Your presenters for the day are Dave Verhulst and Christina Pickles
We all learn best through play. Come experience outdoor play and nature connection through hands-on sessions with Christina and Dave!
Time and Date
Saturday April 18th, 2026
8:30am - 4:00pm
Location
Fee
$147.00 (includes GST)
- 2 workshops - 2.5 hours with each presenter
- Participants will bring their own lunches and snacks for the day.
- Want to register 3 or more educators? We can offer a 10% discount. Contact Christina for the code to use during registration.
- Approved for Alberta Early Childhood Educators PD funding and 7.5 hours of release time if you pay for and submit to the Government of Alberta BEFORE March 31. See the note below for more details.
Note about Professional Development funding for Alberta Early Childhood Educators.
On March 13, 2026 the Government of Alberta released new rules for early childhood educators in Alberta regarding professional development funds available. All licensed programs should have received notice of these changes for the 2026/2027 fiscal year.
Although this event had received approval, under the new rules, this approval is only valid under the 2025/2026 fiscal year.
What does this mean for you? If you register and pay for the conference before March 31 you can submit for PD and release funding from the Government of Alberta. If you pay for the event AFTER APRIL 1, you will NOT be able to claim this event.
Who should come?
Do you work with young children between 0-7 years old?
This day is for you.
Are you looking for inspiration and practical ideas to support you in getting children outdoors?
This day is for you.
Are you looking for a hands-on, interactive and fun day?
This day is for you.
During this day, you will attend the following two workshops.
Forest Play with Dave
Rediscover your childlike passion for the world and join us for a fun session of exploring nature and building connections. Grounded in the rhythms of the natural world, Forest Play is a successful outdoor program in Canmore with programs for children age 2-14 years old. In this experiential session Dave will share some of the core elements of the program that help children connect to nature, self and others. In this workshop you will:
- rediscover a child-like passion for the natural world
- experience what it is like to participate in a program based on the Coyote mentoring model
- be introduced to the natural learning cycle and essential routines that ground and reconnect us with the natural world
- understanding of how stories can be used to create powerful learning experiences.
Outdoor Play in the Early Years with Chistina
Everything is possible outside - children are more physically active, the natural world enters through all the senses, and community connections are made. In this workshop, we will explore the reasons for getting outdoors and our role as adults in these experiences. You will come away with inspiration and practical ideas to create engaging outdoor play spaces and experiences. Come ready to play outside, no matter the weather!
What is covered:
- Review the key roles of adults in providing time, space, and materials for outdoor play.
- Learn about loose parts and engage in loose parts experiences.
- Build your repertoire of outdoor play experiences for children.
- Build positive connections with the land and natural world and enjoy time outdoors.
Christina Pickles is an outdoor play advocate and founder of Get Outside and Play, an organization that ensures more outdoor play in early learning and care settings, schools, and communities through events, presentations, workshops, and consulting.
She has been supporting outdoor experiences with people of all ages for 25 years and 10 years ago, pivoted her work to put play at the centre of everything she does. She believes play is the best way children (and adults) connect with the land, their communities, their bodies, and each other.
She lives along the Bow River in Calgary Alberta and can be found walking her dog Clover or chasing after her adventurous 10 year old.
Schedule for the day
You will attend two sessions, one in the morning and a second in the afternoon. One session will be delivered by Christina Pickles and the other by Dave Verhulst.
8:30am - 9am Check-in
9am - 9:20am Opening
9:20am - 9:30am Move to first workshop
9:30am - 12pm First session.
12pm - 1:00pm Lunch
1:00pm - 3:30pm Second session
3:30pm - 4:00pm Closing