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Cultivating Deep Connections with the Outdoors: Interweaving creativity, natural materials, and the voices of children into meaningful learning experiences LIMITED
Thursday February 6, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm CST
Classroom 8, Learning Center
Experiences in nature have life-long, beneficial effects, which is why the outdoors is a cornerstone of play-based ECE programs. When children utilize the natural world in creative ways, rich learning takes place. Seedpods, leaves, and twigs lend themselves to shaping the landscape of imaginative, creative projects and inquiries. These natural materials have the power to showcase children’s voices, take their ideas further, and add richness to theories, queries, and reflections. This workshop explores the use of natural materials as artistic mediums and tools. Through hands-on experiences, we will investigate ways in which natural materials provide an authentic, creative context for learning and self-expression. This workshop is grounded in inspiration from the Reggio Emilia approach. Through this lens children are seen as protagonists in their own learning, and teachers become researchers and facilitators, learning alongside their students. The Reggio Emilia Approach focuses heavily on the importance of the “100 Languages”, a metaphor that highlights the significance of creative mediums, such as watercolor, clay, or dance, which promote the voice of each child. This workshop also takes inspiration from David Sobel’s work on place-based learning, and the authentic experiences that take place when children are given opportunities to build relationships with their outdoor spaces.
Speakers
avatar for Sarah Hassing

Sarah Hassing

Atelierista , The College School
Sarah Hassing is an atelierista at The College School, in Saint Louis, Missouri, where she has collaborated with children for the pastseventeeneen years. Her background in the visual arts helps to bring the hundred languages to life in the studio. Sarah has visited the municipal... Read More →
Thursday February 6, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm CST
Classroom 8, Learning Center  1000 Lake Cook Rd, Glencoe, IL 60022
  Partnering with Children

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