Join us in Philadelphia for an engaging day of nature-based training. This retreat brings together experts in the field of nature-based early learning to share ideas and practices with a variety of interactive workshops to choose from. 

ANBE will provide a professional development certificate at the conclusion of the event. Please dress for the weather, as most of this training takes place outdoors, rain or shine. Coffee/tea with lite breakfast and lunch is included on Saturday, but remember your canteen for drinks throughout the day. 

Note: We strive for zero waste during our training events; please bring your canteen for drinks.

Who Should Attend?

This training is ideal for educators, caregivers, and others working with young children ages 2 to 8. 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.

Workshops and Descriptions

Plants: The Elders and Their Gifts 

with Jamie Coyle

This immersive experience into the world of the rooted ones will open our eyes to all the the plant people share with us human folk. In nature and in our modern lives, plants are the floor boards that hold us and our wild neighbors up in so many ways. In this workshop, we will learn and marvel at all the many ways the plant people always have and always will take care of us.

Documentation and Building on Children's Interests

with Rachel Schwartzman

We all take a million photographs of children engaged in their work, yet those photos rarely get shared in meaningful ways. Through a dedicated practice of reflection meetings with students, teachers can grow an emergent curriculum based on the children's own interests and discoveries. By sharing images of the children's actual experiences reflected back to them, teachers are able to deepen the children's connection to the curriculum and to each other. In this workshop we will learn tools to simplify this practice for teachers, and explore the range of curricular connections our photographs afford.

Storytelling

with Melissa Sheppard

Storytelling is a beautiful way to connect with children and fosters imagination and comprehension. Those who love to read do so because they can get lost in a good book, they are transported, images appear in their mind. Storytelling is the foundation. Using natural materials, felted animals, story stones or simply our voices we'll practice some ways to bring stories to life.

Math in Nature

with Andrea Manka

We will discuss how to utilize your natural surroundings to teach student-centered mathematics. Our conversation will help you determine the materials you need, and do not need, to teach math outdoors. We will discuss scaffolding lessons in nature. Finding a way to not just teach math outdoors, but to reveal the math in nature.

Guest Presenters

Jamie Coyle - Program Director of 4 Elements Earth Education

Jamie is a Program Director of the nonprofit organization 4 Elements Earth Education, and is based in Philadelphia, PA, USA - the traditional homeland of the Lenape People. Jamie works to offer programs for youth, teens, and families that introduce and expand upon 'earth skills' ; which are similar to survival skills, but instead of being used to 'survive' Nature they are used to enjoy and engage with it. It is from this philosophy, which Jamie has gained from his time learning from the Tracker School and other indigenous based teachers, that he shares what he is learning about topics. How do we utilize and nurture the gifts of the Earth for the wellbeing of current and future generations?

Rachel Schwartzman - Educational Consultant

Rachel Schwartzman is an educator with over 20 years of experience in progressive schools in Brooklyn and Philadelphia. Initially a classroom teacher for Pre-K to 2nd grade, she later focused on supporting teachers in nature-based education and the Reggio Emilia Approach. Rachel founded two Forest Days programs and a forest preschool, drawing inspiration from Reggio Emilia's materials-rich and play-based approaches and Sweden's outdoor learning environments. See images from some of Rachel's projects on Instagram at: @bbystudio and @forestdaysphilly

Andrea Manka - Outdoor Educator at Star Child Nature School

Andrea Manka, MSEd, is a mother of two and educator. She has taught students throughout their development from toddlerhood through grandparents. Andrea finds inspiration in the natural world and enjoys merging her curriculum and math background with nature. She is currently a 5-10 year old teacher in a fully outdoor nature school, Star Child Nature School in New Jersey.

Melissa Sheppard - Founder of Star Child Nature School

Melissa is the founder of Star Child Nature School located in Burlington County NJ. She started Star Child in 2017 and its name comes from a story she once told. Melissa has been teaching children 3-5 years old since 2000. After completed both her Waldorf Early Childhood Teacher Training and Lifeways North American Teacher Training she discovered ERAFANS and Nature Education. Melissa is a Level III Certified Nature-Based Educator through ERAFANS (ANBE) and is grateful for the opportunity to share stories with all of you at this ANBE teacher retreat!