Rusty Keeler – Planet Earth Playscapes, Spencer, NY, USA
Workshop title: Building in the Outdoor Play Scape
Experience the wonder and excitement of creating natural structures in the outdoor play scape of Open Spaces Pre School. Rusty Keeler and Cherry Daley (Open Spaces) have planned a hands-on construction experience for you. it might be a willow hut, a sunflower room or another exciting building project! Gather 10 minutes early so you have time to walk up to the centre with the group and get the most out of this experience. (Gathering place will be identified in your program package.) Presenter, Rusty Keeler is our keynote presenter who has built many exciting structures on playgrounds all over the world.
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Jonny Holtom, Early Childhood Educator, Childspace, Wellington.
Workshop Title – Up-cycling and Native Seedling Rescue
Using discarded untreated wooden pallets we will build a bird feeder to promote native seed dispersal and wooden planter boxes in which to pot the baby trees that begin to appear thanks to our feathered friends. I will demonstrate the building process with a focus on child involvement and tool safety protocol with the Tamariki. We will discuss native seedling identification, conservation and permaculture in action, and aim for our participants to have built a feeder, a planter, and rescued a native seedling. Most of all we will have fun whilst empowering each other to help create a more sustainable future.
Murray Gibbs, Lecturer, Visual Arts, Northtec, Whangarei
Workshop title - Nature as object
This workshop focuses on the natural world as both a source of materials and conceptual inspiration for art making.
Participants will work with natural materials to create site specific organic creations. These will form an amphoral based art exhibition within the “Wild Woods” environmental art gallery
Anna Gentry, NaturePlay NZ, Dip Tch, Bed, ECE facilitator, Environmental educator,
Workshop Title: The Living Classroom
To create a world of beauty we must know & be beauty filled. Let Nature be the filler. Discuss why & how, and learn what you can do to establish living classrooms. Let the “living nature” guide your daily programmes, seasonal planting & approaches to teaching the children.
We will discuss how to engage the children into becoming part of the planting and growing process of plants.
Linda Petrenko, Dip Tch ECE, BEd. Small Kauri ECE centre, Mangere Bridge, Auckland.
Workshop Title - Breaking down the barriers
This session will focus on confronting and breaking down the barriers that keep children inside. We will look at simple modifications to city centre environments to assist in the development of interesting and varies environments that promote outdoor and nature engagement.
Genevieve Simperingham, Peaceful Parenting Institute, NZ
Workshop title - Therapeutic Play
Learn how to support and interpret the childs developmental growth through their play. Playing for children is a rich world of communication, learning, growing, explorating, healing and resolution. "Playing is Saying".
Through their play children;
- communicate complex feelings that they don't yet have the vocabulary for,
- work to resolve fears and stresses,
- release anxieties through laughter,
- explore, practice and experience their world,
- gain confidence and skills in relating to others,
- work to generally regain emotional and mental balance
- and so much more ...
Learn how to interpret and support the child's developmental growth and healing through their play. Learn to use play to create specific opportunities to help children overcome shyness, aggression, fears, separation anxieties and other specific stumbling blocks that you identify.
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