WORKSHOPS THAT HELP COMMUNITY and RECREATION-based ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDE THE BEST SERVICES TO THEIR CLIENTS.
Community Centres, Non-profit organizations and camps specialize in providing support and care to the community and clients it serves. Having a well functioning staff who are skilled and prepared to face the challenges that come with their job is critical for both the organization and community itself. Below you will see a few workshops we've developed to assist with specific issues faced by some of our clients.
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Park and Recreation Toolkit for Program Staff
We totally understand the importance of Park and Recreation staff having the essential tools and skills to work with diverse communities. This session will teach staff how to lead various no prop and portable games and team building activities suitable for diverse clients that focus on communication, inclusion, decision-making, logistics and plain old fun! Your staff will also get an in depth review of risk management and their role in areas such as handling disclosures, abuse, drugs, the rights of the child and much more. After this full-day workshop, your staff will leave excited and able to confidently provide exceptional service to the community you serve.
Going Beyond the Typical Recreational Activities and Sports: Infusing Nature-Based and Outdoor Skills in Children and Youth Programming
Most recreation centres and schools have done a remarkable job with developing their recreational and sports activities while still improving and tweaking their outdoor programming. However, developing outdoor experiential-based programming and skill training only compliments and supports recreation and leisure activities in summer camps, pre-schools and community centres. Backed by research, educators and parents have been calling for more outdoor education learning and skill building opportunities for children and youth. This workshop will cover some basic outdoor skills that can be taught to all ages from knots, shelter building, orienteering, urban parks nature-based games and activities, cloud reading and more. The outside classroom is waiting for those ready to learn about outdoor community-based recreation.
The Messiness of Play: Why Pig-Pen Ruled the Peanuts Gang
Let’s be honest, we have totally over sanitized the concept of play from childhood to adulthood. In this fun and interactive workshop, practitioners, educators and the curious will play with dirt, paint, glue, water, dyes and more (all dependent if we are outside or inside), as a way to re-emphasize the importance of play in activities and projects, and supporting the understanding that play requires getting ones clothes and hands a bit dirty. Play is diverse, infinite and critical to developing positive personal identity. Pig-Pen reminds us that there is room for a little messiness in our playful lives.
Park and Recreation Toolkit for Program Staff
We totally understand the importance of Park and Recreation staff having the essential tools and skills to work with diverse communities. This session will teach staff how to lead various no prop and portable games and team building activities suitable for diverse clients that focus on communication, inclusion, decision-making, logistics and plain old fun! Your staff will also get an in depth review of risk management and their role in areas such as handling disclosures, abuse, drugs, the rights of the child and much more. After this full-day workshop, your staff will leave excited and able to confidently provide exceptional service to the community you serve.
CONNECTING THE DOTS BETWEEN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AND CULTURAL PRACTICES
Schools, community centres and camps are central to honouring diversity and bringing inclusivity and connectivity to their communities and students. Enjoy a workshop that not only challenges our paradigms on building a sense of community, but also leaves you with tools and perspectives to continually reshape them. The workshop is both interactive and discussion-based, and will provide participants transferable learning tools, play activities and resources for ages 5 and up.
OUTSIDE PLAY: BRINGING BACK THE FUN INTO NATURAL PLAY
Do we really need to read another statistic about how much children spend inside or how much screen time they are getting? Come and enjoy a half or full day workshop completely based on outside learning and play. The ‘inside” traditional classroom is small and simple compared to the expansive “outside” classroom where kids learn hands-on through experiential learning techniques, play and sometimes getting a little dirty. You will learn a ton of games, activities and ideas that are transferrable to the home, centre or school.
the canadian bacon of play: experiential games, activities and initiatives rooted in canadian heritage
Canada has an abundance of experiential games, activities, songs, and initiatives rooted in our First Nations, French and English heritage. Do we actually teach them to our children? What is experientially learning and teaching from a Canadian perspective? This is a workshop going beyond the Tim Horton, I love hockey and Eh Canadian workshop. We have our own approach and twist on education and working with children and youth. Attendees will spend time engaging in and learning the origins of play Canadian-style, from Inuit Tugging Games, the Iroquois Snow Snake Game, DIBS, Dox-en-eye, and Rounders to Birch Bark Containers, Métis-inspired Sash Bracelet, Log Cabin, Capture the Flag, "Je t'aime bien," "Je t'aime beacoup," and many more! Since Canada is unique in that we share many other cultures from across the globe, attendees will learn a variety of other cultural games that can be easily taught and played with children of all ages – after all, play is the work of children!
