Get in touch with us

For more information regarding our design, training, keynotes, and natural products follow the link below to get in touch.

Email
bienenstock@naturalplaygrounds.ca

Phone
1-800-306-3319

Get in touch with us

For more information regarding our design, training, keynotes, and natural products follow the link below to get in touch.

Email

Check to Email

Phone

1-800-306-3319

Get in touch with us

For more information regarding our design, training, keynotes, and natural products follow the link below to get in touch.

Email

Check to Email

Phone

1-800-306-3319

Get in touch with us

For more information regarding our design, training, keynotes, and natural products follow the link below to get in touch.

Email
contact@bienenstockplaygrounds.com

Phone
1-800-306-3319

The Importance of Outdoor Unstructured Free Play

The Importance of Outdoor Unstructured Free Play

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About The Workshop
Learning Outcomes

This session will focus on the importance and benefits of outdoor unstructured free play. We will explore why it’s essential to child development and how it supports the foundational skills for learning. We will showcase outdoor environments where child-led play is fostered and creativity, problem-solving, self regulation, and motor skills flourish. Streamline your loose parts and tools that can be used outdoors in all types of weather. Simplify your programming and create child-led and inclusive experiences where all learning styles and personalities shine through.

Understanding the developmental benefits of child-led outdoor unstructured play.
Learning how to set up your playground to provide a variety of outdoor unstructured free play opportunities.
Understanding what loose parts and tools are needed to support child-led play outdoors.

Playing Outdoors All Year Long – Marketing Outdoor Play to Families

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About The Workshop
Learning Outcomes

Not all play is created equal. Outdoor play offers physical and sensory inputs that the indoors just can’t compete with. It allows the brain and body to become more organized, more regulated, and more coordinated providing a springboard for learning. In this workshop, we will focus on how to market all-weather play to families by sharing the developmental benefits that only happen when outside. We will advertise how each season provides unique (and free) sensory material that supports their child’s development. Plus, showcase simple winter and rainy-day activities that parents, and children just can’t resist.

Understanding how outdoor child-led play supports the foundational skills of reading and writing.
Marketing all-weather play to families by showcasing why snowy and rainy weather offers so many fantastic learning opportunities.
Using the right tools and loose parts to manipulate snow, ice, and muddy puddles.
Learning how to dress right for all types of weather and supporting families to do the same.

Summer Nature Play

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About The Workshop
Learning Outcomes

Summer nature play instinctively allows water play to be the top priority. Take advantage of the rising temperatures and bring water activities to your playground. Adding water to your sand area is key as well as mud kitchens and sensory tables. Learn how to streamline your loose parts and tools and make it work in any playground. Creating shelters for shade is also needed to keep both adults and children cool and comfortable. Plus, it provides many dramatic play opportunities to support creative, social, and language skills. Other activities include planting and harvesting veggies and making signs and fences to add to the ownership to your centre’s garden.

Take advantage of the summer heat and learn how to add water to your sand area.
Streamline your loose parts and tools to support child-led play during the summer months.
Expand your mud kitchen into a potion and/or perfume station.
Create shade with forts and shelters to promote dramatic play opportunities.

Spring Nature Play

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About The Workshop
Learning Outcomes

Spring is in the air. Let’s take advantage of the spring showers and warmer weather and get outside. In this workshop, we will focus on loose parts and tools needed to play in wet and often muddy playgrounds. Activities will include making the most out of your mud kitchen, building shelters, using puddles as giant sensory tables, planning a vegetable garden for the summer, and prepping your garden beds.

Take advantage of the spring thaw and use puddles and muddy play as your muse when playing outdoors.
Understanding what tools and loose parts work well during the spring months to support child-led play.
Learn how to prep your garden beds with the right tools for success.
Dress for rainy weather and support families in this endeavor.

