Reaching Nature Connection Conference: Fields of Play
East Coast Outdoor Conference for Early Childhood Educators, Teachers, Counselors, Parents and Mentors
April 1-2, 2023
Earthaven Ecovillage
Near Asheville, NC
Join us at Earthaven, as we travel together through the stages of play, deepening our understanding of why and how we humans play, when we’re young and when we’re not. Deepen your capacity for mentoring children and explore our role in supporting, nourishing, and protecting healthy play, a state of kinship and reciprocity.
With this year’s theme, Fields of Play, presenters Lia Grippo and Sharon Buczaczer will immerse participants in deep learning, joyful singing and the freedom of play in the spirit of the young child and young at heart.
This annual conference is a program of The Academy of Forest Kindergarten Teachers, co-sponsored by SOIL.
Begin your weekend on Friday evening with a storytelling concert with conference favorite, Doug Elliott.
Registration for 2023 is closed.
The RNC instructors brought evidenced-based information, personal stories and a wealth of experience. The content felt relevant to both the brand-new forest kindergarten teacher, at the same time met the needs of an experienced facilitator.
About the Conference
Reaching Nature Connection is an annual outdoor conference based on forest schools, wilderness awareness, and early childhood education. The conference is designed for beginners and experienced educators alike, as well as therapists, administrators, homeschool families, camp counselors, grandparents, and parents who have an interest in developmentally appropriate nature mentoring for children.
Reaching Nature Connection invites you to join in an exciting weekend of hands-on, research-based, and anecdotal learning. As always, the conference will be infused with songs, games, stories, and deeper nature connection.
Reaching Nature Connection provides an opportunity to set your watch aside and allow the leaders of the conference to hold time for you. The rhythm of each day is designed to move between active and contemplative learning, with a thematic thread running throughout. We will flow between lecture and hands-on components, weaving together our learning through a variety of approaches, with each new component building on the next.
- Learn more about nature connection and the conference in this interview.
- Learn about and invite others to the storytelling concert with Doug Elliott.
Learn more about nature connection and the conference in this interview with leaders of the Academy of Forest Kindergarten Teachers.
Program
Friday, March 31 (Optional Add-on)
4:00-6:00pm Conference Check-in
6:30pm Dinner
7:30pm An evening of stories and songs with Doug Elliott
Saturday, April 1
8:00am Breakfast
8:00–8:45am Conference check-in. Please arrive by 8:45am.
9:00am–5:00pm Conference begins promptly at 9:00 am (break for lunch)
6:30pm Dinner
7:30pm An evening of connection and peer-mentorship (optional)
Sunday, April 2
8:00am Breakfast
9:00am–4:00pm Conference begins promptly at 9:00am (break for lunch)
Sliding Scale Tuition
Because some people have more financial means than others, we have created a sliding scale fee system to accommodate a range of economic realities. The high-end of the scale reflects the value we believe the program holds, and the low-end offers a more accessible entry point.
By choosing a higher price point, you are helping make the program more accessible to others for whom the low-end may be cost-prohibitive. Please consider your needs and resources to determine what might be a stretch, but not a strain.
Engaging, affirming, and inspiring! This conference was just what I needed to get reinvigorated about the importance of play and connecting to nature.
Cost
General
Tuition Sliding Scale: $395-510
Tuition includes instruction, food (5 meals), and materials. Accommodations and transportation are available for an additional cost.
Current ECE Students
If you are a current ECE Student, please email us for a coupon code to use at checkout, at [email protected].
Scholarships
We offer partial scholarships (50% of the middle of the sliding scale) to black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) with financial needs who otherwise would not be able to afford to attend. We understand that BIPOC experience more financial and institutional barriers to participation, and this is one way we are able to create more access. If you identify as BIPOC with financial needs and would like to receive a scholarship, please contact us.
The Reaching Nature Connection Conference at Earthaven was a soul-nourishing experience. I have been a nature and play-based early childhood teacher for 20 years and I left this gathering full of inspiration, new questions about my work, a deeper understanding of what can inform it and experiences of thrill, joy, and community. I will be looking for more opportunities to engage in these trainings.
Logistics
Food
Delicious, omnivorous meals are prepared by talented culinary artists from the Earthaven community. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options available. Snacks and beverages (tea, coffee) are provided. Participants are invited to help with meal clean-up. Many hands make light work.
As much food as possible is sourced from Earthaven and its surrounding farms and gardens, with some ingredients sourced from local grocery stores. Our meals are created with seasonal, local, fresh, wildcrafted, humanely-raised, and organic ingredients.
***If you have dietary needs beyond the ones listed here, please be prepared to bring supplemental food to support your nourishment and well-being. Our kitchen simply cannot accommodate all diets.
Program Specific Info
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included, Saturday breakfast through Sunday lunch.
About the Facilitation Team
Reaching Nature Connection Conference Faculty Lia spent many of her earliest years in Riga, Latvia, foraging and fishing the nearby woodlands with her family. Lia has taught in a variety of settings, including small and large preschools, a Waldorf kindergarten, a parent cooperative, and wilderness programs.
Lia Grippo
Reaching Nature Connection Conference Faculty How do we live in a place of constant connection and bring a genuine culture to our future generations? This is a daily question that inspires Sharon to follow children in the natural world, work with her hands, and guide young and old through life transitions. Sharon co-created Women’s Reclamation and Renewal and offers personal and group programs for teen Rites of Passage, Women and Fire, and Women’s guided quests. Sharon enjoys surfing in the Pacific, cooking, and spending time with her family.
Sharon Buczaczer
Registration
Complete the registration form once per participant. It takes 5-10 minutes, and you will complete your enrollment with a credit card authorization.
After your enrollment is processed, you will receive several confirmations…
- An automatic confirmation of receiving your registration form
- A payment confirmation from our card processor
- Confirmation that your registration has been processed
Registration is closed for our 2023 conference.