Forest School Teacher Institute in Partnership with 

Department of Early Childhood Education

Forest School Teacher Certification

March 28-30, 2023 

REGISTRATION is CLOSED (January 24, 2023) -- Fee: $429

Camp at Buffalo Mountain, 201 Methodist Camp Road, Jonesborough, Tennessee
Certification is open to anyone who works with children. College credits available.

Join Dr. Jean Lomino (Founder/President of the Forest School Teacher Institute)  and professors Dr. Jane Broderick and Dr. Pam Evanshen (ETSU Dept. of Early Childhood Education) at Seedkeepers Forest School and the newly opened Fauna Forest Farm for this three-day intensive. Practical and place-based, hands-on learning will include:

• observation and assessment strategies
• mindful site tours of intentional outdoor learning environments
• practice of emergent learning techniques
• place-based activities including naturalist skills, nature journaling, comtemplative practices, learning frameworks

All participants will earn a Forest School Teacher Institute Training Certificate (Fee: $429) with the option of additional college credit from ETSU. 

DATES: March 28-30, 2023

SCHEDULE OVERVIEW

Tuesday, March 28, 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 

• Forest School Key Features and Benefits
• Observation Strategies and Assessments
• Site Visit and Observation: Seedkeepers
• Debrief and Lunch with founders of Seedkeepers
• Rituals, Schedules, and Mindfulness
• Integration of Cultural Themes and Activities 

Wednesday, March 29, 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 

• Emergent Learning and Building a Curriculum
• Site Visit and Observation: Fauna Forest Farm
• Debrief and Lunch with founders of Fauna Forest Farm
• Permaculture and Farming in Forest Schools
• Deep Dive into Creating Emergent Learning Seasonal Frameworks 

Thursday, March 30, 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 

• Naturalist Studies and Best Practices
• Authentic Engagement and Flow Learning
• Course Synthesis and Final Stories

Lodging: Update January 20 -- Onsite lodging is fully booked. Nearby hotel lodging is available in Jonesborough.  

Payment in FULL is due at the time of registration. Full refunds are offered if requested two weeks prior to the session. 

Questions regarding the sessions, payment, and/or the enrollment process should be directed
to [email protected]

Thank you!

 Forest School Teacher Institute

Spring 2023 Retreat: Living the Forest School Way

 March 31 - April 2, 2023

REGISTRATION CLOSED (March 22)

Location: Camp at Buffalo Mountain, 201 Methodist Camp Road

Jonesborough, Tennessee

Join Forest School friends, fans, and colleagues for a weekend of sweet communion at Camp at Buffalo Mountain Retreat Center. We promise to nurture your body, mind, and soul as we uncover how Forest School ethos can be a way of life. A series of workshops and conversations will address "living the forest school way." Session highlights include:

Friday, March 31 (begins 8:00 a.m.)

• Meet founder Micky Morton and tour Seedkeeper's Forest School
• Meet founders Shae Keane and Taylor Malone and tour Fauna Forest Farm.
• Experience a nature hike through a child's eyes with Dr. Jean Lomino and Dr. Carl Swafford
• Fill your forest school ethos cup with an inspiring evening keynote from Jean Lomino
• Evening campfire with S'more conversations

Saturday, April 1

• Sunrise Yoga with Bonnie Cretton (founder of Woodsong Forest School)
• Morning Workshops
  
  • Journaling Strategies to Form Connections to Nature with Jean Lomino -- Being still, opens the mind to awe and wonder of a place and time. Jean will share some of her methods of accessing nature with a pen and paintbrush.  
  • Walking Toward the Sunset:The Melungeons of Appalachia -- Local historian and author Wayne Winkler will share the history of this place and the forgotten people of Appalachia known as the Melungeons . . .  who may be part of your own lineage. 
• Afternoon Workshops (choose two):
  • Basket Weaving with Susan Rines -- Local resident Susan Rines will give you all you need (materials, direction, and encouragement) to learn a skill passed down for generations. You will craft a beautiful basket of your own. 
  • Music and Storytelling in the Forest --    Speaker TBA
  • Mindfulness Practices with Bonnie Cretton
  • Bird Walk and Watch with Carl Swafford
  • Storytelling and Music with Children in the Forest with Erin Dalton
  • Dreaming Poetry in the Forest with Jean Lomino
  • Nature Discovery Hike with Taylor Malone
• Bonus Evening Session:
  
  • Nature Stroll at Eventide with Carl Swafford 

Sunday, April 2 (ends 11:30 a.m.)

• Sunrise yoga with Bonnie Cretton
• Shinrin-Yoku (forest bathing) with Bonnie Cretton
• Farewells

Fee: $545 (all meals and sessions included); Single-day pass $195

Limited number of on-site lodging options will be available.  First Come, First Serve capacity of 30. Shared rooms. A number of hotels and Airbnbs are available in the Jonesborough area. Attendees are responsible for off-site arrangements. 

