About this event
Interested in connecting with fellow educators?
The Early Childhood Hoosiers Outdoors (ECHO) Network is designed to support education practitioners wanting to get students into outdoor learning settings. We meet on the second Monday of odd months at 4 pm by zoom.
Carla Gull will lead participants in a share out of natural play areas. Be ready to share quick and easy ideas that have been easy for you to implement, frustrations, how you are using the space, handling risky play, planning, storage, resources, etc. in your outdoor classrooms, more traditional playground embracing nature, natural play areas, temporary spaces, or use of the beyond. While Carla will have some suggestions and ideas, this session will be participatory, with a shared space to collaborate and explore what has been working (or not!) for you in your outdoor spaces! Carla has developed mobile and more permanent play spaces in the area, as well as consults on the topic with Nature Explore. Outdoor classrooms and natural play areas are one of her favorite tools for outdoor learning!
Bio: Carla Gull is the coordinator of the master of arts of environmental education program and associate professor at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College in northern Indiana. She has over 20 years of experience in the education field at the preschool, elementary, and college levels. Dr. Gull enjoys helping educators incorporate more nature in the everyday early childhood settings. She hosts a podcast, Loose Parts Nature Play; facilitates an international group, Loose Parts Play; and presents workshops, presentations, and academic research around loose parts, tree climbing, STEM, outdoor classrooms, and nature education. She is coauthor of the book, Loose Parts Learning in K-3 Classrooms, and the upcoming book, Loose Parts Alive! Inspiring Child-led Nature Explorations. She is the state coordinator for Indiana Children and Nature Network.
The purpose of this network includes:
- A group of peers: Connecting educators and administrators for support, guidance, encouragement, troubleshooting, etc.
- A common space for sharing resources and best practices
- Opportunities for professional development
- Shared advocacy and continuing education around nature-based programs
- Program observation
- and more!
The network was inspired by a surge of interest in program formats such as Nature Preschools, Forest Kindergartens, and Forest Schools; however, it is an inclusive group for those working with young children in any format. Our interests center on developmentally-appropriate educational opportunities for children in outdoor settings, whether in the woods, on the prairie, or in the schoolyard.
We want this network to be dynamic and responsive to emerging needs of participants. We encourage you to join us on this journey of mutual exploration and learning!
If you are interested in knowing more, sign up below to join. Participants will be added to a Google group to get email updates for monthly meeting times and to post question to others within the group. If you have previously registered for any other ECHO Network sessions, you do not need to register again as you will automatically receive the zoom link via the Google group.