Outdoor Learning Conference 2026 has ended

Outdoor Learning Conference 2026

Welcome to the 2026 Outdoor Learning Conference

7:59am MDT

Pre-Conference Field Experiences (Optional) Various Locations - Check Individual Session

8:30am MDT

Big Boat - Big Fun! Canadian Rockies Outdoor Learning Centre Voyageur Canoeing Session (Additional Fee) Jenny Belzberg Theatre (Bus Loop)Colleen Lee • Pete Prescesky Outdoor Learning 101 - Fire building, Outdoor Cooking, Maps and Compasses, and more! (Additional Fee) Jenny Belzberg Theatre (Bus Loop)Braeden Kelly Grounded Beginnings: A Pre-Conference Hike at Îyâ Mnathka (Additional Fee) Jenny Belzberg Theatre (Bus Loop)Vicki Perkins • Andrea Barnes

9:00am MDT

Adaptive Equipment Showcase: Expanding Access to Outdoor Learning Outside Kinnear Centre Front DoorRocky Mountain Adaptive Bridging Nature and Innovation: Engaging with the Land Through Birds,Technology, and Art Kinnear Centre - Raven SignSarah Wagner Forest Play Kinnear Centre - Cougar SignDave Verhulst LAND AND ART: Created to Create 205George Woodhouse Land as a Storyteller: Banff Townsite Hike Kinnear Centre - Moose SignAdam Robb • Daryl Kootenay • Adam Mertens • Warren Lake • Mark Westman Making Nature Awareness Bracelets and cordage from Cattails - If trees are the lungs of the planet, then wetlands are its kidneys- Building student awareness of wetlands Kinnear Centre - Owl SignPerry Kulmatyski Wading into Water Health: A Hands-On Macroinvertebrate Field Experience Kinnear Centre - Otter SignMaxine Koskie • Billie Jo Reid Wellness Forest Bathing Walk Kinnear Centre - Bear SignChris Jenik Beading is Medicine (Additional Fee) 201 (Indoor Space)Theresa Westhaver Mountain Biking with Bikescape! (Additional Fee - Special Conference Rate) Banff Centre AmphitheatreCoach Clare Conference Registration Kinnear Centre

10:30am MDT

Grounding in the Rockies - A Nature Immersion Wellness Workshop Kinnear Centre - Chickadee SignChristine Lynes

11:30am MDT

Author Signing with Launa Purcell & Leona Prince Outdoor Learning School & Store Exhibitor BoothLauna Purcell • Leona Prince

