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AECEO Conference: Sharing our Knowledge on Outdoor Education in Urban Settings

May 12, 2023
LEF is proud to work with our partners at Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario for their webinar series and conference.
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Last year, LEF participated in the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario Listening to Land as Teacher Sharing Circle. In this four-part webinar series, Dr. Hopi Martin, Nicola Maguire, Katrina, Estey, Yanira Polanco, Dainna Fletcher, Michelle Trigiani, Iolanda Fanelli, Carla Viera, Shevaun Burrell, Masooma Akbari and Dina Makhlouf shared their journey of introducing Anishnaabe practices and protocols though a Seasonal Pedagogy. Participants heard about ways to connect children and families to the land in a wide variety of urban and rural contexts and how this work has impacted LEF as an organization.

Webinars were broadcasted live from the Wiigiwaam at Silverthorn Early Learning Earth Centre, as Hopi and the C&F team participated in four sharing circles and one conversation circle for Q&A to over 600 participants.

A group of people smiling at the camera and standing inside of a wiigiwaam.
On April 27-29, LEF educators participated in the Gallery presentations for the 2023 AECEO Provincial Conference titled We Raise Each Other Up.

 

Several educators developed a video that provided attendees the opportunity to learn how to connect with the land in urban settings by engaging with the four seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter) through a Seasonal Pedagogy approach. The intention was to focus on the importance of Land-based Learning and how children can develop deep connections to the land, as well as discuss practical tips for planning in an outdoor setting.

The LEF educators, Charleen Chumacera, Sandra Chavez, Shevaun Burrell, Simone Dublin, & Susan Remorin, created a video in the Wiigiwaam built by the LEF community with Dr. Hopi Martin Waabizheshi Oshkaabewis (Ojibwe Marten Clan Sacred Helper). In the video, titled Outdoor Education in Urban Settings, they shared their perspectives about implementing activities in an outdoor setting, elaborating on their experiences, and sharing challenges and successes moving through the Four Seasons.

 

View the presentation here!

 

For more information about the Seasonal Pedgogy approach, please visit https://edgeofthebush.ca/a-seasonal-pedagogy/

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