Session Preview
We are thrilled to host a record number of sessions at this year's virtual conference! Browse a list of on-demand, poster, and live interactive sessions below, all included with your conference registration.
Please note that the schedule is subject to change and keep in mind that we're adding new information regularly. The schedule for the live event will be posted in the coming weeks.
Click below to jump to specific subsections:
On-Demand Sessions:
On-demand sessions are 30-60 minute pre-recorded video presentations on a variety of topics. Enjoy access to these sessions 24-hours a day, beginning Monday, July 27.
SPARK! Integrating our Nature Preschool into a Support Program for People with Alzheimer's
Presenters: Catherine Koons-Hubbard, Lisa Randerson, Colette Jarvela-Kuhnen
The Wonder Wall: Making Learning and All Learners Visible
Presenter: Brooke Larm
Educating for Sustainability in Early Childhood
Presenter: Sarah Bethel
Two Great Ways to Boost Enrollment
Presenter: Jeffrey Kontur
Sowing SEEDS: Preservice Teachers and Young Children as the SEEDS of Change
Presenter: Julia Robinson
Nature Art: Awaken, Nourish, and Create Outdoors
Presenter: Victoria Hackett
Children as Change Agents: Supporting Early Advocacy for Natural Environments
Presenters: Rachel Konerman, Tisha Luthy, Victoria Carr, Sue Elliot
A Compassionate Approach to Conflict Resolution in Nature Education
Presenters: Takako Kono, Yinan Lu
Community Gardening and Nature-Based Learning
Presenter: Jim Embry
Urban Nature: Settings for Exploration, Learning, and Play
Presenter: Lesley Romanoff
Nature Play at Home
Presenter: Adrienne Sedlak
Storytelling, STEM, and Simple Machines in Outdoor Classrooms
Presenter: Carla Gull
Using Nature to Support Young Children Affected by Trauma
Presenters: Diona Williams, Sylvia Collazo
Strategies and Benefits of Farm-to-Early-Education
Presenter: Jed Norris
More Than a Tomato Plant: A Garden for Every Child
Presenters: Sandra Duncan, Clare Nugent
Answering the Frequently Asked Questions of Starting a School
Presenters: Rachel Larimore, David Catlin
"Yes, Virginia, You Can Take Infants Outside in Winter"
Presenters: Emily Woodmansee, Tiffany Cartier
Free Forest School: Letting Kids Be Kids, Outdoors
Presenters: Katie Krause, Anna Sharratt
The Outdoor Classroom at Green Bay School and How It Benefits Students of All Abilities
Presenter: Mirela Vesa
Stories That Spark: Speculative Fiction in the Forest
Presenters: Anna Jennerjohn, Jen Heyer
Junior Nature Explorers: Developing Environmental Stewardship in Preschoolers
Presenters: Rachel Patton, Priyanka Parekh
Soak up More than Sunshine: Nature Walks Year-Round that Tickle Curiosity and Drive Curriculum
Presenters: Johanna Booth-Miner, David Miner
Teaching with Natural Materials
Presenter: Nicole Corbo
Risk and the Image of the Child
Presenters: Amanda Crawford, Christina Davis
Seeding Traditional Teacher Preparation Courses with Nature-Based Pedagogy: A Practical Workshop for Nurturing Systemic Change
Presenter: Sarah Foglesong
Forest Preschool Rooted in Montessori Traditions
Presenter: Kate Connolly
Tell a Story, Make It One for the Ages
Presenter: Cassandra Louise Ellis
Exploring Peer Conflict during Indoor and Outdoor Free Play in a Nature-Based Preschool
Presenters: Annette Pic, Myae Han
Poster Sessions
Poster sessions include a variety of downloadable resources—such as research posters, slides, handouts, short videos, and more—related to a specific topic. Poster sessions can be viewed on-demand beginning Monday, July 27.
