Adventures in Outdoor Play

Presented by ​​Rusty Keeler, Designer, Author, and Speaker
Moderated by Dr. Laura Wilhelm, Vice President for Professional Learning, Kaplan Early Learning Company

Sponsored by Kaplan Early Learning Company

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Join internationally renowned designer and author Rusty Keeler on a journey of ideas celebrating the benefits and beauty of outdoor play. With humor, insight, and images, Rusty inspires you to add nature to your outdoor spaces and invite you to take bold steps to support risky play.

You learn why outdoor play and risk are essential to children’s healthy development and see examples from around the world of programs that say “yes” to the good stuff of outdoor play—loose parts, tree climbing, mud kitchens, bare feet, rough and tumble play, chickens, and more. Bring on the play!

This recorded edWebinar is of interest to PreK through elementary teachers and school leaders.

About the Presenter

Rusty Keeler is a natural playscape designer who has traveled the world for 30 years creating outdoor play environments and speaking about the benefits of saying “yes” to children’s play. Described as a cross between Fred Rogers and Jerry Garcia, Rusty is a pioneer in the movement to connect children to nature through play and author of multiple books on play and playscapes, including his recent book Adventures in Risky Play: What Is Your Yes? Rusty has teamed up with Kaplan on a new line of outdoor classroom furnishings called Nature to Play and is the current Vice President of the USA chapter of the International Play Association.

About the Moderator

As the Vice President for Professional Learning at Kaplan, Laura Wilhelm, Ed.D. draws on decades of experience teaching young children and early childhood professionals, starting with toddlers in the 1980s, followed by PreK-third grade in urban and suburban schools, and as a university lab school director. Since earning her doctorate in ECE curriculum and instruction in 1999, she has served as a program director, full professor, national validator for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and a site visitor for the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Programs (CAEP). She enjoys planning professional development, speaking at conferences, leading study tours, visiting early education programs around the world, and returning home to her family. She is the author of The Neglected Child: How to Recognize, Respond, and Prevent (2013); Treasure Baskets: Heuristic Learning for Infants and Toddlers (2017); Enticing Environments for People Under Three (2021); and Living Loose Parts: Creatures of Curiosity (coming in 2024), all from Gryphon House.

Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.

Join the Classroom Management for Early Learning community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.

For more than 50 years, Kaplan Early Learning Company has been a champion for play. From our research-based curricula to enriching classroom environments and innovative technology solutions, Kaplan’s products and services inspire a lifelong love of learning in children and educators. We are architects of learning good and defenders of the imagination. We live for inseparable bonds and open minds. We encourage the eager and inspire the inspirers. We transform lives through play.