Montessori in Nature – Session 1 for School Leaders

COMPLIMENTARY FOR CCMA MEMBERS

Session 1 for School Leaders

Join Regan Ross and Nancy Ernst Richards as they tell how an impromptu encounter with nature leads to a strong outdoor program that supports and enhances the Montessori curriculum. While the primary focus will be at the Casa level, School Leaders and Educators will find applications to all of the levels up to and including Middle School.

Nancy will speak to School Leaders about the benefits of a nature connection program at the school level. She will give specifics on the ways an administrator can support and ensure the success of the program, as well as some ideas about how nature learning and connection can also be integrated in the Elementary and Middle School years. She will address questions and concerns specific to School Leaders, including navigating insurance requirements, risk perception, and casting the vision to parents.

Regan will speak about her experiences with adding a Forest School class into the weekly Casa curriculum; how developing a relationship with a wild area impacted the children and educators; as well as how those effects spilled into the Casa classroom and into the children’s learning. Regan believes a purposeful outdoor program can be added to any Montessori class even if there is no forest.

Registration is required for each session. Please click here to register for Session 1 for School Leaders. You will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the meeting after you’ve registered.

For details on Session 2 for Educators and School Leaders click here.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Regan Ross is a lover of nature and life-long learning. She has a husband, 3 adult kids, and a crazy dog named, Cedar. Regan studied Geology and Biology at Brock University which led her to jobs in the mining and environmental sectors. It was after having children that she learned about the Montessori world and became a passionate Montessorian. Regan has worked in Casa classrooms in both PEI and Ontario. It was working with a wonderful group of Casa children that inspired Regan to investigate the effect of nature on children. That investigation led to the inclusion of nature in the Casa curriculum and certification as a Forest School Practitioner. Regan administers the Forest School in Canada Practitioners Facebook page with over 2200 members.

Nancy Ernst Richards has been the principal at Headwater Hills Montessori School for the past 14 years and the owner for 4. She has taught at the Casa through Middle School levels over the last 25 years. Nancy loves to hike, camp, canoe, and cycle the rail trails of Ontario. Nancy’s husband, an organic market gardener and former secondary school geography teacher, is in partnership with the school, developing the gardening/farming strand of the program. Along with her staff, she is in the process of developing an integrative program with a connection to self, community, and nature as the foundation throughout all the levels at Headwater Hills Montessori.