Date/Time:

22/10/2019 - 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Event Categories:

• Early Childhood
• Professional Learning

Description:

When children spend time in nature, they engage all senses, learn to regulate their emotions, gain self-confidence and build resilience.

This master class will be facilitated by professional educators from Nature Play SA who are committed to and are experts in outdoor learning environments. This session will engage educators to share in practices that support deep learning in natural environments. As this is a master class, there will be an assumed level of knowledge and understanding and participants will be encouraged to consider and reflect upon their own site policies and processes to support learning in natural environments, including what outdoor learning is and why it matters.

Target Group

Early Childhood and Foundation Leaders, teachers and educators

Facilitators

Maria Taylor, Nature Play SA

Libby Worrell, AISSA

Venue

Wittunga Botanic Gardens

Focus

This session will address some of the barriers that can prevent children, families and educators from accessing nature play opportunities. We will explore effective strategies to better understand and overcome some of the physical, psychological and organisational challenges that can ‘get in the way’ when planning for authentic play-based outdoor experiences.

International and national research overwhelmingly concludes that natural play spaces provide children (and families) with meaningful and engaging learning environments. Creating such spaces that are rich in experience to meet the physical, social, cognitive and emotional development needs of all children is critical in early year settings and will be the learning focus for this master class.

Scope of Session

Educators will develop:

• A toolkit of opportunity (for carers, educators and others to ensure children maximise their experiences)
• Strategies to provide an inclusive curriculum for all students, to modify and adapt tasks and to make them meaningful and appropriate for every child
• Ways to create physical environments that are rich in opportunities for all students
• Understanding of the role of outdoor play in integrating and developing fundamental movement skills and supporting sensory integration.

Afternoon tea is included.

Participants will engage in practical activities as well as exploring theories and understandings. This session will also include a resource book to develop strategies and programs on site.

Registration for this event will incur a fee of $60.00 (GST inclusive) per participant.  This fee is invoiced after the event and is payable even if you do not attend on the day as the AISSA will still incur costs.  If notice of cancellation is received before 22/10/2019 the fee will be waived.

For all registration enquiries please contact Rae Dawkins