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Inspiring Curiosity and Connection with Nature: Discovering the Wonders Right Outside Your Door
Monday, November 11, 2024 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm EST
Presented by Joe Rackley, Biological Consultant and Environmental Educator, Guidecraft
Moderated by Laura Wilhelm, Ed.D., VP of Professional Learning Services, Kaplan Early Learning Company
Sponsored by Kaplan Early Learning Company
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
Nature offers endless opportunities for discovery right at our doorstep—in the nearest tree, bush, or flower. Children take the time to explore and observe in ways many adults have forgotten, reminding us of the joy and wonder that comes from slowing down and truly seeing the world around us.
In this engaging edWebinar, we reconnect with nature through the lens of biology. You don’t need a doctorate to marvel at a pollinator at work, wonder what creature left tracks in your flower bed, or get curious about what could be growing in that strange ball on a leaf. When we take the time to notice, we uncover the beauty, complexity, and stories hidden in the life around us—and perhaps rediscover something within ourselves too.
All organisms, living and extinct, are given names and assigned to families to help us better understand relationships and facilitate study around the globe. Understanding this naming protocol can help make sense of the species you and your students encounter. Whether you’re observing backyard wildlife or tackling classroom activities, this knowledge empowers students to build deeper connections with the natural world.
This recorded edWebinar is of interest to PreK through elementary teachers.
About the Presenter
Joe Rackley is a Biological Consultant and Environmental Educator at Guidecraft. He grew up in rural Oklahoma exploring nature and hunting bottles in the remnants of a boom town. Joe has been a volunteer environmental educator and arts instructor during much of his career. Studying botany and zoology at a comprehensive research institution led to a first career as an academic advisor in zoology, biology, and wildlife and fisheries, and later to a position as a student services director in a school of education in New York. He has spent the past 15 years in agriculture, inspecting nursery plants and coordinating statewide surveys for invasive agricultural pests in Oklahoma.
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.
