In Mud: Nature-based early childhood education
Spring in the Tetons begins with mud!
Saturday, May 2nd, 2025
9:00 am – 4:00 pm MST
Based on Teton Science Schools’ Jackson Campus
Price: $110
Come join us for our 9th annual In Mud Workshop. We are excited to welcome keynote speaker Erin Tanzer, teaching faculty in Nature-Based Early Childhood Education from Antioch University New England. Erin values the importance of outdoor risky play for children’s development and as a part of the foundation for life-long learning. Erin will share some of her dissertation research, which focused on young children’s perspectives during outdoor risky play, and she will share practical tips on how children’s views and experiences can shape our pedagogy and teaching.
Workshop sessions will explore these themes and topics further with opportunities to spend time outside – exploring, playing, and taking risks together. Following the morning keynote, participants will have the opportunity to peek into classrooms and then take a journey to Rendezvous Park, near the Jackson Campus.
Recommended for Early Childhood Educators: preschool through lower elementary school. 7 STARS hours are available or a certificate of completion.
There is an option to stay overnight at TSS on Friday, May 1, 2026 with arrivals from 5-7 pm. For those who stay on Friday evening, lodging and breakfast the following morning will be an additional $125.
Description of keynote
Dr. Erin Tanzer is a member of the teaching faculty in the Nature-based Early Childhood M.Ed. and certificate program at Antioch University New England. Erin enjoys working with experienced and aspiring educators to create playful and connected learning experiences and environments. Her areas of interest include playful pedagogy in higher education, transformative leadership in early childhood, place-based education, nature-based early childhood education, inquiry-based approaches, and outdoor risky play pedagogy. Her experience in the field includes teaching in postsecondary/ higher education, teaching in Reggio-Emilia-inspired and nature-based early childhood settings, designing project-based curriculum, and facilitating educator professional development. Erin’s recent research is about young children’s perceptions of outdoor risky play.
Workshops Descriptions
| Facilitator | Workshop Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Paige Fisher | The Benefits of Open-Ended Play Experiences in the Natural World | What are open ended play experiences and why and how should we offer them to children? Come explore how offering open ended play experiences in the natural world supports all areas of OT. From Mud Kitchens and interactive storytelling to imaginative play and building big and small we will dive into the why and the how behind these play experiences. During this workshop we will brainstorm how you can engage children in this type of play in your own program to not only benefit children from an OT perspective but in all areas of development. |
| Susan Ford | Sensory Roots: Nature-Based Learning for Emotional Regulation and Growth- an Occupational Therapy Perspective | Come explore the joy of nature in fostering emotional regulation and growth in children! This workshop will explore how nature-based learning environments can support sensory processing and emotional development. Participants will engage in hands-on activities and discussions, build strategies and learn tools to help empower the sensory roots of every learner. |
| Danny Martin | Child-Centered Committee Work for Establishing Safety Guidelines to Engage in Healthy Risk Taking | How can teachers best prepare children for taking healthy risks in the natural world? One tool to answer this question is by creating child-centered committees. Come join us and take part in a Tree Climbing Committee. You will engage in making decisions about how to stay safe just as children are invited to do as committee members. We will discuss how giving children this responsibility allows them to have ownership over their own safety and play and how it also creates space for critical thinking and collaboration, ultimately giving children the tools to be community caretakers. We will dive deeper into the essentials of supporting healthy risk as we take a nature walk through the woods and discuss how healthy risk-taking is an integral piece of a child's development. |
| Elise Pierce | Loose Parts - Supporting the Development of Executive Function Skills Through the Creation of Outdoor Play Spaces | Dive into the creation of dynamic and sensory-rich outdoor play environments using loose parts. Explore how to transform everyday materials—like fabric, crates, stones, tires, and pipes—into tools that ignite children’s creativity and promote cognitive and social development. Whether you have access to natural materials or not, we’ll investigate how to design play spaces that engage children’s senses, encourage problem-solving, self-control and risk assessment, and foster imaginative play. |
| Katie Rose Griffith | Seed to Snack: A Movement-Based Exploration of Growing and Eating Food | This workshop immerses participants in the full-body experience of growing, harvesting, and eating food through movement-based activities. It highlights how gardening supports developmental progressions in young learners while providing practical, hands-on experiences. |
| Erin Tanzer | Become a Play Detective | Do you ever wonder why children spin, climb, collect, or hide? Uncover the interests and wonderings that drive children’s outdoor play. We'll explore how children connect with nature through place-based play motifs such as “animal allies” and “small worlds” and play schemas like “trajectory” and “rotation.” Become a play detective, sharpening your observation skills to uncover the rich learning happening in every muddy puddle and towering tree. Discover how to ignite children's imaginations with open-ended materials and thoughtful questions. Come ready to play and leave with renewed curiosity. |