CAMP TOOLBOX
It doesn’t matter what type recreation, community or education organization you are, kids just need to be in place to explore, discover, learn, play and have fun. This workshop is designed to revive and connect your staffs’ creativity, knowledge, skill sets and interests to your mission and mandate. We cover areas such as:
- Traditional and experiential games, activities, projects and ideas to create an awesome camp/parks and recreation experience
- Co-operative vs. competitive play
- Games supporting social and emotional learning
- Incorporating fairness and diversity in play and activities
- Basics in safety planning, group management, best practices, polices and behaviours
tools for tough times: taming tigers and slowing down tasmanian devils
Some people you serve are challenged in following directions, behave appropriately with others, cross boundaries and are unable to stay within the lines of a planned activity. By the end of the workday, staff can be found exhausted, unsure of what to do next, and discouraged by their unsuccessful efforts. Taming a group full of tigers and settling down Tasmanian Devils is no circus act and definitely not an easy task. Learn and utilize a new skill that will bring more balance to a shared environment. Topics emphasized include:
- Effective communication tools and agreements
- Thinking out of the box about barriers and boundaries
- Understanding the differences between independence, dependence, codependency and interdependent relationships
- Games and activities that teach while being inclusive to all – for both inside and outside the classroomThe Big R Words – Routines, Responsibilities, Relevancy, Rights, Rules, and Relationships when working with children and youth
- HALTS
- Personal stories and examples of resources that provide perspective of the teacher, student, family and community worker regarding the need for change, challenge and more direct approach to care
Tools for Tough Times Revival: Unplugging the Little Monsters and Reconnecting the Virtues of Childhood Learning
This workshop is dedicated to understanding the simple virtues of childhood learning by creating the best environment to foster social and emotional learning. We will examine the current realities and potential directions we are heading in the 21st Century in regards to outdoor and experiential based learning techniques. An inspiring and interactive workshop providing attendees activities, games, perspectives and resources to support educators/instructors/camp leaders in being in the driver’s. It is not about slamming technology but rather taking a step back to ensure we are not letting go of the virtues of childhood learning with our communities.
Connecting Famous Children’s Characters to Place Based Education: When Peter Rabbit Stepped on Pooh
Many of our beloved fictional children’s characters, from Peter Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh and Anne of Green Gables, shape the imagination of young – and old readers alike - through their adventures in nature, their simplicity and friendship. Many of the stories creatively display social-emotional learning opportunities in a simple and relatable way. What would happen if we could bring our learners into the story and utilizes our outside places to teach? Could the 100 acre Woods that intrigued Christopher Robin or Mr. McGregor's vegetable garden be recreated in another setting?
Place based learning mixed with story telling supports children’s creativity and the natural places that surround them. The story of place and the characters that come from these settings is how place based education works magic with young learners.
Let’s take nature education and connect it to all aspects of place, like local history, environment, and love for the natural world. Every place can have a story - in the city, the schoolyard, the forest or your backyard! This workshop will introduce the fundamentals of place-based education with emphasis on lessons of environmental responsibility and imaginative play. Walk away with simple and low cost ideas of how you can use place(s) and stories as tools for learning that are engaging and relevant.
DEVELOPING THE LEARNER AND FACILITATOR ESSENTIALS
The people your serve learn in a variety of ways and many believe that their ability to learn is based on teaching styles, environments and experiences. Their success, however, also depends on their ability to adapt, engage, and their willingness to learn from their facilitator. Understanding the necessary tools of facilitating is imperative if you want people to learn from you. Attendees come to this workshop as learners and leave with the tools to be better facilitators and teachers. Learning goals include:
- Setting a positive climate for learning
- Understanding the art of facilitation
- Clarifying the purposes and responsibilities of the learner(s)
- Organizing and making available valuable learning resources for your work setting
- Balancing intellectual and emotional components of learning
- Sharing feelings and thoughts with learners without dominating the session
Camp Staff Toolbox
It doesn’t matter what type recreation, community or education organization you are, kids just need to be in place to explore, discover, learn, play and have fun. This workshop is designed to revive and connect your staffs’ creativity, knowledge, skill sets and interests to your mission and mandate. We cover areas such as:
- Traditional and experiential games, activities, projects and ideas to create an awesome camp/parks and recreation experience
- Co-operative vs. competitive play
- Games supporting social and emotional learning
- Incorporating fairness and diversity in play and activities
- Basics in safety planning, group management, best practices, polices and behaviours
Programming on a shoestring budget
Do you have zero to a few "bucks" to do programming? This workshop shows you how to dig deep into your own creativity (instead of your pockets), connect to free resources and to stretch a buck for the best in recreational games and activities. Learn to be resourceful, incorporate thematic programming and where to find the deals. This is a workshop about learning and having fun without the funds to program for various types of clientele.