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Teaching OUTSIDE the Box Conference
Welcome to Teaching OUTSIDE the Box!
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April 25-27, 2008
YMCA of the Rockies, Snow Mountain Ranch (near Winter Park)
Teaching OUTSIDE the Box is an action-packed workshop that brings together the best in environmental education for a weekend of engaging presentations, networking, resource sharing, and more... all at the spectacular YMCA of the Rockies - Snow Mountain Ranch near Winter Park.
Registration
Click here for registration detailsAlready registered for the conference? Click here for all the details you need to know!
This conference is for:
Teachers, Interpreters, Environmental Educators, Youth Group Leaders, Naturalists, anyone who appreciates and wants to learn about environmental education - and YOU!
Workshop Topics include...
Nature and the Outdoors * Stewardship and Sustainability * Research, Trends and Techniques * Arts and Culture * Technology * And More!
The conference is full of professional development opportunities including sessions:
- With fresh ideas for your classroom (hands-on activities, service learning, climate change, and more)
- About new trends in environmental education (certification, quality assurance)
- To make your life easier (communications, grant writing, volunteer management, publicity)
- To inspire you (successful EE collaborations, nature journaling)
- To rejuvenate you (nature hikes, movement, astronomy)
Tentative Session Descriptions
Pre-Conference Workshops
Full and half-day pre-conference workshops will be offered during the day on Friday, April 25th! Details here...
Exhibitors and Sponsors
CAEE is seeking exhibitors and sponsors for the conference! The deadline for applications is March 31st.Exhibit space is limited - apply today!
Click here for more information about being an exhibitor or sponsor.
Don't miss keynote speaker Louise Chawla!
Louise Chawla brings to her job as a Professor in the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado a background in child development and environmental psychology. Her work relates to children’s experience of both natural environments and the public spaces of cities and towns, with a focus on the opportunities that these places can afford for positive development. As a Fulbright Scholar at the Norwegian Center for Child Research, she initiated a revival of the Growing Up in Cities project of UNESCO which engages young people in documenting and improving urban communities. Among her many publications, she is editor and co-author of Growing Up in an Urbanising World and author of In the First Country of Places. She serves as an editor of the journal Children, Youth and Environments and as an Executive Committee member of the University of Colorado’s Children, Youth and Environments Center for Research and Design.
Keynote Speech: “Into the Forest and Field: How Environmental Education Can Promote Care for the Natural World, Children's Well-being, and Academic Success”
Three bodies of research converge around a common conclusion: the importance of providing children with extended time for play and exploration in the natural world, as well as mentors who communicate this world's value. Numerous studies indicate that these are conditions for the development of a lifelong interest, concern and care for nature. There is also growing evidence that contact with nature is critical for children's optimum well-being. Not least, place-based education that takes students beyond the classroom into their communities, including natural areas large and small, is associated with many measures of academic success. In response to these converging fields of research, environmental education needs to redefine itself to assume a central and expanded role in children's lives.
Credit
You may earn 1 credit hour for participating in 16 hours of sessions at the conference (which may include 4 hours from the half-day pre-conference workshops). This credit is available from Colorado School of Mines and may be used for teacher recertification credit or graduate credit (if the college/university you attend accepts this credit from CSM). 1 credit is available for an additional fee of $57, 1/2 credit is $34.
Zero Waste Conference
The Teaching OUTSIDE the Box conference is going zero waste! Waste is reduced or eliminated where possible and made recyclable where unavoidable. As an attendee, some changes you may notice are reusable mugs and bottles in place of disposable cups for drinks and a reduction in the amount of paper materials received. To help achieve this goal attendees are asked to bring their own reusable cup and/or mug from home.
Demonstration composting will also be offered during one conference meal - click here for a recipe to start compost at home!
More About Snow Mountain Ranch
Between Winter Park and Granby, this remote and spectacular conference center covers 5,100 acres of forested wilderness at an elevation of 8,750 elevation. Inviting you indoors is a swimming pool, fitness room, roller skating, library and cozy fireplaces. Be prepared for spring time surprises: snow, wildflowers, blue skies and muddy hiking trails. For directions, view this MAP or connect to YMCA of the Rockies website. For a map of Snow mountain Ranch, click here.
Resource Fair
Discover exciting new resources, and share your organization with conference attendees on Saturday, April 28th during the Conference Resource Fair. Click here for an application - space is limited, so apply soon (the deadline is March 31st)!