Maine AEYC 2026

Maine AEYC 2026 - Early Childhood Education Conference

Maine AEYC’s 2026 Statewide Early Childhood Education Conference, taking place October 23–24 in Bangor, brings together educators, administrators, caregivers, and advocates to explore practical strategies that support young children, families, and early childhood professionals. The conference closely connects with Bienenstock Playgrounds’ work designing inclusive outdoor play and learning environments that encourage movement, sensory exploration, problem-solving, and healthy childhood development. With Adam Bienenstock serving as a keynote presenter, the event offers an important opportunity to share how thoughtful outdoor spaces can help educators support play, manageable risk, resilience, and meaningful learning during the early years.

Visit Us at Our Booth

Visiting the MaineAEYC conference? Stop by the Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds booth to talk with our team about outdoor play spaces for young children. Bring your ideas and questions, whether you’re planning a new space or looking for ways to make better use of the one you have. We’d love to meet you in Bangor!

Sessions:

Adam Bienenstock - Getting Past the Grownups

In Adam Bienenstock’s opinion, we’ve all kind of “lost it.” (“It” being free-range access to natural spaces and unstructured play.) So-called grown-ups keep getting in the way of the best experiences nature has to offer our kids. Adam takes audiences on an irreverent journey through his decades of work building programs, parks, and playgrounds that connect children, adults and communities to nature. Combining cutting edge research with humorous anecdotes, this keynote explores why and how to infuse world class nature-based play into our children’s lives.

Time: 9:30-10:45am

Jill Bienenstock - Unraveling the Mystery of Loose Parts

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.

Outcomes:

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.