This four-part series features authors of Nature-Based Books to bring into your classroom! Each week meet a new author, experience their book read aloud, and hear how it can be used for activities within the classroom. Attend live and you will be apart of a drawing to win a free copy of the book featured that week! The book talks will meet on August 18th, September 22nd, October 27th, and November 17th. Read on for detailed descriptions of each session! 

A four (4) clock-hour certificate of completion will be issued at the conclusion of the course to any participants who attend all three sessions live. Check with your department of education to confirm if this course can be used toward continuing education hours in your state! 

SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

“I Love Nature School!” with Kyla Saphir

Monday, August 18th from 7-8 PM (EST) [1hr]

The shelves are full of "Back to School" books that take place in a traditional brick-and-mortar classroom, but what do you read to help transition your child into the new school year when their classroom is the great outdoors? Enter nature-educator and author, Kyla Saphir, with her book "I Love Nature School!" to provide a solution to this exact dilemma!

Join us for this webinar in which you will enjoy an exclusive interview with the author about how her experience as a nature educator inspired the book, get practical advice for helping children navigate start of the school year jitters, hear a read-aloud of "I Love Nature School!", engage in an open Q&A, and even have the opportunity to win a free*, signed copy of "I Love Nature School" for your own home or classroom library!

“Me and My Sit Spot” with Lauren MacLean

Monday, September 22nd from 7-8 PM (EST) [1hr]

Join author and educator Lauren MacLean for an engaging online webinar: Me and My Sit Spot. In this author talk, Lauren will read her book and share the story behind it, highlighting the importance of Sit Spots in fostering self-regulation, inclusion, and social-emotional learning. She’ll offer practical strategies for introducing and scaffolding Sit Spots in the classroom, with a focus on comfort, respect, and accessibility for all learners. The session will also explore how to weave curriculum connections and nature journaling into outdoor routines, helping students build deeper relationships with nature and with themselves.

“Inside of Me” with Jen Comeau

Monday, October 27th from 7-8 PM (EST) [1 hr]

Jennifer Comeau leads an interactive presentation that highlights the awe, wonder, and mental health magic that happen on the inside when we go outside. Incorporating a shared song with the lyrics from "The Inside of ME" and story-reading, participants then learn how to use this book in the classroom, and ways to present the important concepts of Exploring and Watching (The Explorer, The Observer) -- how both are important when connecting with the rest of the natural world (we are nature too) and the character traits required for each.

"Seeing Ourselves in Nature" with Jessica Fong 

Monday, November 17th from 7PM - 8PM (EST) [1hr]

In Seeing Ourselves in Nature, editor Jessica Fong asks how Black and Brown educators in the United States create space for predominantly Black and Brown children and families to reconnect to nature. Recognizing the scarcity of stories from people of the global majority in the predominately white literature surrounding nature education in the United States, Fong sought out thirteen other educators of color to share their rich and profound experiences with young children in nature. Sharing these stories is a first step in the long road to making nature education equitable for all children.

Featuring chapters by:

• Ashley Brailsford, Nashville, TN
• Kameeka Shirley, Dade City, FL
• Lotus Chaney, Atlanta, GA
• Ron Grady, New Orleans, LA
• Vanessa Miot, Atlanta, GA
• Alicia Garcia, Hillsborough, FL
• Pilar Carmina Gonzalez, Los Angeles, CA
• Ranita Anderson Dawkins, Durham, NC
• Courtney Newby, Seekonk, MA
• Deja L. Jones, Newark, NJ
• Suzette Salmon, Chicago, IL
• Jasmin Field, Edgewood, MD
• Jessica Fong, Chicago, IL
• Flor Villanueva-Winter, Chicago, IL

**Attending authors to this webinar to be announced soon!

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
This course is ideal for anyone who facilitates nature-based education and outdoor learning, which may include: teachers and administrators in preschool, childcare, or elementary school settings; naturalists, environmental educators, or outdoor educators; wilderness survival enthusiasts; and parents.

MEET YOUR PRESENTERS

Author of "I Love Nature School!" Kyla Saphir

Kyla Saphir is an avid nature lover, early childhood educator, yoga instructor, and postpartum doula. This is her second children’s book after On Brighter Days. She lives with her husband, daughter, and their crazy dog in Milwaukee, WI. When not busy writing children’s books, Kyla loves to travel the world with her family, ride her bike, and splash in Lake Michigan.

Author of "Me and My Sit Spot" - Lauren MacLean

Lauren MacLean is a primary teacher, author, and outdoor learning consultant. Her books—Me and My Sit Spot, Finding Common Ground, Risky Play Gone Away, and Sitting With Nature—celebrate curiosity, inclusion, and play in nature. She hosts the Teach Outdoors podcast, sharing practical tips and ideas to help educators take learning outside, build confidence, and inspire connection, wonder, and stewardship in children and adults.

Author of "Inside of Me" - Jennifer Comeau

Jennifer Comeau inspires humans to restore our sacred partnership with the rest of the natural world. Her Nautilus Gold-winning children’s book, “The Inside of ME” is a profound reminder of the magic that happens on the inside when we go outside. Her debut novel, A Moon in All Things, has been called “atmospheric and beguiling” by Kirkus Reviews, and her poems and essays are published in four anthologies. She has produced two albums of original music available on all streaming platforms. This former engineer now partners with OzGREEN, an award-winning non-profit bringing YOUth LEADing The World programs to Australia, Africa, and India. She resides in Kennebunkport, Maine, where she holds climate buoyancy workshops, hosts sacred circles, and runs a Wild Wonder Forest Bathing business.

*If you are unable to make a session, don't worry! We will record each session to share with all registered individuals.