Programme 2024

SCHEDULE OF THE DAY

Participants choose the morning programme for each day (lecture or excursion), continuous discussion group (for the whole week), one-time workshop (one for each day, 3 in total) and continuous workshop (for the whole week). 

The info about evening programme will be found at the end of this page.

FRIDAY EVENING - WELCOME CEREMONY

Nature is - "Coming home!"
Welcome ceremony guided by Nadja Hillgruber and Petra Jäger
Friday 5. 8. 2024 15:00 - 18:00
Since its initiation in 2018, we have been weaving the "Children of nature worldwide hand in hand" network together. It stretches around the world with its outermost tips to the west in Chile and to the east in Ladakh and South Korea, to the north in Finland and to the south in Botswana. Despite the long distances, friendly links have developed since the 2019 International Conference in Zurich and a firework of energy has been ignited in the other countries. "We feel connected to these people from very different nations because they have the same home around them, namely our nature," said Petra Jäger.

It is with great pleasure that we would like to continue the friendly ties, which are characterised by harmony. Genuine friendships of the heart have developed, which want to grow a common nourishing ground for the future of children in nature worldwide.

Together we want to create words that reflect the comprehensive meaning of emotions, connection, gratitude and mutual nourishing exchange, because these are the new stories that are to be created at the summer school in Louti, which go beyond the classic understanding of a workshop.

At the summer school, we also want our movement to continue to unfold through the mindful, equal and great work and sharing of all participants.

At 20:00 there is a fire and a meeting for all participants.

EARLY MORNING PROGRAMME

Common programme for all the participants.

MORNING SINGING

Olga Závadová
Tuesday - Friday 8:00 - 8:45
It is sung outside in a circle under the open sky, we feel each other next to each other, we feel the sky above our head and the solid ground under our bare feet, the cold grass, ourselves as the earth holds us and we "grow" into it. Then we can gradually awaken our inner voice. We begin to create tones in individual parts of our body until we discover our resonators. Finally, we open our eyes wide and look up into the clouds, take a deep breath and sing songs to greet Mother Earth, wave to the Sun, hug trees, greet each other.

Instructions will be given in Czech, translated consecutively to English, but music is an universal language.

MORNING PROGRAMME

Participants choose between lecture and one of excursions for each day (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday).

LECTURERS (find the annotation below the summary)

H1 Gaye Amus: Earth care, people care and fair share in nature pedagogy
H2 Elizabeth Henderson: Can you see me, hear me, walk with me and let me sing my song? Listening deeply to both Nature and our youngest children, to help create sustainable futures for all
H3 David Sobel:
part I.: Best Practices in Nature-based Preschool Education in the United States (online stream)
part II.: Will My Child Be Ready for Kindergarten or First Grade?: A Review of Ten Years of Research on Nature-based Early Childhood Programs (online stream)

EXCURSIONS (find the annotation below the summary)

E1-3A Greg Sommer: Coyote teaching
E1-3B Gunter Grün-Oostinga: Promoting natural intelligence with thematic projects on the example "Stone Age"

LECTURERS

Gaye Amus: Earth care, people care and fair share in nature pedagogy
H1, Tuesday 9:00 - 12:00
“Permaculture is a design system that creates resilient, sustainable relationships between human beings and the rest of the natural world.” - The Children in Permaculture Manual (Alderslowe, Amus & Deshaies, 2018). How can the forest, a self-sufficient ecosystem full of biodiversity and our greatest teacher be an inspiration in education? What is it we can learn from the earth and all beings? How can we interact in/with/for nature in a more sustainable way? With a set of ethics and principles, this is an invitation to celebrate our nature and its diversity.

The lecture will be in English, translated simultaneously to Czech.

Elizabeth Henderson: Can you see me, hear me, walk with me and let me sing my song? Listening deeply to both Nature and our youngest children, to help create sustainable futures for all
H2, Wednesday 9:00 - 12:00
A loss of our indigenous pathways, which once guided our ancestors' relationship with Nature, has had devastating consequences for biodiversity in the western world, and the well-being of our planet and its people. What brought us to this point in our history? How might practitioners, working with young children, address the current crisis of sustainability? In this session, Elizabeth will address these questions in her keynote.

Elizabeth draws on storytelling, the imagination, music, narratives, embodiment, the senses, neuro-science, art, indigenous pathways (including her Scottish and Celtic background), and 4 decades of experience working with children, to help you face the global crisis of sustainability. She will guide you on a journey using the Wheel of the Year, which you can later use with your children and their families, helping you to sow the seeds of diversity, inclusion, and a re-enchantment with Mother Earth.

The lecture will be in English, translated simultaneously to Czech.