Winter Nature Play

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About The Workshop
Learning Outcomes

In this workshop we will explore the opportunities that winter has to offer while showcasing the importance of outdoor unstructured free play. Let us take advantage of what ‘mother nature’ has so generously provided; cold weather, snow and ice and learn how to keep children engaged, happy and warm. We will focus on the tools and loose parts that are needed to support big body play, problem-solving and social skills during the winter months.

Activities include repurposing Christmas trees, creating shelters, converting mud kitchens into snow and ice utopias, turning slippery surfaces into manageable learning experiences, and being creative with our playground’s snowy palette. Work with what you have and be amazed by the children’s engagement and smiling faces!

This is an interactive webinar, get ready for live discussions and have your video on to support hands-on activities. Prior to the event a short and simple material list will be sent out.

Understanding how to use your playground even when it is cold and covered in snow and ice.
Learning to make outdoor winter curriculum comfortable. Learn how to dress for the cold and understand the Scandinavian saying, “there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.”
Identifying opportunities for unstructured, child led, and sensory rich play for your kids.
Transforming attitudes regarding winter negativity. Problem-solving schedules and getting parent support needed to get outside is key to delivering curriculum outside especially when it’s cold.

Fall Nature Play

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About The Workshop
Learning Outcomes

In this workshop, we will explore the opportunities that the outdoors offers in the fall. Let us take advantage of the natural materials discarded from trees, including leaves, pinecones, acorns, walnuts, and chestnuts. Children can collect, compare and manipulate these materials in so many ways. Enjoy the crisp fall days and rainy weather by adding more movement and big body play into your programming. We will focus on the tools and loose parts needed to support outdoor unstructured free play to make it simple and easy for you to deliver your programming outdoors. Activities include fort/shelter building, transient art, raking leaves, and puddle art.

Setting up your playground to support unstructured free play during the fall months.
Taking advantage of the fall weather. Learn how to make it work when it’s rainy and cold.
Learning what tools and loose parts work well in the fall.

All Weather Play Series

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About The Workshop
Learning Outcomes

Guess what, we live in Canada! That’s four seasons and four distinct types of weather. We play in all of them. Join us for a fun and interactive workshop where we explore how the weather is the ultimate loose part. We may as well have fun with it because I’ve looked at the forecast and it calls for more. Bring the right gear and be prepared for the best and worst that Mother Nature has to offer.

Reinforcing the importance of loose parts to outdoor play.
Understanding that our weather is the ultimate loose part.
Finding creative and practical ways to use the change of the seasons and weather as our friend rather than our enemy.
Learn how to dress right for all types of weather and support families to do the same.
Understanding the importance of outdoor play and the consequences to our children’s development if we take it away.

Messy Play

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About The Workshop
Learning Outcomes

Messy play is always a big hit for young children. It’s often the families who have a difficult time with it. In this session, we will review why it’s so important for child development and how to make it work for everyone.

Understanding the developmental and health benefits of messy play.
Providing purchasing options for outerwear that supports messy play without the dirty clothes.

Water Play

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About The Workshop
Learning Outcomes

To meet the sensory development needs of children in the early years, water play checks all the boxes. In this session, we will seize the opportunities to create water play experiences throughout your playground.

Learning how to use water as a medium throughout your playground.
Tools to use with water play to support grasp and cause and effect concepts.

How does your Garden Grow

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About The Workshop
Learning Outcomes

Gardening offers many opportunities for natural learning to occur all year long. It’s a hands-on activity that provides fantastic health benefits as well as numerous developmental outcomes that promote cognitive, motor, and sensory skills. Gardening opportunities appeal to a variety of learning styles and ages to connect, challenge, and problem-solve. Learn what to plant and how to maintain and encourage ownership in your gardening pursuits. This will help to eliminate the frustration of trampled garden beds and planters that can easily become sensory bins. This workshop will encourage, educate, and demonstrate that simplicity is the key to any gardening adventure; start small and ‘grow’ from there.

