Next Gathering 18 August, Ringwood

Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Network
Promoting outdoor learning for young children.
The Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Network is a forum for educators to share their experience of providing early childhood education outdoors, learn from each other, and promote outdoor learning for young children.

Outdoor Learning

Outdoor play is vitally important for learning in early childhood. Educators who work with young children are becoming increasingly aware of the value of outdoor play.  New programs are emerging which focus on outdoor play, including play in the bush, at the beach and other natural spaces.

Pedagogy

Look here for discussion of pedagogical issues such as the role of risk in learning, sustainability, or learning about literacy, maths and science through outdoor play.

Practicalities

Teaching in new environments means resolving a host of practical problems to ensure that children can be well cared for.  They include issues such as setting boundaries, toileting, choosing a site, and transport.  Look here for discussion of issues to consider and examples of how other services have resolved them.

Programs

An increasing number of children's services are offering special programs with an outdoor learning focus.  They vary greatly in where they go and how they are organised.  They share a commitment to outdoor learning in nature. Look here for information about some of the programs that operate in different parts of the country.

TRAINING PACKAGE

Dates for the next round of the ECOLN training package are:
Introduction: August 13
Site visits: (choose one of) 
Westgarth 22nd Aug, MInimbah 30th Aug and Balnarring 7th Sept
Get to work planning day: September 10

Gatherings 2018

Our first Gathering for 2018 was held at Minimbah during first term.
Our second term Gathering was at Erica Preschool on 19 May.  
In third term, we visit Ellie V Pullin in Ringwood on August 18.
We will also be holding one in Sydney in September.
In fourth term we plan to visit programs in Geelong and Northcote.
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Join our mailing list to be invited to future Gatherings. 
If you are interested in hosting a gathering please email the ecolearningnetwork @ our gmail address.

About our Gatherings

The Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Network holds Gatherings where outdoor programs host visitors to their learning sites.
Gatherings are open to all, but are chiefly directed at practitioners who want to see the site, hear about how the program works in that space, and hear from other practitioners about the practicalities and pedagogy of teaching in these settings.  

Gatherings are held on Saturdays so as not to disrupt programs.  We understand that people would love to see programs in operation, however it is too intrusive for the children and educators.

Gatherings have been held at a range of services.  See here.

For notification of future Gatherings, join the the ECOLN mailing list.










Conferences

The Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Network kicked off our annual Conferences for outdoor learning practitioners in 2016.
Conferences are kept small to promote networking, and affordable for educators who have to pay their own way.  Programs intentionally go beyond the classroom to build the stores of knowledge we have to draw on when working with children.
Click on links below for information about our past Conferences.  Watch this space for information about our plans for 2019.

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