Summer Season & Memories of the In Bloom Conference
A few weekends ago we had had the distinct pleasure of attending the In Bloom Conference addressing promising practices in Nature-based Early Childhood Education in beautiful Brattleboro, Vermont. It was wonderful to be in community with so many other passionate people in such a bucolic environment. There were so many stimulating offerings including "Developing Literacy In Nature", teaching "Mindfulness" in the outdoors, "Connecting to the Natural World Through Imagination, Story and Movement" and much more! The morning and afternoon key notes were knowledgeable and generous enough to share their expertise with rest of us. Martin Besford of Highway Farm Educational Center, came all the way from the UK to report on his school and how it developed over the years with valuable input from both the participating children and the parents. Having the flexibility to co-create educational spaces and curriculum is a key quality of most outdoor programs. Then in the afternoon we heard from Amy Butler of North Branch Nature Center, who spoke of the myriad of ways outdoor learning opportunities fit into both the Common Core curriculum as well as STEAM. In Vermont, Amy has done a great job of partnering with public schools in order to extend their classrooms into the outdoors. We recommend following these trailblazers to stay informed as they will no doubt create more innovative additions to the educational landscape in the future.
For Upper Manhattan Forest Kids, we are grateful to be able to take on so many new tips and ideas into our own programming for our Summer Season that is now open for registration! We will be returning to both Central Park and Inwood Hill Park and would love to explore with you.
Upcoming FREE Introductions to our classes
Our one hour Introductions provide a overview of our classes. We take a brief walk, share a theme with an optional activity and enjoy child-led exploration. It's an opportunity to have your questions answered and experience briefly what's available for your child through our programming.
The upcoming dates require RSVPs so that we are able to notify you if a session is canceled due to weather or low attendance.
June 15 @ Inwood Hill Park— 10am-11am & 11am-12pm
June 16 @ Central Park, Up to 4 years class & "Young Explorers" — 11am-12pm &1-2pm
June 16 @ Inwood Hill Park— 10am-11am & 11am-12pm
June 19 @ Central Park — 10am-11am & 11am-12pm
June 22 @ Inwood Hill Park— 10am-11am & 11am-12pm
June 23 @ Central Park, Up to 4 years class & "Young Explorers" — 11am-12pm &1-2pm
June 23 @ Inwood Hill Park— 10am-11am & 11am-12pm
Please email us letting us know who's coming and please indicate the date, time and location.