusiast. Her experience includes science and nature centers, day cares, private schools, wilderness immersion programs, ANBE, and founding her own Nature Playschool and Village Community. She spends her free time exploring and playing alongside her two daughters and husband in Bloomsburg, PA (Susquehannock land).
Anisa George (she/her) - Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Certified Guide
Anisa George is a Philly-based writer, educator, and arborist. She is a team member at Fernhill Food Forest and leads forest therapy walks throughout the greater Philadelphia region. Her written work focuses on the intersection of ecology and culture and has been published in the American Poetry Review, the Iowa Review, Emergence Magazine, Dark Mountain Books, Hopper Magazine, Root Quarterly, and Grid Magazine.
With special thanks to our longtime partners at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education and their nature preschool team!
Have questions? Email us at programs@anbe.org. Please note that all participants are required to complete this waiver during registration. Our refund policies are found here as well.