SESSION A: SATURDAY, JANUARY 25 – 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM (60 MINUTES)
CAMPFIRE CONVERSATIONS: THE ROLE OF STORYTELLING IN ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Utilizing the most natural space for storytelling: campfires. Participants will gather around the fire for opening thoughts and instructions. Then, participants will explore the campground in a self-guided manner, considering a set of prompts (senses, landmarks, species). After a short time, everyone will reconvene to share their experiences. With a talking stick, each person will share a story of the land. Afterward, there will be general discussions around storytelling best practices and how they can help instill collective action around climate change for young people. Lastly, we will end with a moment of silence for self-reflection. Participants will be encouraged to consider how storytelling can be used as a tool for environmental stewardship in their lives (if not used already) and how it can further collective action for climate change.
Eve Lockhart: Eve is finishing her undergraduate degree at Trent University in Environmental & Resource Studies with a Specialization in Climate Change Science and Policy. Her academic journey has sparked new passions for environmental education and she believes providing access to nature whether through stories or personal experience can enhance a person’s connections and respect for the natural world. Growing up on the shores of Lake Erie, she carries an intense love for everything the land offers and hopes to engage others in sharing these feelings!
TOOLS AND TIPS FOR REPAIRING OUTDOOR GEAR
Learn and share solutions in repairing winter OE gear, and when it’s a lost cause, snowshoes, cc skis, etc. using basic hand tools and electric drill, repair bindings, snowshoe frames and webbing.
Walt Sepic: Outdoor educator for 35 yrs, ran Msgr. J.S. Ryan Outdoor Education center on Wolfe Island for 22 yrs, maintained and repaired equipment there, designed and built student hands on renewable energy models, volunteered at repair cafes for 30 yrs, COEO member since 1990.
STICKS, STONES, AND PINECONES: BOARD GAMES TO PLAY IN (AND WITH) NATURE
Fostering safe, comfortable, and fun experiences in nature is a key part of outdoor education. In this workshop, you’ll discover how to teach board game-style games using only natural materials found around you—snow, sticks, stones, pinecones, or whatever the Land provides. This hands-on session is designed for outdoor leaders seeking accessible, mellow, sitting-down activities for all ages. Participants will learn easy-to-follow instructions and gather materials to play familiar (and new!) games ranging from ancient classics like Checkers and Mancala and to more modern games and puzzles.
Jen Ball: Jen Ball is a dedicated sustainability educator and researcher based in Toronto, Ontario. As a full-time professor at Humber College, she is the lead faculty of the Sustainability Stream, guiding students into green sector careers. Her work focuses on solutions for the climate crisis, and her preferred teaching setting is outdoors. Jen holds an Honours B.A. in Cultural Studies and Globalization, a Master’s in Communication and Culture, and a post-graduate diploma in Environmental/Sustainability Education. She is the author of the sociology textbook The Stacked Deck: An Introduction to Social Inequality (Oxford University Press) and the outdoor education guidebook Sticks, Stones, and Pinecones (Mountaineers). Jen is a member of the Humber Academic Sustainability Committee, the Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario, co-lead of Humber’s Outdoor Teaching Community of Practice, co-designer of the climate crisis unit in GNED 101, and a proud recipient of the 2022 League of Innovation award for promoting sustainability on campus.
STICKS AND STRINGS TO LASH OUR THINGS!
Participants tour the beautiful gallery of art and science that is a bush or even a brush! Explore the art and engineering of making cordage (rope) using simple twists of plant fiber sourced from the living (and dead, or even sleeping if we dare) things around us!
Hannah Riding: Hannah Riding is embraced by all weathers of warmth and windy, washing and waning. With Winter, all creatures are able to see more clearly though the tree-line, and the stark dry grasses stand out amongst the snow. Standing in the snow at Norval Outdoor School, Hannah considers themselves to stand out as starkly, but the call to wander outside is often equal, if not stronger, than the call to linger inside.
THE STORY OF SNOW: ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING IN THE WINTER
Participants will take to the snow to perform a winter monitoring assessment, capturing a representative data set shaping the story of the area’s climate. We will go outside and measure the snow’s depth, density, and composition. This data is often used by environmental scientists to make predictions for the Spring water supply and potential flood forecasts. We will learn about how snow acts as a protective shelter, blanketing the earth through the coldest season. Once it melts into liquid form however, it flows through the watershed and into surrounding streams and other tributaries, often at a high rate over a short time period. The more we understand of our water throughout the seasons, the better equipped we are to help maintain overall watershed health and understand the phenomena of climate change. This outdoor monitoring session will help us understand how the snow can provide us valuable information that can help us steward the land through a hands on analysis.