Investigating the Development of Executive Function Skills in Nature-Based and Non-Nature Preschool Classrooms
Presenters: Ashlyn Teather, Julie Ernst
Nature Playscapes in ECE: Results from a Multi-Year NSF Research in Service to Practice Study
Presenters: Victoria Carr, Heidi Kloos, Rhonda Brown, Catherine Maltbie, Leslie Kochanowski, Sue Schlembach, Ann Rossmiller, Yuchang Yuan, Wen Zeng, Rachel Lindbergh, Rachel Konerman
Academic Outcomes from Nature-Based Kindergarten and First Grade Classrooms
Presenter: Arianna Pikus
Parent Engagement in Nature- and Play-Based Programs
Presenters: Veronica Nieto, Maricela Martinez
Creative Ways to Serve Underserved Children with Nature Preschool
Presenters: Maggie Johnston, Julie Camp
Playing with the Element of Fire: How to Incorporate Fire in Your Nature-Based Early Learning Environment
Presenter: Kathy Osborne
Exploring How Imaginative Outdoor Play Fosters Emergent Writing and Drawing Skills
Presenter: Katelyn Raby
Naturally STEAM
Presenter: Carlene Murray
For the Love of Learning Outside—The Power of a Story
Presenter: Sibyl Maer-Fillo
Green Teacher: Joy of Teaching Everyday and Every Way
Presenter: Virendra Rawat
Improving Program Quality through Mindfulness
Presenter: Ellen Hamilton-Ford
The Outdoor Classroom: Making It a Reality
Presenters: Cynthia Burnett, Kelsey Beagle
Re-story-ation: Storying the Aliveness of Space
Presenter: Jules Hepp
Learning through the Wonders of Nature
Presenter: Sarah Roberts
How Nature Cultivates Fulfilment in Children
Presenter: Lukas Ritson
Digital Habitats: Developing Empathy with Worms, Each Other, and Our World
Presenter: Michelle Domingues, Christine Sanchez
Empowering Children through Risky Play
Presenter: Heidi Reed
Informal Nature-Based Learning
Presenter: Kathryn J. Andrews
Affordances in Nature-Focused Play Spaces: Supporting Cooperative Play in Early STEM Learning
Presenter: Yuchang Yuan
“Why're You Keep Looking at the Map?” “’Cause I Am Going Somewhere!”: Children’s Explorations of Literacy in Nature Playscapes
Presenter: Sara Gusler
Introducing Sustainability to Young Children: A Research-Based Perspective
Presenter: Lyn Schaefer
An Early Childhood Outdoor Lesson Guide
Presenters: Lauren Illiano, Jennifer Gallo-Fox
Nature/Forest-Based Kindergarten in China
Presenter: Yuanchun Ren
Examining the Impact of a Professional Development Training Package on Nature-Based Teaching Strategies for Educators of Young Children with Disabilities
Presenter: Sylvia Collazo
Look Who's Hatching: Introducing Emergent Curriculum through Hatching Eggs
Presenter: Katie Krause
Interactive Live Sessions
Live sessions are 30-45 minutes in length and include facilitated discussion, Q&A, small-group discussion, and other interactive elements. Live sessions will begin on Wednesday, July 29. Following the live event, recordings of live sessions will be made available for one year, until July 2021.
Nature-Based Early Learning Research Collaboratives
Presenters: Sue Elliott, EdD, Dr. Victoria Carr, and Patty Born, EdD
“Kahaniya”—Storytelling for Change: Sharing Case Studies for Promoting Inclusive and Anti-Biased Approaches in an Innovative Early Childhood Learning Programme
Presenter: Archana Panicker
Nature-Based Practice, a Right for Every Child but How?
Presenter: Niki Buchan
Here’s to You! Puppet Plays, Nature, and Anti-Bias Education
Presenters: Julia Robinson, Ashley Kramer, Margaret (Tad) Liechty
Fire Pit Safety for Outdoor Early Educators
Presenters: Jason Hamzy, Lee Hamzy
Turning School Inside Out
Presenters: Liza Lowe, Ellen Doris
“Scientists Don’t Say ‘Ew!’”: Helping Young Children Explore Plants, Animals, and Insects That Are Overlooked, Undesirable, or Otherwise “Gross”
Presenters: Leigh Ann Fish, Patti Bailie
A Post-Human Perspective on Child-Animal Encounters
Presenters: Elizabeth Boileau, Patty Born Selly
Equity and Inclusion in Outdoor Learning with Diverse Communities
Presenter: Jill Shashaty
Unlocking the Potential: Using Digital Training Modules to Promote Best Practices in Nature-Based Learning Environments
Presenters: Rachel Konerman, Sue Schlembach, Victoria Carr, Yuchang (Claire) Yuan, Ann Rossmiller, Leslie Kochanowski