Identifying the developmental outcomes of planting a garden; sensory, science, math, language, motor, art, and social skills.
Transforming attitudes regarding getting dirty. Understand the research behind ‘why dirt is good’ for a healthy immune system to support an early year’s horticulture program.
Building foundations of ownership where the gardens are protected by little feet and hands.
Understanding the cyclical connections that are made from year to year when we start at the interest and level of the children.
Learning what tools to use and how to use them within your gardening project.

Water Walls

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About The Workshop
Learning Outcomes

All kids love playing with water. Whether it’s jumping in a puddle or playing at the water table, it’s always a big hit. At this workshop, learn how to set up your own water wall with some tubing, connectors, and ties. The best part is that these water walls take up vertical spaces and are set up on a chain link fence. Children can work together at this activity while they control the amount and direction of the water. Add food colouring and the children can have fun creating new colours. There’s so much potential in such a simple activity.

Building your own water wall. Participants will set up their own water wall in small groups. Each group will be able to explore and experiment with the tubing, connectors, recyclables, ties and water.
Learning the developmental outcomes associated with creating and playing with a water wall.
Transforming your playground’s vertical spaces.

If I had a Hammer

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About The Workshop
Learning Outcomes

The products of the hands are the footprints of the soul.
(L. Christensen 2011)

Woodworking with young children is a lost art. Many educators cringe at the word and start to visualize cut fingers and flying hammers. Get past your fears and come join this workshop to find out how to make it happen.

Come discover how woodworking uses math, problem-solving, fine motor, and social skills while fostering creativity, imagination, and independence. Create an environment where children can be competent and capable of using real tools. In this workshop, we will review the importance of woodworking, understand where to start, the tools to use, safety protocols to implement, and showcase in real-time activities that can be done outside with your cohorts.

We will take the mystery out of using real tools. Learn how to use tools appropriately and safely for the age and development of preschool children. We will explore the following tools: saws, manual hand drills, hammers, and vegetable peelers (whittlers).
Learn how to take advantage of nature’s loose parts and how to add these items to your woodworking projects.
Enjoy the process of whittling with the use of a vegetable peeler. So simple and fun.
Learn how to set up your workbench and tools.

Re-Using your Discarded Christmas Tree

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About The Workshop
Learning Outcomes

Christmas trees can still hold their magic even when the holiday is over. In this workshop, participants will learn how to repurpose discarded Christmas trees as teaching tools. Let the creative juices flow from fort building to making giant bird feeders and transient art projects. The best part of using repurposed trees is that these materials and loose parts are free and ready for the picking in early January. This workshop offers great team-building, problem-solving and creative social-collaboration opportunities. Plus, the needles stay green all winter long! A great loose part to have in any outdoor space.

Come join in the fun! This workshop is outdoors; please dress accordingly.

Understanding the sensory opportunities available when using Christmas trees in your playground. Immediately, it engages touch, smell, sound and sight as well as heavy work opportunities by just exploring the tree and moving it around the playground.
Learning how to introduce real tools to your preschool class. Participants will learn how to introduce a saw safely and successfully.
Identifying the many developmental opportunities included in this activity. This activity supports motor, creative, language, math, science, and engineering skills; something for everyone!
Building and transforming attitudes to make outdoor winter curriculum comfortable and fun.

Dirty Dishes: The Benefits of Learning with Mud Kitchens

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About The Workshop
Learning Outcomes

Mud pies are a natural and memorable part of every childhood. In this workshop learn how to set up your mud kitchen in any playground and use it as a tool to support child development. Mud kitchens are easy ways to add sensory input into your programming to support collaboration, motor skills, literacy, math, and science. Discover the tools needed and expand the learning all year round.

Understanding the research behind ‘why dirt is good’ for a healthy immune system.
Expanding your sensory area with your mud kitchen and sensory tables.
Recognizing the developmental outcomes of using a mud kitchen as a tool to promote sensory input, motor, language and social skills while supporting math and science opportunities.
Providing sensory-rich opportunities to support self-regulation, belonging, and social connections.
Converting your mud kitchen into a snow and ice kitchen in the winter.