Questions regarding the sessions, payment, and/or the enrollment process should be directed to [email protected]

 Forest School Teacher Institute

 

In-Person Forest School Teacher Certification

June 1-3, 2023 

 Fee: $595

Lookout Lake Farm in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Join Dr. Jean Lomino, Founder and President of Forest School Teacher Institute, at Lookout Lake Farm, the birthplace of Wauhatchie School and the current site of Nature Kin Farm and Forest School for a three-day Forest School Teacher training intensive. Inspiration, wonder, and awe abound on the scenic trails of Reflection Riding Arboretum &Nature Center and the lakeshore, woods, and fields of Lookout Lake Farm. We will observe children learning through exploratory play at local forest school camps, engage in debrief sessions, and participate in classes including Emergent Curriculum in Nature-base Learning, Cultural Themes in FS, Practicing Mindfulness, Nature Journaling, and three hours of Naturalist Training. This session is limited to 25 participants. 

Participants will:

• Practice observation and assessment strategies.
• Learn to use questioning for creating on-the-spot activities that enrich/extend children’s
  discoveries
• Understand backwards-lesson planning and create learning frameworks
• Learn how to incorporate heritage and cultural studies in a forest school setting
• Engage in mindfulness practices including sit spots and nature journaling
• Receive a FSTI Certificate of Completion for 24 hours of FS Teacher Training

SCHEDULE OVERVIEW (8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. daily)

Day One: Observation of FS students and teachers, followed by a debrief session. Class topics will
include: Observation and Assessment, Integrating Cultural Themes and Activities.
 

Day Two: Observation of FS students followed by a debrief session. The class topic is Emergent
Learning Frameworks for students, pre-school through Grade 8. Working in teams participants will
create a seasonal, emergent learning framework to take home.
 

Day Three: Naturalist training and Nature Journaling at Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center,
where we will also end our training session with a Synthesis Class (details will be provided on day one.)
 

Note: A recorded 90-minute session titled Rituals, Mindfulness and Schedules will be sent ahead of
our training session.

 Payment in FULL is due at the time of registration. Full refunds are offered if requested two weeks prior to the session. 

Questions regarding the sessions, payment, and/or the enrollment process should be directed to [email protected]

 Forest School Teacher Institute's

 In-Person Forest Teacher Certificate Training

September 8-10, 2022 

Fernandina Beach, Florida

Join Dr. Jean Lomino on the beaches of northeast Florida for a three-day teacher intensive. Activities include observing children doing “forest school” in the sand and surf and in coastal wetlands, learning together about emergent curriculum, introducing cultural themes into forest school, practicing mindfulness, journaling, and naturalist training. This in-person session is limited to 15 participants (first come, first serve).

Participants will:

• Practice observation and assessment strategies
• Learn to use questioning for creating on-the-spot activities that enrich/extend children’s discoveries
• Understand backwards-lesson planning and create learning frameworks
• Learn how to incorporate heritage and cultural studies in a forest school setting
• Engage in mindfulness practices including sit spots and nature journaling
• Receive a FSTI Certificate of Completion for 22 hours of Forest School Teacher Training

 SCHEDULE (Sessions run 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, daily.)

Day One:  Observation of students and teachers at Wild Oak Explorers Forest School . Observations will be followed by a debrief session. Class topics will include:  Observation and Assessment, Integrating Cultural Themes and Activities (presentation by a museum educator about the history of the Timucua Native Americans and Black History at America Beach) and viewing Developing Rituals, Schedules and Mindfulness, a recorded FSTI session with Windsong Forest School founder Bonnie Cretton. Live discussion will follow.

Day Two:  Observation of students at Playgarden on Jacksonville Beach, followed by a debrief session.  Classes will include Emergent Learning Frameworks for students pre-school through grade 8, and Nature Journaling.

Day Three:  Naturalist training in the morning at Fernandina Beach with a professional naturalist followed by Nature Journaling incorporating interdisciplinary and STEM connections, and a course synthesis project.

TUITION for the 3-day training (Thursday-Saturday): $485* per person 

10% discount for two more from the same school  

*Price does not include meals, transportation, or lodging.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS 8/31/22

Forest School Teacher Institute's

June 2022 Chattanooga Workshop

Forest Schools: Creating Emergent Learning Frameworks Pre K-5

 Natural Start Alliance

 Nature-Based Early Learning Conference July 27-30, 2022 

Cincinnati, Ohio

Jean and Joe will be presenting at the Natural Start Alliance Annual Conference in Cincinnati on July 28.

This is a conference of kindred spirits that will inspire and inform your work. Consider joining us for this interactive session! 

Bushwhacking: Untethered and Holistic Learning for Children 6-12

How does nature-based learning work for elementary-age children? How does child-directed learning correlate with academic skill development? These are leading questions as schools expand the use of outdoor learning spaces. Discover how emergent learning integrates seamlessly with academic subjects.

 Forest School Teacher Institute's

 Louisville Forest School Summer Day Visit

July 27, 2022 

Louisville, Kentucky

Enjoy a day-long sojourn observing, conversing, and communing with a network of forest schools. 

Jean and Joe will be presenting at the Natural Start Alliance Conference in Cincinnati July 28-30.

We plan to spend the day before in Louisville doing some site visits, reflection, and visioning. Would you like to join us?