Adrianna Bilinski: Adrianna is a member of Beausoleil First Nation and is the Program Manager of Indigenous School Engagement with Water First Education and Training. As a certified teacher working with Water First she has visited many different community schools across Canada. Her passion for teaching helps her to support the work of building water science-related capacity in partner communities beginning with the youth and extending beyond when required.
Keegan Smith (MSc): Keegan has worked on water research projects around Canada, including Indigenous community-based monitoring projects in Nunavut, Ontario, Quebec, and Labrador. As a Project Manager with Water First, he develops and delivers technical training workshops on water quality, fish habitat, snow & ice, and mapping & GIS.
SESSION B: SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM (90 MINUTES)
OUTDOOR MAGIC: THE POWER OF NATURE CONNECTION
The workshop title is also the title of Grant’s recently published and very well-received book. Participants will share their own personal encounters with nature and how important these are to creating a lifelong environmental ethic that provides the spark and will to address daunting global issues.
Grant Linney: Grant is an actively retired outdoor educator and longtime member of COEO. His career spans 6 decades and employment with conservation authorities, school boards, independent schools and a Toronto-based travel agent. He also enjoys a variety of personal outdoor pursuits.
AN INTRO TO COMFORTABLE WINTER TRAVEL/CAMPING IN THE BOREAL FOREST
I would like to lead a guided workshop/discussion focused on methods of sustainable and comfortable multi-day winter travel and camping in the boreal forest, one of our favourite (family) adventure activities. This includes an introduction to modes of travel, camping style and setup, trip and meal planning, skill/knowledge requirements, resource utilization, and gear selection. I will present some additional details on some of our preferred methods, and advice on how to get started and places to go for various skill/experience levels but strongly encourage contributions from anyone with experience or interest in winter travel and camping.
Jeff Marsh: Jeff and his partner Laura live in Sudbury, Ontario with their two kids and two dogs, and run Lure of the North Outfitters. They have been backcountry canoe camping most of their lives, but became interested in longer-distance winter travel and hot-tent camping over the past decade as a way to experience wilderness adventures year-round. Through courses and expeditions with Lure of the North and their own winter camping trips, they’ve embraced traditional methods of winter travel by wooden snowshoe and toboggan, with clothing made from natural, breathable materials that enable warm and comfortable living in the winter environment.
IT’S MORE THAN A SPOON
Wood carving or whittling is a popular past time for many, but what if a spoon is actually more than just a spoon. Learning a difficult skill can and will build resilience, teaching that skill will test even a seasoned educator. If you are interested in starting a wood carving program or beginning to learn a new skill just for yourself, making your own spoon will teach you more lessons than you realize. This hands-on workshop will get you started on your own project. All skill levels are welcome and encouraged. All materials and carving tools will be provided (feel free to bring your own carving tool).
Mike Naumoff: Mike is an outdoor educator with over 20 years of experience in working with children and youth in the outdoors. He has worked and volunteered with Moorelands Kids, P.I.N.E. Project, Scouts Canada, YMCA, Humber Arboretum, and many others. He has a passion for teaching bushcraft skills from friction fires to wood carving to knots and lashings and more. A known picker up of sticks, when he is not working with kids in the outdoors you will find him exploring Toronto’s many nature trails with his energetic dog.
FROZEN FOREST: EXPLORING TREE IDENTIFICATION IN THE WINTER
Curious about how trees survive winter and how to identify them when their leaves are gone? Join us for an engaging session that explores the magic of Ontario’s deciduous trees during the colder months. You’ll learn key identification techniques—such as recognizing winter buds, leaf scars, bark patterns, and more—and gain the skills to identify trees even in winter’s bare landscape. Through an interactive presentation and guided hike, you’ll experience how the winter forest comes alive with hidden details and vibrant features, offering a new perspective on this often-overlooked season. Whether you’re an experienced naturalist or new to winter exploration, this workshop will inspire you to embrace winter’s transformative power, deepen your connection to nature, and build community through shared outdoor experiences.
Amani Hassani: An Education Interpreter at Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), leading nature-based educational programs for schools, community groups, and public events. With a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from the University of Guelph, a certification from Ontario Master Naturalist Program, and extensive experience as an outdoor adventure guide, I am passionate about fostering environmental stewardship and conservation, with a goal of inspiring lasting connections between people and the natural world.
MAY WE BE PEACEFUL – CO-CREATING PEACE WITH OUR HEARTS, HEADS, AND HANDS
Leaning into the work of Otto Scharmer and the ever-expanding scope of Theory U, we are called to open our hearts, minds, and hands in widening circles to embrace ourselves, each other, and the planet. Outdoor education captures the essence of this transformational work through a lens of education. Participants will be inspired to examine their work through this lens as our peaceful inner workings are reflected in our outer co-creations, resulting in tangible and metaphorical artwork.
