Webinar with Mark Davison, Park Planning, Design and Construction Manager, City of Boulder, Colorado

As the dad of a daughter who experiences disabilities and as a professional who has spent his career working in National, state and city parks conserving nature and designing parks, I have found my professional and personal life at odds. My career path has focused on park planning, park design, visitor experience, land management, and environmental conservation. However, much of the great work I believed I was doing in my job seemed to only create additional barriers for my daughter Lydia to access nature, from added steps on trails to inaccessible environmental education programs.

Over the years, Lydia has inspired me to think of and conceptualize accessibility in new ways within my professional role as the park planning manager at the City of Boulder, Colorado. She has been a crucial influence in this journey to ensure that not only she, but all children can universally access the many benefits of being in nature, feel welcome in parks, and be able to join her siblings in nature based settings to fully enjoy play.

In supporting Lydia having a voice in this world, the three main outcomes that would be nice to emerge from describing this journey are:

Webinar with Jill Bienenstock, Director of Education, Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds

Dive into the benefits of outdoor unstructured free play and learn how it supports the foundational skills needed for literacy to flourish. The aim is to enhance your current strategies used to support reading and writing in the early years and beyond. Participants will understand how and why gross motor skills developed through child-led play to support the foundational skills of literacy, explore and expand outdoor activities on their playground that promote the foundational skills of literacy, evaluate current outdoor activities and experiences with an 'Outdoor Literacy Checklist', and learn how to expand language arts outside by using natural materials and loose parts.

Jill Bienenstock is an early childhood educator who puts her expertise to use as the Director of Education at Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds. With over 30 years’ experience of which more than a decade was spent as an Early Childhood Educator (ECE) at children’s rehabilitation hospital, Jill focuses on ways to extend curriculum outdoors, noting how imperative it is for child development. Her goal is to make outdoor learning and play simple, fun, and memorable for both children and educators. She is inspired by the young people she works with and enjoys finding creative ways to transform outdoor ‘roadblocks’ into learning opportunities for all.

Webinar with Daniel Ramirez, Senior Manager, Gen:Thrive - EcoRise

Environmental literacy, green schools, children in nature, climate education, e-STEM, environmental justice. Across the U.S., there is a plethora of organizations offering resources for K-12 students with the vision of cultivating empowered, sustainability leaders and healthy, green, equitable schools. Under this shared banner, there is a significant opportunity to join forces and build a data-driven strategy for collective impact.

Gen:Thrive is a collaborative initiative providing shared data and technology tools to accelerate sustainability education and advance health, equity, and climate resilience in K-12 schools. Housed within EcoRise, the Gen:Thrive team is working closely with NAAEE and State Affiliates to map environmental education (EE) service providers across the U.S. and examine issues of social vulnerability, environmental pollutants, climate risk, health, workforce development and green infrastructure. A central goal of the project is to use these technology tools and data visualization to explore local community needs, identify partnership opportunities and drive new resources to communities that need it most. Discover how Gen:Thrive's tools can help you build out programs that target your communities' specific needs.

Webinar with Ky Harkey, The Visitor Experience

Folks love Park Prescription Programs, so why are they so hard to launch? Nature is the fourth pillar of health, and park prescription programs help engage patients with nature for positive health outcomes. This webinar will explore a step-by-step blueprint to launching and leading successful Park Rx initiatives. Attendees will learn strategies for identifying and engaging healthcare champions, leveraging evidence to support the health benefits of nature, and creating accessible, impactful nature experiences for patients. By the end of this session, participants will have the templates and tools to (1) build meaningful partnerships with local health advocates, (2) communicate the proven health benefits of regular time in nature, and (3) support medical professionals in sharing a five-part plan for connecting patients to nature.

Webinar offered at 2:00 Central on May 21, 2025

Ticket Sales will end on May 20, 2025

Webinar will be recorded

A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants prior to the event

Registration: https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/texaschildreninnaturenetwork/launching-park-prescription-programs-a-step-by-step-guide

Webinar with Laura Tadena, Community Engagement Librarian, Austin Public Library

Join us to explore how Austin Public Library is building nature into its services through StoryWalks as part of its Nature Smart Libraries initiative. In this webinar, we will provide an overview of how the library established four permanent StoryWalks, including one with a Braille overlay, through support from a Texas State Library and Archives grant. These StoryWalks combine outdoor literacy with nature-based experiences, offering accessible and engaging ways to connect with the environment.

We’ll also discuss how the library continues to grow this initiative through its internal StoryWalk committee, pollinator gardens, thoughtful collection development, and strategic partnerships. By the end of the session, you will understand the steps for creating and launching StoryWalks, learn how to incorporate nature into library services and programming, and discover strategies for maintaining inclusive, community-driven initiatives that encourage a connection to nature.

Webinar at 2:00 and 7:00 on June 4, 2025

Ticket Sales will end June 3, 2025

Registration: https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/texaschildreninnaturenetwork/storywalks-and-nature-smart-libraries-at-austin-public-library