1:00pm MDT

Welcome and Conference Opening Kinnear CentreAnn Fox

1:30pm MDT

Slow Networking - Plenary Icebreaker Kinnear Centre

2:00pm MDT

Indigenous Ways of Knowing Keynote Kinnear CentreLeona Prince

2:45pm MDT

Break Kinnear Centre

3:14pm MDT

Workshop Session A Kinnear Centre

3:15pm MDT

Beyond Access: Framing Outdoor Equity Through Daily Practice and Systemic Action CoyoteAllison Martin Designing a living corner: Where nature and learning thrive SnailSamantha Casey Going Beyond “Nature Connection” – Building a Robust Framework for Your Outdoor Learning Practice RavenAnissah Rajpatee • Devin Mutić Investigating Mathematics Outdoors: Connecting Mathematics to Place, Community, and Story RaccoonJanice Novakowski Literacy That Connects: Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction in Outdoor Spaces ToadDr. Rachel Tidd Mapping as Story: Place, Play and Perspective in Outdoor Learning CougarDaniel Burton Scaling Nature: Harnessing Humor, Hope and Data to Re-Nature our Schools, Regenerate Soil Health, Restore Immune Systems and Replenish Joy Great Blue HeronAdam Bienenstock Spaceship Earth BearJulie Bolduc-Duval STEM from Here: Growing Future Educators in Parks SquirrelDanielle Marie Starks • Kara Mackey Bringing Back the Community Walk Kinnear Patio Firepit 1Janice Hagan From Anxiety to Action: EcoAnxiety as a Tool for Action OtterAmy Thompson Outdoor Play, Naturally BeaverRochellie Lywin THE COST OF SILENCE: How Our Childhood Narratives Shape Our Presence as Educators KingfisherTIKA Thinking in Pictures Outdoors: Graphic Facilitation and Visual Learning 201 (Indoor Space)Marie Bartlett When the Land Speaks: Slowing Down to Listen, Feel and Connect OwlVicki Perkins Indigenous Mindfulness in the Classroom DeerSherelle Anderson • Launa Purcell La Petite Robe Rouge : écouter, comprendre, agir pour le changement : Découvrez comment le récit, le dialogue et les activités créatives peuvent inspirer la compassion et encourager l’action en faveur de la justice ChickadeeJulie Gagnon • Julie Pellissier-Lush Land Based Education Guide ButterflyNaomi Marchand Math Lives Here: Exploring Shape, Space, and Story on the Land TurtleJeff Cappo • Amanda Brace Traditional Games in the Classroom EagleLamarr Oksasikewiyin Ways of the Bison: learning from tatâga through a two-eyed seeing perspective BeeHeidi Widmer • Tracey Stevens

4:30pm MDT

Author Signing with Lauren MacLean & Megan Zeni Outdoor Learning School & Store Exhibitor BoothLauren Maclean Afternoon Social and Exhibitor Fair Kinnear Centre

5:29pm MDT

Dinner at Vistas (Included with Registration) - Please sign up for your preferred dinner sitting Vistas Dining Room

5:30pm MDT

Dinner at Vistas (Included with Registration) - Group 1 Vistas Dining Room

5:50pm MDT

Dinner at Vistas (Included with Registration) - Group 2 Vistas Dining Room

6:10pm MDT

Dinner at Vistas (Included with Registration) - Group 3 Vistas Dining Room

6:20pm MDT

Dinner at Vistas (Included with Registration) - Group 4 Vistas Dining Room

7:30pm MDT

TEDStyle Talks Kinnear CentreAbhay Sachal • Patricia Wilson • Mac Walsh • Grant Linney • Joe Pierre

8:29pm MDT

Thursday Night Social Events Kinnear Centre

8:30pm MDT

60 min Gentle Movement & Mindfulness Session 205Heidi Davis • Ann Fox Fireside Smores Chickadee Indigenous Storytelling Kinnear Patio Firepit 1Launa Purcell • Sherelle Anderson Mingle at MacLab MacLab Bistro

9:00pm MDT

Outdoor Learning Movie Night (Including free popcorn!) 201 (Indoor Space)Isobel Phoebus • Ching Yu

6:00am MDT

Sacred Buffalo (Tunnel) Mountain Hike *Unguided* Tunnel Mountain Trailhead (Lower Parking Area)

6:30am MDT

60 min Gentle Movement & Mindfulness Session 205Heidi Davis • Ann Fox

7:30am MDT

Breakfast at Vistas (included in registration) Vistas Dining Room

8:00am MDT

Author Signing with Rachel Tidd & Jacob Rodenburg Outdoor Learning School & Store Exhibitor BoothJacob Rodenburg • Dr. Rachel Tidd

8:45am MDT

Morning Gratitude Kinnear CentreAnn Fox

9:00am MDT

Environmental Learning Keynotes Kinnear CentreDr. Gillian Judson • elin kelsey

10:00am MDT

Author Signing with Court Rustemeyer & Gillian Judson Outdoor Learning School & Store Exhibitor BoothDr. Gillian Judson • Court Rustemeyer Break + Reflection Kinnear Centre