Dana Fedorchuk: Having spent the first 20 years of my life embracing the winds and snow of Winnipeg, MB and Fairbanks, Alaska; and the next 20 homeschooling my children in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, and Croatia, I have settled in at a highly academic private school in Calgary where I invite a daily outdoor education practice for my Grade 2 students. Having recently formalized my research under my M.Ed. at University of Calgary; I’m exploring the transformational power of outdoor education to connect us to ourselves, to each other, and to the planet.
SESSION C: SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM (90 MINUTES)
LESSONS FROM A NORTHERN KOOKUM
Come learn to make some jean mitts and a little bit of beading the Nish way with storytelling, tea and bannock by the fire.
Christina Petrie: I, Christina, have been a classroom teacher of grades 4-8 for the past 8 years on reserves in Northwestern Ontario. Starting my adventure in a fly-in community Sandy Lake for three years, I have been located in Lac Seul for the past 5 years. As an avid outdoors woman with many solo adventures in the bush I have been lucky to learn from locals about my remote home. I am even more lucky to be supported by the administration to take my students on their own adventures daily. Working with a team of like-minded teachers and our land-based education team, we are currently rolling out our outdoor education curriculum inspiring staff and students outside.
Antoinette (Robin) Ningewance: Robin is the heart of Kejick Bay School as our secretary for 15 years supporting teachers, students and principals. She frequently participates in taking students out on the land and is a strong Anishinaabe woman role model. In her free time, she is always on the land hunting, out on the trap line, and fishing. Her own father was the principal when she was growing up. She is an integral part of our education team and is always very giving with her stories.
MAKING SENSE OF NATURE IN WINTER
In this workshop with Camp Kawartha Executive Director Jacob Rodenburg, you’ll be introduced to a whole suite of activities that practice using your sight, hearing, feeling, smell and taste during the winter season. From exploring the very small to creating smell cocktails, from assembling a dozen touches to building beautiful nature sculptures, we’ll activate and awaken all of our senses, so you feel a deeper sense of connection and belonging to the natural world. Activities are drawn from Jacob’s award-winning book The Book of Nature Connection.
Jacob Rodenburg: Jacob is an award-winning educator with over 30 years of experience in Camping and Outdoor Education. A qualified teacher with a master’s degree in education, his passion lies in finding innovative ways to connect children with nature and inspire a lifelong ethic of stewardship in learners of all ages. For the past 27 years, Jacob has served as the Executive Director of Camp Kawartha, a summer camp and environmental education centre. He also teaches environmental education at Trent University and has authored numerous articles on outdoor learning and the value of nature-based education. Jacob is the co-author of the Big Book of Nature Activities and the author of The Book of Nature Connection.
DON’T FREEZE OUT THE TREES PLEASE
Come and get a sampler of actions you and your class can do in any season with trees with Project Learning Tree Canada. Since 2018, PLT Canada has been fostering curiosity and developing the next generation of conservation leaders. With materials from kindergarten to Grade 12 (including SHMS materials!) You better be-leaf there are some real acorns to augment your program here. Participants will leave with free resources and connections to a national network of educators.info
Bonnie Anderson: Bonnie looks forward to being on different landscapes for a change as she really gets water and land-based issues and loves the connection between the two. Trees are part of that plan. Project Learning tree is letting me be a part of that group.
PROMOTING WELLNESS THROUGH YOGA IN THE OUTDOORS
This workshop will explore the potential of yoga philosophy, movement, technique and breathwork in the outdoors. Participants will engage in a 30-minute yoga for children practice.
Stefanie Hall: I am Site Supervisor at Forest Valley and Warren Park Outdoor Education Centers within the TDSB.
SESSION D: SUNDAY, JANUARY 26, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM (60 MINUTES)
AN OVERVIEW OF GIRLS* ON ICE CANADA: OUTDOOR EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING SUMMER EXPEDITIONS
This workshop will introduce Girls* on Ice Canada (GOIC) and their tuition-free outdoor expeditions for youth (ages 16-18 years old) across Canada and outdoor curriculum. GOIC programs interweave science, art and adventure to inspire leadership, curiosity and confidence in the next generation of leaders. GOIC summer expeditions are typically 12-days in the outdoors incorporating the front/back country experience (towards reaching a glacial landscape) with science, indigenous knowledge, and art projects that culminate to a final public presentation for the community.
