Take Me Outside
A small team of HWCCCC educators had the opportunity to attend the 2026 Outdoor Learning Conference at the beautiful Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Banff, hosted by Take Me Outside. The conference theme, “Place and Pedagogy: Where Learning Happens,” focused on Indigenous Ways of Knowing, Health & Wellbeing, and Environmental & Climate Change Education. We were proud to bring representation from all areas of HWCCCC, including an EarlyON educator, a preschool educator, a full-day Pedagogical Lead, a school-age Pedagogical Lead, and our Pedagogical Lead for nature-inspired practice. Having voices from each part of our organization allowed us to explore outdoor learning through many different lenses and think deeply about how these ideas can support all of our children and families.
This learning matters deeply to HWCCCC not only because we have made a commitment to hold Mother Earth as a teacher, but because we believe this is what children deserve. Children have a right to the outdoors—to spaces where they can move, explore, wonder, and build relationships with the natural world. As educators, we have a responsibility to protect those opportunities and to help children understand that we are connected to the earth and to all living things—we are not separate from it. Through that understanding, children develop a deeper sense of care, respect, and inspiration to protect and nurture the world around them. We want to empower educators to create meaningful outdoor experiences that make nature a central part of our pedagogy for the wellbeing of children today and for their future tomorrow.
Laura McDermid, RECE and Pedagogical Lead
Day 1 - of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Forest Play- Building our Knowledge and Connections with Nature Through the Lens of Fun!
A crowd of eager and curious outdoor enthusiasts, educators and advocates, gathered in a forest. A beautiful environment where many of our future learnings would take place over the next few days.
Dave Verhulst, director of Forest Play in Canmore, began our time together in song. The message… gratitude. Showing thanks and acknowledgement for the natural gifts around us and how we can all raise each other up. With each verse, a group of people that didn’t know each other began singing along with Dave. Our voices growing louder and more confident each time we paid recognition to a new living being. Starting the session like this, created a soothing sense of connection between the group members. Dave shared that this is how they set the intention for the day with their children at Forest Play.
Throughout our Forest Play experience Dave offered us practical and fun, activities and games that we can bring back to offer to our children and team members. Each game weaved together opportunities to learn about the natural beings around us, while also creating space for active play, gross motor movement, strategic thinking, communication and of course opportunities for joy, laughter and a bit of lighthearted tomfoolery.
After singing, playing some games and learning about weaving and rope making. Dave called us to think about how we plan for our children when we are in nature. He expressed how important it is for educators to have a plan for the day; “even if it gets abandoned.” Dave expressed that it is important to go in with intention, and this is how you are accountable to the individual child and energy needs of the group.
This next activity reminded us that we are not separate from nature but part of the ecosystem. He did this by bringing our awareness to our relationship to the sun and the seasons. As a collective, we reflected on how each phase of the sun, and the Season we are in, creates a different energy and feeling within us.
This prompted the idea of calling upon this understanding of the sun and how it affects our energy, to inspire how we approach our work with children.
How could we call upon this understanding to guide our daily routines and interactions?
How can intentionally choose the types of invitations we offer children based on their energy?
Little did we know Dave planned his entire workshop based on this archetype and it was a great way for us to reflect on how it felt and how it supported the energy needs of the group.
This was my first learning experience at the conference. It was a great indicator of the thoughtful learning experiences that would be offered to my colleagues and I over the next 3 days. Dave offered us concrete practices that we could implement right away, he left me thinking about our daily routines and our daily intentions for the children in our care. Lastly, it reaffirmed the importance of lifelong learning, fueling my passion and dedication to connecting children to the natural world in meaningful ways.
Rachel Ward, RECE and Pedagogical Lead
Resource Sharing:
Dave’s approaches to teaching in a forest program are inspired by the work:
Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature by Jon Young, Ellen Haas, and Evan McGown
The Coyote Mentoring model is an educational philosophy primarily detailed in the book. It focuses on inquiry-based, experiential learning rather than direct instruction. The approach uses storytelling, curiosity, and questioning to draw knowledge out of learners rather than forcing information in.
How to Intentionally Plan your Activities and Routines based on the Seasons and Phases of the Sun:
Day 2 - Banff
Day 2 in Banff began at 6:00 AM, standing on the peak of a sacred mountain as the sun broke over the Rockies. Watching the morning mist dance over the Bow River, we were struck by a profound sense of awe - a reminder that we are each a small but vital part of a much larger family of creation.
This morning's clarity set the perfect stage for our keynote speakers, who spoke to the heart of our mission as educators. Dr. Gillian Judson shared a powerful metaphor from Robin Wall Kimmerer: the idea of building "good soil" for the future.
Just as maple leaves don't just sit on the earth but become the soil through countless acts of decay and renewal, our work is not separate from the future. “We are the repository of those who came before us, and the garden for all that is yet to come.”
For our team from HWCCCC, this resonated deeply:
1. Gratitude for our Roots: We recognize that we stand on the shoulders of the dedicated educators who poured their love into the soil of our own learning.
2. Our Sacred Role: It is a true honour to pour the very best of ourselves - our kindness, joy, and passion - into the environment where our children grow.
3. Trusting the Seed: Soil doesn’t dictate what a seed becomes. Our children are already perfect seeds; our job is simply to nurture the soil so their unique gifts can flourish and shine.
We are leaving today with a renewed sense of hope, trusting in the "becoming" of a future we cannot yet imagine, but are so proud to support.
#BanffConference #OutdoorLeadershipConference#TakemeOutside
#Educators #RobinWallKimmerer #GillianJudson #BuildingGoodSoil #HWCCCC #LegacyOfLove #NatureBasedLearning
By Jackie Ryan and Elisabeth Han
Day 3
Throughout our journey here is Banff for the Outdoor Learning Conference, we noticed that many of the conversations centered around a topic near and dear to our hearts: inclusion, and what it truly looks like in outdoor education for all children.
One of the many wonderful workshops we both attended was called "Accessible Nature Practical Tools for Inclusive Outdoor Education".
During this session, we learned about both apparent and non-apparent barriers and has the opportunity to explore how these barriers can appear within our own outdoor learning context. We visited several prepared invitations where we used our "Identifying Potential Barriers " checklist to reflect on accessibility in outdoor spaces.
Throughout this activity, we examined whether universal design principles were being considered to support individual needs and considerations. It led us to reflect deeply on our own programs.
Are our environments compatible with assisted devices?
Are we considering al children, not just some?
Are some children more privileged than others in accessing outdoor experiences?
Are we creating spaces where every child can enjoy the natural world in all its beauty?
"When setting up provocations for my children. I now am thinking deeply about how to do it in a way that represents all the children in all the programs, allowing everyone to participate and be successful while considering all needs." Jessca Daw RECE
As we leave today, we are carrying home so much inspiration and new knowledge, not only for our own sites , but the whole organization as we continue to advocate and work together for all children ensuring every child has the right to outdoor nature exploration.
After watching Mac Walsh deliver his Ted Talk, we both left feeling emotional hearing how adaptive sports opened an world of possibility for him.
"What once felt out of reach became a space of confidence, connection , and community, reinforcing that access is not lowering expectations, but about removing barriers and building environments where everyone can thrive"
That is what all children and educators deserve at HWCCCC.
By Drazena Hildago and Jessica Daw