10:59am MDT

Workshop Session B Kinnear Centre

11:00am MDT

Being Grizzly - AKA Resilience and the Art of Torpor BearSheri Tarrington Bricks, Branches & Big Ideas: Building a Foundation for Outdoor Learning DeerAndrea Barnes Connecting to Place through Literacy BeaverFrances McCoubrey Doing Ecoliteracy by Animating the Language BeeBridget McClarty • Saba Madarwala How Food Can Connect us to Climate and Place ToadElla Walmsley • Megan Wyntjes Scavenger Hunts, Compass Courses, Maps and More: engaging your students with curriculum-connected outdoor exploration OwlColleen Lee • Braeden Kelly Stories that Root Us: Picture Books for Environmental Learning OtterLauren Maclean What is Environmental Learning? Great Blue HeronAlisa Paul • Nick Townley Building Outdoor Routines That Help ADHD Learners Thrive CougarTim Grivois Connecting and Collaborating with colleagues around Outdoor Learning EagleDr. Fiona Watkins Grounding Education within the Health Professions through Connection with Land: Land-Based-Pedagogy towards Wholistic and Interconnected Care. RavenAngela Mashford-Pringle • Lynn Henderson If I had a Hammer: Woodworking with Young Children Kinnear Patio Firepit 2Jill Bienenstock Language Arts in Nature: Enhancing Time Outdoors Using Literacy Skills ButterflyDavid Burtt Rooted Renewal: Sustaining the Energy to Teach and Thrive MooseLeah Smith Sensory explorations in the forest SnailBraidi Locke • Cori Klassen Stories with the Land - Shared with Fire ChickadeeJade Berrill • Izzeddin Hawamda Indigenous Ways of Knowing: connecting traditional harvesting teachings to Indigenous Games delivery in your classroom RaccoonTerry Lakey Learning From the Land: Dene Ways of Knowing SquirrelAshton Janvier • Britney Macdonald Par où commencer: trucs et idées pour enseigner à l’extérieur TurtleKarine Cere • Marie-Pascale Brown Shared Roots, Different Branches: Interconnected Histories of Survival and Resistance CoyoteMelissa Stacey • Bobbie Jo Lovell The Kapabamayak Achaak Healing Forest, a sacred outdoor space for learning and healing Porcupine The Waivers We Are Not Signing: Risk, Responsibility, and Decolonizing Our Approaches to Outdoor Learning 201 (Indoor Space)Dr. Sarah Brown • Dr. Lindy Henderson Traditional Games in the Classroom Kinnear Patio Firepit 1Lamarr Oksasikewiyin

12:14pm MDT

Lunch at Vistas - Please register for your preferred lunch sitting Vistas Dining Room

12:15pm MDT

Lunch at Vistas - Group 1 Vistas Dining Room

12:30pm MDT

Lunch at Vistas - Group 2 Vistas Dining Room

12:45pm MDT

Lunch at Vistas - Group 3 Vistas Dining Room

1:00pm MDT

Author Signing with Julie Gagnon & Julie Pellissier-Lush Outdoor Learning School & Store Exhibitor BoothJulie Gagnon • Julie Pellissier-Lush

