Outdoor Learning Conference 2026 has ended

Outdoor Learning Conference 2026

Welcome to the 2026 Outdoor Learning Conference

arrow_back View All Dates

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