Webinars
2024 Webinars
Join us on Tuesday February 20, 2024 from 4:00-5:30 PM ET for our first webinar of 2024!
How can our understanding of empathy be deepened through respectful engagement with the wisdom, perspectives, and traditions of Indigenous peoples?
This is the question a community of practice (CoP) of early childhood professionals engaged with over the course of 7 months, utilizing Natural Curiosity 2nd Edition as a guiding text. Led by the CoP co-facilitators, Dr. Thelma Nayquonabe and Claire Underwood, this webinar shares a deepened understanding of empathy, affirms the role of all our relatives in the empathy cycle, and offers concrete strategies to support the empathy development of children and teachers alike. This hands-on workshop will offer space for reflection and action within each of our empathy journeys to support equitable and inclusive nature-based learning in your unique context.
Dr. Thelma Nayquonabe is an Ojibwe Knowledge Keeper from Lac Courte Oreilles (Wisconsin, USA). Thelma has been a preschool, kindergarten, Ojibwe language, and tribal college teacher. Her EdD dissertation focused on Elder pedagogy. Thelma co-facilitated the CoP, and in her respected role of Elder, also served as the project advisor to ensure Indigenous rights, knowledges, and communities are protected.
Claire Underwood (MEEd) is a doctoral student at the University of Cincinnati (Ohio, USA). Claire’s background is in nonprofit leadership and community organizing, focusing on environmental and social justice. She served as the graduate assistant for the project (while a Master’s student at the University of MN Duluth) and co-facilitated the CoP with Thelma.
2022-2023 Webinar Series
2021-2022 Webinar Series
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Webinar Testimonial
Danielle Wittick
Director, Not Your Average Daycare
I just wanted to thank the Natural Curiosity team for hosting such an amazing webinar last night. The interaction between Doug and Joseph was inspiring. Doug being in the unknown with Joseph as he spoke to the healing powers of plants is exactly what our educators need to be, in the unknown. This is how you begin your journey of taking learning outside, having that unknown is how a co-learner experience begins. It was an exhilarating experience. Thank you again.
Denise Currie
Classroom Teacher Grade 2/3, South Nelson Elementary School, Nelson, BC
The webinar hosted by Haley Higdon in December, 2020, inspired me to read Natural Curiosity 2nd Edition. It speaks directly to teachers in support of our outdoor learning inquiry experience. I especially appreciate the indigenous perspective. Connection to place, land, nature and community is what teaching and learning are all about. This well researched and easy to read book supports this pedagogy entirely. We are hoping to ignite the spark of natured based inquiry learning with Natural Curiosity across our K-5 elementary school. Thank you for the inspiration!
Sarah Earley
Educator
I am loving all of the workshops/webinars that you have been offering virtually. They have kept me connected to a learning community during the last year or so, while I have been working independently at home. I live in a forest and share a car with my partner who goes to work daily, so these workshops are something that I really look forward to - as an opportunity to learn and be curious. These workshops have also opened my eyes to new ways of seeing and being in this changing world. Thank you!
Natural Curiosity in the New Normal
This four-part webinar series has been designed to support you in your return to school during extraordinary times, so that you can enrich outdoor time with learning in all areas of curriculum, while building community with your students and safeguarding everyone’s health. Chi-miigwetch and thank you to those who joined the conversation – we look forward to supporting you again throughout 2021.
This series is now complete and available for you to access on our Webinars Archive Page.