Course Description
Course Description: This course is for teachers who are already taking their students outside but want to bring their outdoor experience to the next level. We will explore ways to enhance curriculum and deepen students’ connection to nature through the intentional introduction of new tools and loose parts. Participants will create and experiment with elements and invitations that build on seasonal affordances and the ever-developing play/learning of young students. Essentially, we will be focusing on all the fun parts of teaching outdoors. Participants will finish this course with concrete strategies and ideas for teaching young children outdoors and a deeper understanding of how nature can be a partner in this endeavor.
During this course we will immerse ourselves in the rhythm of place-based curriculum, engaging in discussions and intensive play-driven lessons held entirely outdoors. Our experiences throughout the week will reflect those of a nature-based early childhood setting, with additional time to envision the integration of these philosophies into our teaching practice.
Audience: All PreK-3rd grade educators with a Bachelor’s Degree
Session Information
Instructors
Sean Beckett, M.S.
he/him
Sean Beckett, M.S.
Years ago in Costa Rica, a teenage Sean was awoken by his NBNC trip leader and shuffled into a humming jungle to experience his first dawn chorus of tropical songbirds. He went on to study Biology and Environmental Studies at Vassar College, and received his M.S. from UVM’s Field Naturalist and Ecological Planning Program. Sean has worked extensively as a wildlife ecologist, researching Atlantic Puffins in Maine, Saw-whet Owls in New York, raptors in Idaho, Pygmy-Owls in Mexico, and Clark’s Nutcrackers in Wyoming. Sean joined the NBNC staff in 2017 after years of leading world-class wildlife safaris across North America, taking inquisitive travelers to the threshold of wolf dens, toe-to-toe with polar bears, and to the heart of Utah’s Canyonlands and deserts.
Additional Content Area
Course Goals:
Costs for required readings/resources, if any, may not be included in the course tuition. Please contact NBNC for more information.
Butler, A. (2023). Educating children outdoors: Lessons in nature-based learning. Cornell University Press.
Sobel, D. (2025). Design principles for educators. Cornell University Press.
Beames, S., Atkinson, M., & Higgins, P. (2023). Outdoor learning in theory and practice (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Ernst, J., & Theimer, S. (2024). Nature pedagogy: Practices for integrating nature and learning. Teachers College Press.
Dillon, J., & Dickie, I. (2024). Outdoor learning in education: Nature‑based pedagogies and transformative experiences. Springer.