Outdoor Education for Early Learners and Educator of the Year Awards

For many people, the most enriching place to learn is outside. The dynamic environments encountered in the outdoors can set the backdrop for profound learning at all levels. In the current age of COVID-19, the outdoor classroom is more essential than ever. Join us for a special webinar on outdoor education for our youngest students! 

Both the Roots Forest School in McCall, and the Idaho Botanical Garden in Boise offer robust outdoor learning opportunities for early learners. Educators from these iconic institutions will explain their philosophies and provide concrete ideas for how to thrive using the outdoors as your classroom. 

Through nature-based early childhood education, Roots Forest School fosters curiosity, community, and imagination to inspire stewardship and empower life-long learners. Current and former Roots educators Genny Gerke and Julia Welch will present on what forest school is, its history, and Roots Forest School's philosophy and practices. Roots Forest School is Idaho's first forest preschool, located in Ponderosa State Park in McCall where ample space and varied ecotones set the stage for innovative, emergent curriculum, and place-based/inquiry-based learning.

The Idaho Botanical Garden offers parent/child craft classes and natural history lessons, field trip experiences for Preschool- College groups, in-classroom presentations for preschools,  and morning camps for 4- 9 year-olds.

Educator of the Year Awards winners will be recognized during this event!

Schedule:

10am - Welcome from IdEEA's board President Tate Mason

10:05 - Educator of the Year Awards

10:15 - Outdoor Education for Early Learners with Genny Gerke, Julia Welch, and Elizabeth Dickey