Outdoor Learning Conference 2026

How can we prepare future educators to teach STEM outdoors while connecting instruction to local environments?
This workshop showcases a collaboration between a Northwest Indiana teacher education program and Lake County Parks and Recreation that models outdoor, place-based STEM teaching. Teacher candidates co-design and deliver lessons rooted in local landscapes with park naturalists. Participants will explore two sample lessons: Maple Syrup Monkeys, where students learn how trees are tapped and syrup is made through biology, chemistry, and math; and I Spy Young Naturalists, where students identify native species, map habitats, and study ecological relationships in the region’s swale landscape at Gibson Woods. The session also shares strategies for building sustainable partnerships using a train-the-trainer model, including co-planning fieldwork, managing logistics, and embedding reflection and equity. Ideal for teacher educators, pre-service teachers, and community partners.

This workshop offers participants a unique opportunity to engage directly with land-based learning through the lens of Dene ways of knowing. Participants will gain hands-on experience in traditional skills such as rabbit snaring, moose and duck calling, log cabin building, fire-starting outdoors, and other land-based activities that are central to life on the land.

Each activity is guided by cultural teachings, demonstrating not only the practical skill but also the values and worldviews that underlie them. For example, while learning rabbit snaring or calling techniques, participants will also explore observation, patience, and respect for animals and the land. Fire-starting and shelter-building exercises teach resourcefulness, safety, and survival skills, while connecting participants to the rhythms of nature and the lessons embedded in every action.

"This experiential workshop invites educators and/or students to step outside traditional classroom walls and into nature to explore how the Mathematics Curriculum (Primary–Grade 6) can be taught, practiced, and experienced through outdoor learning. By using loose parts found in nature—sticks, stones, leaves, pinecones, etc.—participants will engage in hands-on math experiences that meet curriculum outcomes across all strands: number, patterns and relations, shape and space, and statistics and probability.

Through the integration of storytelling, wellness practices, and environmental education, this workshop supports a cross-curricular, holistic approach to learning. Participants will leave with ready-to-implement activities, innovative pedagogy strategies, and a deeper appreciation for the wellness and environmental benefits of outdoor learning."

The upper elementary years are full of possibilities—especially when learning moves beyond the classroom walls. Many teachers wonder how to balance an already packed curriculum with environmental education and struggle to give students meaningful opportunities to explore the natural world. In this hands-on session, we’ll explore high-interest texts that spark curiosity, support project-based outdoor learning, and connect directly to curriculum expectations.


Together, we will take stories from the page to the trees, discovering practical and inspiring ways to connect literature, nature, and student engagement while deepening students’ understanding of the beauty and fragility of their environment.