Exploring the Possibilities of Makerspace in Outdoor Environments
With ECCDC Training Team
This workshop will provide a hands-on opportunity to engage in a Makerspace in an outdoor environment, also known as a Natural Makerspace. Participants will explore what a Makerspace is and the common materials involved, the difference between an indoor and outdoor Makerspace, the benefits of a Natural Makerspace, and materials to consider in the outdoor environment. Educators will also have the opportunity to discuss barriers they may face in a Natural Makerspace and ways to overcome these barriers.
Prices
Niagara Educators $10.00
Outside Niagara Educators $25.00
Fostering a Sustainable Future Through Environmental Programs Grounded in Ontario Curriculum
With Jacob Rodenburg
How do we activate, empower, and inspire children to adopt a sustainable future? We show them. Jacob Rodenburg has spent the past 30 years fostering environmental stewardship in children. During this time, Jacob has created over 90 curriculum linked outdoor and environmental programs. Join this session to explore how to enhance environmental awareness and learn ways you can provide students with practical, hands-on environmental activities from schoolyard naturalization to environmental science projects
Prices
Niagara Educators, includes a light lunch $25.00
Outside Niagara Educators, includes a light lunch $45.00
Creating Circles of Support Through Cultivating Professional Friendships in Early Childhood Education
Adult professional friendships are integral to early childhood education, giving educators daily support and collaboration, nurturing their professional and pedagogical growth, and-not to be discounted-making the job fun. During this webinar, participants will explore what it means to be a friend, how to make friends and keep friends, and what happens when friendships end.
Together with Dory Kashin, Cindy is excited to share reflections about the big ideas inherent in her book, Cultivating Professional Friendships. as well as Diane’s writing process.
In addition to being a daughter, wife, mother, bubbie, sister, friend, professor and mentor, Diane Kashin, EdD, RECE was an early learning educator who shared her research, wisdom and passion with so many. She was an author of many books pertaining to early learning and care and her blog tecribresearch.blog was followed by thousands. In her final book, Cultivating Professional Friendships in Early Childhood Education (2024), Diane invites educators to delve into the theory that professional friendship is a practice that enhances professional learning and growth. In her work with educators, it was her aim to embed opportunities for play. Playful adults are more inclined to invite young children to follow their curiosities through play and inquiry. Diane’s enthusiasm and knowledge about social constructivism and pedagogical practices invited, sustained and deepened the thinking of so many. Diane, we are your legacy.
In loving memory of Diane Kashin, author, colleague, friend.
Prices
General Admission $25.00
Getting Back to the Roots of Play
With Pierre Harrison, B.Sc., M.Sc. and B.Ed.
PLAYLearnThink has been promoting play based and inquiry-based learning for over 20 years.
Research around children’s development tells us that play is essential to a child’s physical health and emotional well-being. Play stimulates all aspects of a child’s development, i.e. the physical, social, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual aspects. Through play children, armed with curiosity and a spirit of inquiry, explore their environment and build knowledge about the world around them. In doing so they prepare the foundation on which they will build a life of resilience, creativity, self-confidence and life-long learning. Play is also essential for the continued growth of adults. That’s why PLAYLearnThink workshops incorporate playful ways of engaging participants. Whether working as a group on a challenging task or experimenting with various materials, the focus is always the use of play to nurture imagination and foster creativity which leads to great feats of problem solving and a heightened self-esteem.
- Overview of the importance of play in the healthy development of children - This section is an engaging presentation on play and learning through play. It includes what we know from research and practice. It touches upon different topics such as the benefits of self-directed play, exploring risk, nature play, resilience and the adult’s role in supporting play. I also share videos and stories from personal experiences and touch upon what is happening in various parts of the world.
- Loose parts play - Participants will play and create with a multitude of materials (loose parts) and tools. They will plunge into the joy of self-directed, spontaneous play and thus feel firsthand what children experience during free play.
- Debrief
Rescheduled from May 10 2025, now via webinar only.
Prices
Niagara Educators $25.00
Outside Niagara Educators $35.00
Professional Learning Series for Home Based Professionals: Strengthening Play in the Home through How Does Learning Happen?
Session 1: How Does Learning Happen for Non RECEs
With the ECCDC Training Team.
I’m not an RECE so what does How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years look like for me? How Does Learning Happen? is a pedagogical resource developed for early learning professionals that promotes a shared understanding of what children need and what can be done to help them grow and flourish. The early learning field is moving away from prescribed checklists of tasks to complete or a template for a “one-size-fits-all” approach which recognizes the uniqueness of programs, children, families, and educators. How Does Learning Happen? is meant to promote deeper reflection on how to create places and experiences where children, families, and educators explore, question, and learn together in quality early years programs. This session has been designed to introduce non RECEs to the ideas and theories within How Does Learning Happen? and offers opportunities for reflection, discussion, and exploration of the document.