David Sobel:
H3, Thursday 16:00 - 19:00
I.  Best Practices in Nature-based Preschool Education in the United States
Nature preschools, forest kindergartens, one-day-a-week in the woods or at the park - many different forms of nature-based early childhood programming have blossomed in the United States and Canada over the past decade. Out of this blossoming, many wonderful, innovative program components have emerged. From math with pinecones to napping outdoors to singing and dancing in the rain, new ideas emerge every month. David collected many of these innovative ideas in his book The Sky Above and the Mud Below. He'll share many of these practices and tell some of his favorite stories about educating young children outdoors.

II.  Will My Child Be Ready for Kindergarten or First Grade?: A Review of Ten Years of Research on Nature-based Early Childhood Programs
In collaboration with researchers in Michigan and Minnesota in the United States, David collaborated on research that compared the impacts on children in nature-based early childhood programs versus children in traditional high-quality early childhood programs. The research focused on early literacy development, math literacy development, STEM learning, motivation, resilience, executive functioning, and more. It has been conducted in private outdoor preschools, publicly funded Head Start programs, university laboratory schools, and public preschool programs. In the spirit of "slow and steady wins the race" an interesting story has emerged about the benefits of outdoor programs. Spoiler alert: The answer to the question Will my child be ready? The answer is a resounding yes!

The lecture will be streamed online, in English and translated simultaneously to Czech.

EXCURSIONS

Greg Sommer: Coyote teaching
E1-3 A, Tuesday - Wednesday 9:00 - 12:00, Thursday 16:00-19:00
The animals live their secret lives all around us. The fox that visits the garden every night or the robin that nests nearby or the sparrow hawk who watches that robin, are often invisible to us and often we are unaware even of their existence. Their lives are dominated by ours and as their numbers decline we are almost completely unaware of it. How do we foster awareness and curiosity in children about our local fauna and floral? So that they know as much about the firecrest as they do about a leopard. We will explore how to read these stories in the landscape through the tracks left behind, and how to develop nature mentoring tools with kids to foster a deeper sense of place and curiosity.

The lecture will be in English, translated consecutively to Czech.

Gunter-Grün Oostinga: Promoting natural intelligence with thematic projects on the example "Stone Age"
E1-3 B, Tuesday - Wednesday 9:00 - 12:00, Thursday 16:00-19:00
Discovering and utilizing their own resources, high resilience and robust physical and mental health are characteristics of children with high natural intelligence. This concept of intelligence differs fundamentally from the usual focus of intelligence measurement and is nevertheless decisive for many life situations in our urban world. In addition to free play, guided thematic projects in forest kindergartens or forest day nurseries can make a valuable contribution to this. 

During the excursion, various aspects will be presented and tested using the example topic "Stone Age":

• social cooperation through field games
• empathy with other creatures through role-playing games
• practical skills by making simple tools, clothing and jewelry from natural materials
• playful sensory training in nature
• connection to nature through storytelling and songs
• artistic design on the theme of the Stone Age
• integration of nature rituals into role play

The program draws on 17 years of experience in nature education as well as many years of experience as a mentor for Scandinavian Friluftsliv. 

The lecture will be in English, translated consecutively to Czech.

AFTERNOON PROGRAM
Participants choose one continuous discussion group for the whole week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday).

DISCUSSION GROUPS
Tuesday, Wednesday 13:00 - 13:45, Thursday 11:00 - 12:00

D1 Katia Hueso: Inclusive nature
D2 Gunter Grün-Oostinga: Resilience and nature intelligence as tools for our children in a threatened world
D3 Tereza Valkounová: International experience shared

Katia Hueso: Inclusive nature
D1 Tuesday, Wednesday 13:00 - 13:45, Thursday 11:00 - 12:00
Nature is known to be benedifical for the development and wellbeing of all. Playing and staying in nature improves health, cognition and physical prowess. However, people with disabilities have difficulties accessing nature, both from the physical and the cognitive points of view. Educational settings tend to avoind going out with children with disabilities, for fear of risk. In this discussion we will look at nature through the lens of inclusion. How inclusive is nature? What are the advantages of being in nature for people with disabilities and other additional needs? How does risky play benefit them? How can we make nature more accessible? 

The discussion will be in English, without translation.

Gunter Grün-Oostinga: Resilience and nature intelligence as tools for our children in a threatened world
D2 Tuesday, Wednesday 13:00 - 13:45, Thursday 11:00 - 12:00
Our children are facing challenges that we are neither aware of today nor can we properly assess their extent. Instead of the canon of knowledge of the last century, they therefore need a resilience and adaptability to change as well as a form of intelligence that enables them to take good care of their natural living conditions on a personal and social level.

What can we as nature educators do to promote resilience and nature intelligence in children? How are these two basic skills connected and what practical methods can we use to help children develop them? And finally, how can we recognise that we are successful? After a brief theoretical input on the two terms, I would like to encourage a joint discussion on this topic.

The discussion will be in English, translated consecutively to Czech.

