Nature play for early childhood educators

Are you an early childhood educator looking to increase your knowledge and skills to connect children with nature through outdoor play and learning.

Join us for a free online professional learning workshop exploring:

• the benefits of immersive nature play
• opportunities for immersive nature play in your service and local area
• opportunities for nature play within the Australian EYLF & NQS
• links between nature play and sustainability.

The workshop will include

• case studies from early childhood practitioners who are taking children 'outside the gate' for nature play
• current research from early childhood academics
• project planning ideas to assist you to develop or enhance your nature play program
• practitioner focussed discussion groups to brainstorm ideas and challenges about your current (or future) nature play program.

To ensure the quality of the learning experience, we will encourage you to complete some pre-reading and provide evaluation feedback.

The workshop is delivered by the Australian Association for Environmental Education (NSW) and will be facilitated by Fran Hughes PhD., an experienced consultant and Early Childhood Education lecturer. Fran teaches at the University of New England and TAFE NSW, her current research interests include early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS), a nature sustainability nexus and new pedagogies in nature play. Fran has presented at international and national conferences on sustainability and nature play, convenes NSW Early Years Nature Connections group and published a new text, Early Years Learning in Australian Natural Environments in 2021.

This project has been assisted by the NSW Government through its Environmental Trust.