This seasonal series is packed with practical approaches to help teachers take learning outside, this time with a focus on our feathered friends! Join experienced practitioners during this inspiring (and useful!) virtual series. Classes will meet on the from 6:30-8:00 pm EST on April 17th, May 15th, and June 19th. A professional development certificate will be awarded at the conclusion of the series.
SESSION DESCRIPTIONS
April 17th from 6:30-8 PM (EST)
Tuning into the Birds
Presented by Julie Kunz, ERAFANS Online Facilitator
For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
― Toni Morrison
This session will cover the basic components of how to interpret bird’s communication patterns and their behavior, which allows us to interpret what is happening in the landscape around us. We will take time to listen deeply through a bird sit so we can start to parse out who and what is being shared in the web of songs that surround us. Different tools on how to facilitate bird language activities with young children will be offered.
May 15 from 6:30-8 PM (EST)
Telling Bird Stories through Song
Presented by McCadden/Honeysweet Harmony, ERAFANS Online Facilitator
In this session we’ll learn some beautiful songs about birds to add to our repertoires to share with young children. We’ll also observe our bird neighbors to draw inspiration to practice song catching & storytelling - a method to create our own simple tunes, stories, and lyrics, fresh and local!
June 19th from 6:30-8 PM (EST)
Playing with the Birds
Presented by Wren Anjali, One Fire
“The robin flew from his swinging spray of ivy on to the top of the wall and he opened his beak and sang a loud, lovely trill, merely to show off. Nothing in the world is quite as adorably lovely as a robin when he shows off - and they are nearly always doing it.”
― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
In this session we will deepen our exploration of bird behavior through fun and engaging activities adaptable to youth program delivery. We will look at bird family and species specific behavior and flight patterns, learn to identify common bird songs, calls, and a few feathers, and dig into mnemonics.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
This course is ideal for anyone who facilitates nature-based education and outdoor learning, which may include: teachers and administrators in preschool, childcare, or elementary school settings; naturalists, environmental educators, or outdoor educators; wilderness survival enthusiasts; and parents.
MEET YOUR PRESENTERS
Julie Kunz (she/they), ERAFANS Online Facilitator
Julie Kunz grew up in New York City, but they have many fond memories of roaming fields and mushroom hunting in the forests of Switzerland, where their family is from. They are passionate about healing the lack of connection to the natural world they have witnessed in most early childhood settings. They believe nature can be our greatest teacher if we learn to listen and speak her language, and that the freedom to explore and play in nature can be deeply transformative. With a background in education, wilderness skills, and somatic awareness, Julie has mentored adults and children of all ages for the past twelve years, most recently directing a forest kindergarten at Flying Deer Nature Center. They hold a degree in Early Childhood Education from CUNY Hunter College and lives in Western Massachusetts with their 8 year old son. Julie loves rock climbing, forest wanders, ceremony and self-awareness practices.
McCadden/Honeysweet Harmony, ERAFANS Online Facilitator
Honey Sweet Harmony is an interspecies creativity-catalyzing mentorship constellation. McCadden is the human spokesperson, collaborating with ki’s Service Dogs and twin cats (pronouns ki/singular; kin/plural come from Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass). Together kin are committed to decolonization of dominant cultural patterns, and have decades of experience with all ages as deep nature connection mentors, eco-spiritual healing arts practitioners, and performing artists (storytelling, songleading, and movement).
Since 1998 kin have taught enrichment programs in a diverse range of public and private schools, camps, and community centers. Kin serve as facilitators for ERAFANS webinars, Village Talk, Music is Medicine Song Circles, Ancestor Suppers, and many more forms of community events inspired by nature’s rhythms. McCadden has lived in Ireland, India, and Turtle Island (Canada & USA). Ki holds an M.A./A.B.D. in the cultural anthropology of theater and ritual from University of Chicago (language: Hindi-Urdu/हिन्दी-اردو), and a B.A. with honors in comparative literature (Spanish/español) from Hamilton College. Honey Sweet Harmony are leaders in Threshold Choir, alumni of Songleader Flight School, Lyndsey Scott’s series **facing white fragility:::: building capacity in song**, and part of Holistic Resistance’s Disrupting Our Whiteness Program for Community Songleaders. Kin are in ongoing helper-mentor relationships with elders from a diverse range of cultural traditions.
Wren Anjali, ERAFANS Online Facilitator
Wren Anjali (they/them) is a nature connection mentor and leader, wilderness guide and medic, devoted to fostering human-nature relationships. Wren offers youth and adult programs through One Fire Forest School, with a focus on supporting positive and empowering experiences in nature.
Wren’s life-long personal connection with the outdoors has led them to make conscious choices to lower their carbon footprint. Wren understands that providing youth with nature-based opportunities is vital to sustainability in this time of climate change. They believe that providing youth with opportunities to learn and serve is key to positive youth development. Wren is skillful at recognizing and acknowledging the unique gifts of others, and has a passion for engaging people in community activities and outdoor fun.
Wren is a certified Wilderness First Responder, EMT and Rope Rescue Technician. Wren holds a Masters degree in Speech/Language Pathology, emphasis in Child Development, and has held numerous teaching and administrative roles in educational organizations throughout their career.