1:59pm MDT

Workshop Session C Kinnear Centre

2:00pm MDT

Building Climate and Water Literacy: Project WET Canada Certification Workshop OtterMaxine Koskie • Billie Jo Reid Caribou and the Classroom - Bringing Wildlife Education to Life! CoyoteNatalie Graveline How to fall in love with a tree (and why we should!) CougarDr. Jenellen Good Learning by Nature: Transforming School Grounds for Health, Conservation, and Education ButterflyLaura Hergott Rooted in Learning: Connecting Students to Forests with Project Learning Tree Canada 201 (Indoor Space)Jenna Forslund Seasonal Storytelling: Building Early Literacy Through Nature-Based Play SnailJill Jennings See, Think, Write Outdoors: Using journaling strategies to reveal curricular connections Great Blue HeronSarah Ketcheson Stepping Outside for Change: Outdoor Learning to Build Environmental Agency TurtleDr. Stephanie Doyle • Ruthie Stutely Teaching Environmental Histories: Student inquiries on sustainability, community, and climate resilience. OwlGlen Thielmann The Craft of Fire: Traditional Techniques for Modern Educators ChickadeeJacob Rodenburg The Science Behind the Stewardship Superpowers Your Students Already Have: Learn simple, science-backed strategies to help students take meaningful action BeeDr. Rosanna Ruiz • Amanda Dworak Rowland Class Dismissed (to the Outdoors!) EagleCourt Rustemeyer Discussing Disability Outdoors – A SPROUTable World Café Kinnear Patio Firepit 1Alessia Capone • Amy JoSmith Embracing The Great Wide Open: Building Teacher Capacity Outdoors RavenSarah Patterson • Tanya Woods • Rachel Irwin Exploring access to nature for wellbeing using photography to engage youth in community action and experiential learning RaccoonAgustina Cohen • Dr Son Truong Taking Math Outdoors SquirrelJosee Hache The Place Teaches ToadCrystalDawn Langton • Sari small Indigenous Mindfulness in the Classroom DeerSherelle Anderson • Launa Purcell Indigenous Ways of Knowing: connecting traditional harvesting teachings to Indigenous Games delivery in your classroom BeaverTerry Lakey Swampy Cree Total Physical Response (TPR) Moswa-moose teachings MooseLaura Chaboyer • Mika Carriere The Little Red Dress: Listening, Understanding, Acting for Change - Discover how storytelling, discussion, and creative activities can inspire compassion and action toward justice. (English) PorcupineJulie Gagnon • Julie Pellissier-Lush The Waivers We Are Not Signing: Risk, Responsibility, and Decolonizing Our Approaches to Outdoor Learning BearDr. Lindy Henderson • Dr. Sarah Brown Walking With Story: Integrating Indigenous Literature, Foraging, and Outdoor Science Inquiry Outside Kinnear Centre Front DoorAmy Miller • Stefanie Onieal Ways of the Bison: learning from tatâga through a two-eyed seeing perspective KingfisherHeidi Widmer • Tracey Stevens

3:15pm MDT

Break Kinnear Centre

3:29pm MDT

Workshop Session D Kinnear Centre

3:30pm MDT

OUT of the rut and INTO the Outdoors: Practical Lessons for Real Learning RaccoonColleen Kiselyk Climate Change Learning: Moving from Anxiety to Agency SnailDawn Deydey Experiencing Outdoor Magic: A First and Essential Step to Addressing Climate Change 201 (Indoor Space)Grant Linney From Pages to the Forest: Connecting Curriculum, Nature and Curiosity in Upper Elementary SquirrelKelly Fahey From Passion to Action : Inspiring Environmental Science Careers through Experiential Learning BearSarah Allemang • Rachel Smith-Young Imaginative Ecological Education: Interweaving the Body, Emotion and Imagination in Place-Based Learning OwlDr. Gillian Judson Mapping Our Place: Exploring Nature Journaling Through Observation and Curiosity MooseBillie Jo Reid Maptivism: Designing Citizen Science for Climate Change Education KingfisherAlicia Roberge Terre: Vaisseau spatial ToadJulie Bolduc-Duval Wildflower Wisdom: Teaching Ecology, Teamwork, and Stewardship through Urban Restoration RavenAndrew Cameron 60 min Gentle Movement & Mindfulness Session 205Heidi Davis • Ann Fox A Sense of Wonder: Nature Journaling for Mindfulness and Ecological Connection PorcupineMolina Walters • Cyna Schuster Accessible Nature: Practical Tools for Inclusive Outdoor Education TurtleAngelSuarez Esquivel • Mia Maceasik Art in the Garden: Mindfulness, Joy, and Connection with the Land CougarMarjan Akbari • Jon Beare Queer Ecology and 2SLGBTQI+ Inclusion in Outdoor Education ChickadeeJulie Read Rewilding Everyday Mindfulness: A moving exploration of place, connection to nature, and wellbeing BeeDr Son Truong Supporting Health and Well-being through People, Places, and Processes Great Blue HeronKat Wood The Sending PReschoolers OUTside Study: How Early Childhood Education Setting Influences Parental Attitudes and Educator Well-Being ButterflyBrianna Nasrallah • Paula ter Huurne Wild Wellbeing: Using Conservation Education to Reduce Eco-Anxiety BeaverHannah Friedenberg Land Based Education Guide CoyoteNaomi Marchand Learning Through the Land: Traditional Métis Games and Movement Pedagogy EagleJen Meikle • Ashley Shaw The KAIROS Blanket Exercise (KBE) 203 (Indoor Space)Jacenta Marina Walking With Story: Integrating Indigenous Literature, Foraging, and Outdoor Science Inquiry OtterAmy Miller • Stefanie Onieal We Are All Gifted: Culturally Grounded Strategies for Holistic Learning DeerTammy Cayer-Dokis • Norm Dokis

