Join us for this in-person workshop in a coastal fogbelt forest for two workshops about nature as a collaborator for academic engagement and personal wellbeing. Register for one or both days!
1st Workshop:
Title: Nature As A Teaching Partner
Date: Friday, June 26th, 2026
Time: 9am-3:30p.m.
Format & Length: In-person, 6.5 hours
Audience: Geared towards formal K-12 educators, but nonformal educators are welcome
Description: Nature can be an extraordinary teacher, and it’s all around us, all the time! Join us to learn a flexible and adaptable framework for using nature to support students in practicing Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Transformative Social Emotional Learning (TSEL) competencies. We’ll spend the morning at Yakona Nature Preserve & Learning Center, where we’ll be immersed in a coastal fogbelt forest as we explore the simple but powerful structure of nature journaling, including its many curricular connections. In the afternoon, we’ll head onto a school campus to try nature journaling in a more familiar context, and to prepare to take journaling home to your own students.
This day is designed to complement Saturday’s workshop “Nature As A Wellbeing Partner,” but you are not required to attend both sessions. On Friday night, we will host a casual community campfire at a public site near Newport.
Considerations: This workshop will take place entirely outdoors and includes a one-mile hike on an unpaved trail that traverses mostly hilly terrain and has an elevation loss/gain of 200 feet. There is an outhouse available at the beginning and end of the hike. If you have accessibility concerns, please reach out and we will work with you to ensure a safe and comfortable day together.
2nd Workshop:
Title: Nature As A Wellbeing Partner
Date: Saturday, June 27th, 2026
Time: 9am-3:30pm
Format & Length: In-person, 6.5 hours
Audience: Geared towards formal K-12 educators, but nonformal educators are welcome
Description: In this workshop, we will explore the many benefits of nature, which are backed both by Western science and Indigenous ways of knowing the world: improved mental, emotional, and physical health; increased attention and engagement with learning; higher academic performance across subjects; and better relationship skills and self-management.
Participants will get a chance to spend time engaged in restorative activities such as art, journaling, poetry, nature bathing, and hiking, all designed to offer restfulness and connection to nature, self, and others. We’ll wrap up the day by considering how to bring the benefits of nature to your students in equitable and meaningful ways.
This day is designed to complement Friday’s workshop “Nature As A Teaching Partner,” but you are not required to attend both sessions.
Considerations: This workshop will take place entirely outdoors. It will be held in a pavilion accessed by a 100 foot unpaved trail and three steps without a handrail. The nearest bathroom is ¼ mile away, which can be driven. There is an option to hike on unpaved trails for several miles, if chosen.
Both workshops:
Brought to you by: Yakona Nature Preserve & Learning Center, Southern Oregon Land Conservancy, ONREP
Registration required and will close approximately 1 week prior to the workshop or when full. Offered at no cost to Oregon Educators. PDUs available. Substitute reimbursement available on teacher workdays.
When registering, select one or both workshops