Chimira Andres: Chimira (pronounced like “Shakira” but with an “m”) is a planetary scientist and Ph.D. researcher with the Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering at York University, Canada and the Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences in Nantes Université, France. While her school background is in glacial sedimentology, geology/geophysics, and satellite remote sensing, her current research focuses on the movement of ice in glacial and periglacial (permafrost) environments on Mars and in the Canadian High Arctic and how ice shapes the landscape overtime. She uses these cold environments on Earth as a basis of comparison (planetary analogues) to cold environments not only on Mars, but the Moon and beyond! Chimira is a huge advocate for STE(A)M Education, science communication, and outreach. She recently worked with the Youth-STEM Team at the Canadian Space Agency and has also previously worked at the European Space Agency with the ESA Education STEM Didactics Team.
SOFT SKILLS IN SNOW: FOSTERING EMPATHY AND COMMUNICATION WITH COOPERATIVE WINTER GAMES
Discover how cooperative winter games can foster empathy, teamwork, and effective communication among students. Inspired by Youth Fusion’s community-building initiatives in Nunavik, this hands-on workshop explores how winter offers the perfect backdrop for developing social skills and strengthening peer connections. Participants will engage in activities like “Human Dog Sled Races” “snowball tower relay,” and “frozen maze,” each designed to enhance listening, communication, and mutual support in a fun and active way.
Sam Page: Sam Page is the Regional Manager for Nunavik at Youth Fusion, where she supports youth programs that celebrate culture and build community connections. She’s worked in outdoor education and leadership roles across Canada, including in Ivujivik, Quebec, where she focused on empowering Indigenous youth. Sam has also been a Leadership Coordinator at Camp Ten Oaks, creating safe and inclusive spaces for 2SLGBTQ+ youth, and has run programs at CNIB Lake Joseph and the YMCA. She’s passionate about helping young people connect with nature, develop leadership skills, and create lasting memories outdoors.
INTRO TO NAILBINDING
The ancient Viking (and older!) fiber art of Nailbinding, is the technique of making loops and knots in wool yarn to make useable, mostly tube-shaped items for keeping warm in winter. This workshop will focus on the basics, making a chain, securing that chain into a loop, and then starting on a pair of handwarmers (fingerless gloves) using either Oslo or Mammen stitch. Along the way we’ll talk about the archeology attached to Nailbinding finds, and what it tells us about people who came long before.
Jason Allen: I have been taking young people outdoors for almost 15 years, first as a Scout leader, then as the founder of Woodcraft Canada. I have been hiking and camping in some of Canada’s most beautiful places for over 45 years.
LEARNING FROM THE LAND
This workshop invites participants to connect deeply with nature, fostering mindfulness and reflection. Participants will spend quiet time outdoors (or indoors with natural elements), observing their surroundings through all senses—sight, sound, smell, and touch. Equipped with clipboards, paper, and pencils, they can document their experience through drawings, writing, or poetry, expressing their thoughts and emotions in ways that feel authentic.
A reflective talking circle allows participants to share their observations, fostering a sense of community. Through discussion, the group explores themes of interconnection, stewardship, and reciprocity with the land, recognizing the environment as an active teacher.
This workshop nurtures a meaningful relationship with the local environment, encouraging learners to appreciate its unique ecosystems, histories, and cultures. By cultivating awareness and respect, participants are inspired to become stewards of the land, embracing their role in sustaining and honouring the natural world.
Sachi Shukul & Julia Coppa: Julia and Sachi are second-year MA CSE students at the University of Toronto (OISE) and primary/junior teacher candidates. Julia has a background in Child and Youth Studies and Sachi has a background in Early Childhood Studies. Both Julia and Sachi are Work Study students with Natural Curiosity which is an innovative environmental and land-based inquiry program that helps teachers address a critical link between environmental and Indigenous education.
WINTER SURVIVAL SKILLS
Learn how to build a winter fire without matches, how to construct an emergency shelter, and what survival gear makes sense in freezing temperatures. Hands-on outdoors, working in teams.
David Arama: Director/Owner of WSC Survival School and Marble Lake Lodge, 45 years leading adult and youth programs, consultant for reality tv series, and for news media.
COME FLOW WITH ME!
Spend some time out on the land experiencing the art and science of animal tracking while applying Joseph Bharat Cornell’s Flow Learning model. I have been teaching animal tracking to children for 20 years and would love to share some of the tricks and tips I have picked up over time. Let’s go play like otter, study like crow and reflect like bear, together!
Erin Farrow: Erin has been teaching outdoor education for over 20 years. She has taught in recreational and environmental realms and brings with her a host of experiences teaching in the private, public and non-profit sectors in urban and rural environments. Erin holds a teaching degree from Lakehead University in the Outdoor Experiential Environmental Education and a BA in Geography and Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism. Erin currently works in Mississauga, at The Riverwood Conservancy–a non-profit charity delivering land-based programming to children of all ages.