4:45pm MDT

Networking and Connection Time Kinnear Centre Author Signing with Karen Lai & elin kelsey Outdoor Learning School & Store Exhibitor Boothelin kelsey • Karen Lai

6:00pm MDT

Do Your Own Dinner Downtown! Find Friends for Friday Food! Kinnear Centre

8:00pm MDT

Musical Concert and Dance Party: The Cost of Silence Kinnear CentreMeg Ohsada • Jade Berrill • TIKA

7:00am MDT

Breakfast at Vistas Vistas Dining Room

7:30am MDT

60 min Gentle Movement & Mindfulness Session 205Heidi Davis • Ann Fox

8:30am MDT

Author Signing with Karine Cere & Marie-Pascale Brown Outdoor Learning School & Store Exhibitor BoothKarine Cere • Marie-Pascale Brown Checkout of Accommodations + Free Time Banff Centre

9:30am MDT

Morning Gratitude Main Plenary Room - Kinnear CentreAnn Fox

9:44am MDT

Collaborative Learning Panels Kinnear Centre

9:45am MDT

DEI in the Outdoors Collaborative Learning Panel Kinnear Patio Firepit 1Karen Lai • Izzeddin Hawamda • Patricia Wilson Early Years Collaborative Learning Panels 203 (Indoor Space)Rochellie Lywin • Daniel Burton • Amy JoSmith Experiential Learning & Mentorship Collaborative Learning Panels Banff Centre AmphitheatreJacob Rodenburg • Court Rustemeyer • Lamarr Oksasikewiyin French Collaborative Learning Panels 208Julie Bolduc-Duval • Bonnie Lépine Antoine Land-Based Learning Collaborative Learning Panel Main Plenary Room - Kinnear CentreFaye O'Neil • Dr. Lindy Henderson • Theresa Westhaver Literacy, Math, Science in the Outdoors Collaborative Learning Panels 201 (Indoor Space)Dr. Rosanna Ruiz • Janice Novakowski • Dr. Rachel Tidd Youth Voices Collaborative Learning Panels 205Willow McGrath • Sophie Bromley • Julia Robinson • Harlem Janine Bastien • Leanne Gracie Eagle Bear

11:00am MDT

Health and Wellbeing Keynotes, Closing Circle & Prizegiving! Kinnear CentreAnn Fox • TIKA • Dr. Astrid Kendrick

1:59pm MDT

Optional Post Conference Field Experiences Kinnear Centre

2:00pm MDT

Wellness Forest Bathing Walk Kinnear Centre - Bear SignChris Jenik Being a Good Relative through Forest Bathing Kinnear Centre - Owl SignMargaret McKeon • Dr. Natalie St-Denis Observation to Insight: A Nature Journaling Approach Kinnear Centre - Snail SignBillie Jo Reid Soapstone Carving Banff Centre AmphitheatreCristin Geestman Water, Community and Connection Kinnear Centre - Otter SignGraeme Lee Rowlands • Monica Nissen

2:30pm MDT

Grounding in the Rockies - A Nature Immersion Wellness Workshop Kinnear Centre - Chickadee SignChristine Lynes