Tereza Valkounová: International experiences shared
D3 Tuesday, Wednesday 13:00 - 13:45, Thursday 11:00 - 12:00
Meet your colleagues from different countries and share your stories of lessons learned. In a closed circle we will discuss the actual situations of forest kindergartens in represented countries. The aim of each circle is to get and give each other feedback or support for possible options and good next steps.

The discussion will be in English, without translation.

ONE-TIME WORKSHOPS
Tuesday, Wednesday 14:00 - 16:00, Thursday 9:00 - 11:00
Participants choose their one-time workshops, a different one for each day (Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday)
J1 Nadja Hillgruber: International dumplings (over an open fire)
J3 Greg Sommer: Animal Tracks and Trails: Reading the Stories of Place
J4 Elizabeth Henderson: Working with the Cycle of the Year
J5 Darren Lewis: An introduction to Skogsmulle
J6 Gaye Amus: Inspiration from Nature
J10 Kateřina Čiháková: How to talk about climate change with preschoolers, parents and colleagues

Nadja Hillgruber: International dumplings (over the open fire)
J1 Tuesday and Wednesday 14:00 - 16:00, Thursday 9:00-11:00
Food connects! Dumplings are found all over the world. A very special treat! Whether sweet or salty, Czech knedlíky, Swiss plätzli, Polish pierogi, Georgian chinkali, Ukrainian varenyky, Chinese dim sum, Austrian krapfen, Arabic sambusak, Indian samosa, Italian tortellini, Tibetan momos, Schwabian Maultauschen or anything else you can think of in terms of dumplings - almost every country offers them, which is why there is an enormous variety of variations of this popular dish worldwide. In this cookery workshop at the summer school in the Czech Republic, participants will learn how to make dumplings from different countries. Eating together is the easiest way to strike up an honest dialogue with strangers. Each pocket is lovingly prepared by hand and filled with delicious ingredients. After cooking, all participants distribute the dumplings and we enjoy our food together with everyone in a warm and friendly atmosphere. The preparation and cooking takes place over an open fire. Participating dumpling cooks who would like to teach others the art of making dumplings from their own country are very welcome.

The workshop will be in English without translation.

Greg Sommer: How to deepen the relationship with nature through games and stories
J3, Tuesday and Wednesday 14:00 - 16:00
How can we work with games, stories and other activities to develop a deeper relationship to the natural world around us? We will explore how to expand our senses and develop a fine ear to listen for the quiet song of the birds and read stories in tracks and fragments that are left behind from our four-legged neighbors. Come prepared to be outside with whatever weather comes and be ready to listen to stories and engage in games.

The workshop will be in English without translation.

Elizabeth Henderson: Working with the Cycle of the Year
J4, Thursday 9:00 - 11:00
Building on Wednesday’s keynote talk, and using the Wheel of the Year, Elizabeth will use an imaginative, creative, and gentle eco-therapeutic approach, to help you engage with the more-than-human world. By deepening your listening and your understanding of the ways in which nature speaks, you will explore how to build more imaginative, sustainable, and ethically-based pathways in your life as well as experience therapeutic pathways suited to your work in the early years.

Elizabeth will share some simple steps to help nurture a healthier and more vibrant relationship with Nature through art, craft, music, and the imagination which you can later use with your children; helping you to be the change for a sustainable future.

The workshop will be in English without translation.

Darren Lewis: An introduction to Skogsmulle
J5 Tuesday and Wednesday 14:00 - 16:00
Skogsmulle is a nature-based pedagogy originating in the Swedish Outdoor School movement known as “I ur och skur”. The concept was created in Sweden by Gösta Frohm in the 1950s and today one in every four children experiences the magic of learning with Skogsmulle. Through this practical workshop, an introduction to this concept will be shared. Skogsmulle translates as Skogs (Forest) & Mulle (Character) and can be used in the form of a puppet, a person in costume or referenced in a song, story or a game. Skogsmulle and his friends are stewards of nature and through their stories, fairy tales, songs and lessons they provide children with inspirational, holistic, child-centered learning experiences. The concept supports children’s development during their period of mastery through fantasy play. Skogsmulle, along with nature, acts as a third teacher to aid children’s development and understanding of the world.

Gaye Amus: Inspiration from Nature
J6 Thursday 9:00 - 11:00
Nature is the biggest teacher and also the forest is the best example for a sustainable system. During the workshop participants will get inspiration from nature and find the hidden permaculture ethics and principles in the forest. In small groups they will look for these ethics and principles in nature and be aware of the more-than human world. Through this they will find examples on how nature works and get a better understanding of how nature has inspired humanity for centuries with an aim of seeing the bigger picture.

The workshop will be in English without translation.