Attitude of Gratitude
Presenter: Rebecca Maglischo
Starting from (Almost) Scratch: Founding an Equitable and Accessible Nature-Based Preschool in the City
Presenters: Alyson Quinn, Sheila Williams Ridge
Practical Planning and Endless Imagination: Planning Your Outdoor Classroom
Presenter: Edward L. Melvin
Minnesota's Nature Endorsement for Early Childhood Programs
Presenters: Jenny Hanlon, Anna Dutke, Heidi Faris
Tales From The Trail
Presenter: Peter Dargatz
Working with Puppets: A Guide to Puppets and Inquiry
Presenter: Emilie Hanson
Earning Federal Recognition for Your Sustainable Early Learning
Presenters: Andrea Falken, Ilya Eydelman, Maggie Johnston, Catherine Koons Hubbard
The Therapeutic Benefits of Nature for Children
Presenter: Jenny Hanlon
Inclusive Forest Preschool
Presenter: Vanessa Moriarty
Bees Attacking, Mouse Nest Finds, Snakes Inside: Undergrads’ Fears Conquered through Mindfulness
Presenter: Katie Pollock, Laura Morris
Magic Is in the Mess
Presenters: Melissa Sabo, Anne Horne
Outdoors with All Kids: Garnering Administrative Support for Nature-Based Programs
Presenter: Marie Robinson
Once upon a Time: Why and How to Use Oral Storytelling in Your Preschool Classroom
Presenter: Kaitlin Erpestad
A Panel Discussion on Integrating Environmental Education Pedagogy into Early Childhood Teacher Preparation
Presenters: Sylvia Collazo, Sarah Foglesong, Patti Bailie
Advocacy through Storytelling
Presenter: Nicole Corbo
Playing in Nature When the World Is on Fire: Seeing, Listening, and Responding to Young Children and Families in a Time of Climate Crisis
Presenters: Jill Canelli, Patty Born Selly
Starting the Conversation: Anti-Racist Early Childhood Education in the Outdoors
Presenter: Lindie Keaton
George Washington Carver and the Nature Study Movement and Its Relevance Today
Presenter: Jim Embry
Play Potential of Natural Loose Parts: Creative Play in Formal and Informal Settings
Presenter: Carmen Rietta
Birds and Birdhouses with Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Preservice Teachers in a Laboratory School
Presenters: Jennifer Gallo-Fox, Katrina Pollock, Deborah Torbert, Susan Lewis
Safety and Healthy Risk-Taking in Nature-Based Education: Q&A
Presenters: Anne Stires and Amy Butler
"Oh the Stories We Will Tell”: Children and Nature Growing and Learning Together
Presenters: Natalie E. Reder, Jen Dennison, Tina Spaulding
The Sky Will NOT Fall: How One Early Childhood Program Socialized Chicken Little
Presenters: Andrea Sambrook, Maeghan Booska
"Trees Can Talk Too You Know, Just Different Than You and Me"—Storytelling Incorporating Plants with Personality
Presenter: Liz Boyle
Adding the Nature to Nature Play
Presenters: Bev Walborn, Natalie Schroder
Stick Play: The Power of Imagination
Presenter: Adrienne Hofmann
Planting Seeds of Social Change through Nature-Based Learning
Presenter: Cheryl Ryan
Past-Present-Future: Regional Associations and Their Role in Our Growing Communities
Presenters: Curtis Ludwig, Kit Harrington, Megan Gessler, Liza Lowe
Little Trees of Life: Bible Texts for Nature Education in Early Childhood
Presenter: Elyssa Austerklein
Early Literacy Benefits of Nature-Based Learning
Presenter: Anna Jennerjohn
The Joys of Farm-to-School: How to Implement Fun Indoor and Outdoor Activities that Instill Healthy Habits and Environmental Stewardship
Presenter: Andrea Zoppo
Surprising Soil Secrets
Presenters: Linda Pettit, Amy Tressler
Teaching and Learning in a Nature Preschool
Presenters: Jennifer Gallo-Fox, Susan Lewis, Katrina Pollock
Early Science Learning: Using Outdoor Environments to Engage Children
Presenter: Meg Gravil
The Effect of Access to Greenspace on the Occurrence of Outdoor Play for Children’s Physical and Mental Health Outcomes
Presenter: Kelley Prendergast
The Story of Vermont Forest Days
Presenter: Eliza Minnucci
Resilience Planning: A Story of How We Prepared for the Worst So We Can Enjoy the Rest
Presenters: Rebecca P Hackett-Levy, Josie Shabbit
How to Nap in the Grass
Presenter: Bailey O'Reilly
Animal Architects: Using Nature's Builders to Teach STEAM
Presenter: Julie Travaglini