Workshops & Teacher Training

Outdoors is a classroom, nature is our teacher

Let Naturelovers come and inspire your educators to use available garden or outdoor areas for engaging student learning, STEAM and inquiry. Suits general studies or specialist teachers, mainstream or IB schools and kitchen garden facilitators.

Half day ($300) or full day ($800) workshops

I show you ways to use the outdoors to teach STEAM (Science, technology, engineering, arts, maths), English literacy, second languages, mindfulness, social studies, physical and social well being, the core sciences (geology, biology, ecology, chemistry and physics), and sustainability. Deeper learning occurs when it is meaningful and reinforced/connected​ across all subject areas. The school garden is a great resource of events which are occurring in the child’s immediate environment such as WIND, SEASON, RAIN, animal HATCHING and MIGRATION, and we can scientifically observe and celebrate these as Kulin nations did.

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Naturelovers can help your educators plan units which both connect to the local environment and reflect your schools philosophy, curriculum overlays, and cultural backgrounds of your students. For example, exploring the immediate natural world we can connect to PYP core principles of collaboration, responsibility, reflection, etc., and promote attitudes of curiosity, empathy, respect, tolerance, appreciation and more. The constant changes and cycles of nature are ideal for inquiry learning and the concept-driven curriculum of IB schools. Big Concepts such as perspective, change, form, function, responsibility are readily explorable. Exploring nature can help children develop the skills required for thinking, research, communication, self-management, and social skills.