Amy will be presenting a workshop in the afternoon session at the In Bloom Conference hosted by Antioch University.

The conference will be held at Symonds Elementary School in Keene—a charming, arts-filled neighborhood elementary school with good outdoor learning spaces and easy access to surrounding Wheelock Park. Symonds has a number of teachers conducting forest days in the early elementary grades, and you’ll enjoy all the beautiful child-created artwork on the walls throughout the school. The school provides great examples of how to incorporate nature-based education into the public school curriculum.

8:15 am–9:00 am Registration-Select Workshops & Morning Refreshments
9:00 am–9:15 am Opening Circle
9:15 am–10:15 am Morning Keynote
10:30 am–Noon Morning Workshops
Noon– 12:50 pm Lunch
12:50 pm–2:00 pm Afternoon Keynote
2:15 pm–3:45 pm Afternoon Workshops
3:45 pm–4:00 pm Closing Circle

Fire as Teacher and Caretaker
2:15 pm–3:45 pm
Amy Butler, Author of Educating Children Outdoors,
Educator and Backcountry Explorer, Jay, VT

Fire can light a dark night, provide warmth, and produce a flame to cook over. Teaching with fire allows us to expand our time outdoors during the colder months as well as cultivate a sense of connection to one another and the earth. In a time of increasing danger brought on by wildfires, it is important that we consider all of our students’ experiences with fire and scaffold fire lessons with intention and care. In this workshop, Amy Butler, author of Educating Children Outdoors: Lessons in Nature-based Learning, will help educators consider the meaning of teaching with fire and provide lessons and safety protocols for bringing fire into the outdoor classroom.