Prices
Outside Niagara Home Child Care Professionals $15.00
Niagara Home Child Care Professionals $10.00
QCCN Online Conversation Café: Inclusivity, Inviting Environments and Intentionality in your Early Learning Program
In this café, we will consider our early learning environment and how to support the inclusion of all the children in our program. We will take a deeper dive into utilizing the Environmental Rating Scales, Environmental Reflection Form and Resource and Inventory Lists to assist us in providing environments rich with learning opportunities. Time will also be spent answering any of your QCCN related questions.
Prices
Niagara Educators Only Please (Free)
Niagara Community of Practice Network Meetings - Home Child Care Professionals Linked with a Licensed Home Child Care Agency
Are you contracted with one of Niagara’s licensed home child care agencies? If so, this Network is for you! Tour the ECCDC, borrow resources, problem solve with your peers, and engage with others in similar positions.
June Network Session
Prices
Niagara Home Child Care Professionals Only (Free)
Professional Learning Series for Home Based Professionals: Strengthening Play in the Home through How Does Learning Happen?
Session 2: Unlocking the Magic of Emergent Curriculum - An Introduction to the Emergent Curriculum Approach
With Tina Geers.
Step into the magical world of emergent planning – where children are the key! The way we plan play experiences for children is changing as we focus on the interests and abilities of the children as the core concept behind planning classroom experiences and co-learn, co-create, and co-imagine with the children. What is emergent planning? Is it effective? Will the children still enjoy the experiences and learn? How does it work with the Ontario Framework? Discover the answers to these questions and more as we look at key tips and strategies for implementing an emergent curriculum approach to children’s learning. This workshop is designed to reveal the mystery and magic of the well-known emergent curriculum concept and put it into practice in your early learning environment. Remember! Not all environments and planning are the same – just like not all children or educators are the same. So, let’s figure out how to do it so it works for everyone!
Prices
Niagara Home Child Care Professionals $10.00
Outside Niagara Home Child Care Professionals $15.00
Niagara Community of Practice Network Meetings - Home Child Care Professionals Linked with a Licensed Home Child Care Agency
Are you contracted with one of Niagara’s licensed home child care agencies? If so, this Network is for you! Tour the ECCDC, borrow resources, problem solve with your peers, and engage with others in similar positions.
October Network Session
Prices
Niagara Home Child Care Professionals Only (Free)
Professional Learning Series for Home Based Professionals: Strengthening Play in the Home through How Does Learning Happen?
Session 3: Playful Planning - Enriching Your Emergent Curriculum Approach
With Tina Geers.
Playful learning experiences promote a sense of curiosity, exploration, and confidence, which are what we all strive to achieve when we plan for our early childhood environment and our children’s experiences. The emergent curriculum approach is one of the most popular and best approaches to achieve this. This approach lets the child lead the playful experiences and follow their own learning path. As early childhood educators, our job is to observe their interests and plan to complement or extend them. Being intentional about preparing a responsive environment is a key element to emergent planning. How we plan activities, play experiences, provocations and invitations and make changes to our environment all depends on the dynamics of our group of children and our ability to really listen, observe, and learn about the children’s deeper interests and abilities. Let us walk alongside the children and join them in their journeys of wonder, play and curiosity. Join me as we discuss planning strategies that work for everyone. There is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to planning for children’s play, so let’s explore what your journey is with the children and how you can plan for play!
Prices
Niagara Home Child Care Professionals $10.00
Outside Niagara Home Child Care Professionals $15.00
Niagara Community of Practice Network Meetings - Home Child Care Professionals Linked with a Licensed Home Child Care Agency
Are you contracted with one of Niagara’s licensed home child care agencies? If so, this Network is for you! Tour the ECCDC, borrow resources, problem solve with your peers, and engage with others in similar positions.
November Network Session
Prices
Niagara Home Child Care Professionals Only (Free)
Professional Learning Series for Home Based Professionals: Strengthening Play in the Home through How Does Learning Happen?
Session 4: From Crying to Smiling - Understanding Children’s Behaviours
With Tina Geers.
Ever wonder why some children react in ways we don’t understand? The screaming, biting, and hitting came from nowhere! When a seemingly small situation throws them right into a major meltdown. Feeling like you’re at a standstill of what to do next? Well, then this webinar is for you! Join us as we discuss the why’s behind children’s difficult and challenging behaviours and how we can support them during these difficult moments. Learn what happens in a child’s brain when they are dysregulated and take away some tools that can help you bring them to a responsive state of mind. It’s not easy sometimes...but you are the one who can make a difference. You can help them move from reacting to responding by making meaningful connections and adding some great activities and strategies that everyone can use!
Prices
Niagara Home Child Care Professionals $10.00
Outside Niagara Home Child Care Professionals $15.00
Niagara Community of Practice Network Meetings - Home Child Care Professionals Linked with a Licensed Home Child Care Agency
Are you contracted with one of Niagara’s licensed home child care agencies? If so, this Network is for you! Tour the ECCDC, borrow resources, problem solve with your peers, and engage with others in similar positions.
January Network Session
Prices
Niagara Home Child Care Professionals Only (Free)