Promoting the foundations of Literacy Outdoors

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About The Workshop
Learning Outcomes

In this workshop, we will step outside the standards of reading and writing and explore how outdoor unstructured free play supports motor, creative, social, and language skills needed to assist in the foundations of literacy for young children. We will take you on a journey to understand how a well-planned and sensory rich outdoor environment naturally provides these activities and experiences to support the physical prerequisites needed for literacy. We will provide educators with the tools to understand not only the building blocks of literacy but the importance of using the outdoors as a springboard for learning where educators support and expand children’s play.

Understanding the importance of physical foundations as part of the equation with respect to developing literacy skills.
Identifying activities that promote literacy skills in the playground.
Learning how to bring language arts outside by using natural materials and loose parts.
Transforming and building areas in your playground that support language development by creating both dramatic and quiet areas where social opportunities can flourish.

Renovating your Sand Area

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About The Workshop
Learning Outcomes

In this workshop, we will discuss practical ways to make the most out of your sand area. We will reinforce the many developmental benefits and work through the challenges that sand play may offer at your centre. We will review the basics of constructing your sand space to make it sustainable and simple to maintain, plus add key design elements to ensure that you have shade, water, and loose parts. Learn how to streamline your sand tools and figure out how to create a storage system that works for both children and educators. Most importantly, create a space that provides ownership and can be utilized during all four seasons. The session will begin with a short presentation and continue by creating your ultimate sand area out of mini components, sand, and plants. Join us for a hands-on workshop that will reinforce child development and good sound design principles.

Reviewing the developmental benefits of sand play.
Design features that support sand play.
Choosing loose parts and tools for your sand area.
Adding storage options that work for both children and educators.

Unraveling the Mystery of Outdoor Loose Parts

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About The Workshop
Learning Outcomes

In this session, we will streamline your loose parts and tools that can be used outdoors for the early years. The goal is to add loose parts that promote big body play while supporting problem-solving both physically and socially. We will add to what you have and simplify your outdoor programming to create child-led and inclusive experiences where all learning styles and personalities shine through.

Understanding what loose parts and tools are needed to support child-led play outdoors.
Understanding how to incorporate loose parts and tools to support your outdoor programming.
Providing purchasing options of where to get these loose parts.

Outdoor workshops with Educators & Children

Please fill out the form below to request more information.

Child Care Professional Development

Learning Solutions
that Make a Difference

Workshops or Webinars
with Educators

Child Care Workshops

Contact Us ▲ ▼

Get in touch with us

Get in touch with us

Get in touch with us

Get in touch with us

The Importance of Outdoor Unstructured Free Play

Playing Outdoors All Year Long – Marketing Outdoor Play to Families

Summer Nature Play

Spring Nature Play

Winter Nature Play

Fall Nature Play

All Weather Play Series

Messy Play

Water Play

How does your Garden Grow

Water Walls

If I had a Hammer

Re-Using your Discarded Christmas Tree

Dirty Dishes: The Benefits of Learning with Mud Kitchens

Promoting the foundations of Literacy Outdoors

Renovating your Sand Area

Unraveling the Mystery of Outdoor Loose Parts

Outdoor workshops with Educators & Children

Child Care Professional Development

Learning Solutions that Make a Difference

Workshops or Webinars with Educators

The Importance of Outdoor Unstructured Free Play

Unraveling the Mystery of Outdoor Loose Parts

Renovating your Sand Area

Promoting the foundations of Literacy Outdoors

Dirty Dishes: The Benefits of Learning with Mud Kitchens

Re-Using your Discarded Christmas Tree

If I had a Hammer

Water Walls

How does your Garden Grow

Water Play

Messy Play

All weather Play series

Fall Nature Play

Winter Nature Play

Spring Nature Play

Summer Nature Play

Marketing Outdoor Play to Families

Child Care Workshops

Contact Us ▲ ▼

Learning Solutions
that Make a Difference

Workshops or Webinars
with Educators