Kateřina Čiháková: Jak mluvit o změně klimatu s dětmi předškolního věku, s rodiči a s kolegy/němi - How to talk about climate change with preschoolers, parents and colleagues
J10 Wednesday 14:00 - 16:00, Thursday 9:00 - 11:00
Do you talk to colleagues, parents or children about climate change? Or do you rather avoid the topic? The workshop will begin with the presentation of the current state, causes, impacts and possible solutions, their potential and effectiveness. Some examples of the principles for climate change communication will be presented. In an exercise the participants will examine how our brains and cognitive biases work in the context of the complex issue, as climate change is. Finally we will focus on creating a positive vision of the future, choosing a trusted messenger/spokesperson, engaging emotions, creating moments of shared commitment and appropriate narratives. The lecturer will show examples of good practice that is working to develop a community with a shared belief in positive change. Finally the participants will be supported to discuss and find examples in the garden and surroundings, how to introduce the problem to preschool children. We will focus on solutions in the growing  vegetables, composting, transport and heating/cooling of buildings.

The workshop will be in Czech, translated consecutively to English.

AFTERNOON PROGRAMME - CONTINUOUS WORKSHOPS
TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY 17:00 - 19:00, THURSDAY 13:30 - 15:30
Participants choose one continuous workshop that will last for the whole week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, each day 2 hours).
K1 Petra Jäger: The root system of good parent work in the context of nature education!
K3 Katia Hueso: Ecoliteracy games: How to connect and get to know nature
K6 Martina Březinová a Jakub Šrajer: Working with wood in forest kindergarten
 
Petra Jäger: The root system of good parent work in the context of nature education!
K1, Tuesday and Wednesday 17:00 - 19:00, Thursday 13:30 - 15:30
How can we use nature and the structure of the forest and nature kindergarten for our good and empathetic work with parents? We are open to all families and are happy about diversity in the families. Due to our concept, it makes sense to use the forces and conditions of nature for a good contact with the families. How is the adaptation period designed?

What kind of parents' evenings do we organize and what about the content of the development discussions for the parents? What a great treasure the families bring with them for a colorful cooperation and how do we keep our values in our concept. How do I design challenging parent-teacher meetings and what solutions does nature offer us? How can I reassure anxious and worried parents and convince them with content? Let's learn from each other and about each other.

Katia Hueso: Ecoliteracy games: How to connect and get to know nature
K3, Tuesday and Wednesday 17:00 - 19:00, Thursday 13:30 - 15:30
Nature-based education requires a good connection to nature and some basic knowledge to enjoy it, learn more about it and stay safe. Risky play in nature is a powerful tool not only to learn about oneself, but also about the natural world. In this workshop different games will be offered that help participants connect with nature, socialize with others, learn about themselves, about nature and know how to stay safe. The games are inspired in the deep ecology environmental education school of thought, with a strong biophilic sense of belonging to nature. They avoid a curricular, guilt-based approach typically found in other environmental education settings and are rather based on the feelings of joy, mutual support and symbiosis with the living world. In this way, participants will feel to be part of nature and not apart from it. The workshop will offer games for all ages, group types and sizes. They can be applied in formal, non-formal and informal education settings and are scalable and adaptable for inclusion of people with additional needs. Participants will also have the opportunity to invent and share their own games in nature. Some theoretical and practical background information on outdoor play, risk management and ecoliteracy will also be provided between play sessions.

Martina Březinová a Jakub Šrajer: Práce se dřevem v lesní školce / Working with wood in forest kindergarten
K6, Tuesday and Wednesday 17:00 - 19:00, Thursday 13:30 - 15:30
Crafts have the potential to develop in children a sense of belonging to the place where they live, and at the same time a sensitivity to nature - the bushes and trees around them are transformed into new objects by children's hands, and with this the joy of having such trees around us grows. For educators, working with wood develops, among other things, abilities and skills for exploring nature and the environment, an understanding of certain laws of ecological processes, and the knowledge needed to treat nature and its resources with care. All of this is naturally transferred to the children through the pedagogues when working with wood.

How to safely work with tools with preschool children? How to gradually introduce work with wood? What tools are necessary, what can be useful, where to get it and what you don't need to worry about? It will be created in the forest from what the forest has to offer. In addition to simple things for young children, participants will learn how to create more complex things that can be done with preschoolers. The course is mainly intended for beginners in working with wood, and for those who are afraid to work with wood with preschool children.

The workshop will be in Czech, translated consecutively to English.

EVENING PROGRAMME

Monday: fire opening ceremony
Tuesday: movie night “Of Children and Trees”; fire
Wednesday: dancing night; fire
Thursday: raffle night; fire

There will be more for you to enjoy:

• market place (books, fashion, jewelry, paper products, didactical tools, eco-cosmetics etc.)
• coffee & cakes
• wine & beer
• morning exercises
• tattoo
• massage
• swap - clothing, shoes, accessories (contributions are welcomed!)