Sensory exploration is one of the most important ways that children in the early years make sense of the world around them. The use of materials that stimulate the senses (sight, touch, hearing, taste, and smell) is as important as the physical environment.

Being an educator is an interesting and exciting, yet at times very challenging and overwhelming path. Teaching outdoor pedagogy to early childhood education students on-line has not been an easy task and I have felt significant disconnectedness within the learning environment.

We often ask those in our programs and classes to think back to when they were a child and reflect where they played the most. Many will say they played outdoors, for long periods of time, only going home once the street lights came on.

When engaging in reflective thinking about how learning becomes visible in outdoor pedagogy, we are immediately drawn towards children.

What we know at this moment; what we think we know; and what we desire to learn more about? Intellectual conversations about outdoor pedagogy through a community of practice has deepened my thinking and reflection as a teacher and professional.

The journey of an educator is an adventure. Some days, the path is concrete, clear, and firm. Other days, the path is indiscernible, a walk through a thicket of brambles with no end in sight.

My journey in outdoor pedagogy started as a child. Spending endless hours in the community and sacred places and spaces- in the woods, under the bridge, along the creek etc. Friendships were created - we became part of the environment.

My thoughts about outdoor experiences with children are shifting and changing through my involvement in the community of practicum group. The outdoors has always been part of my personal life with my son and husband and within my culture and family of origin.

Outdoor experiences have always been a large part of my life particularly as a child and then (unfortunately less so) as an adult. Long summers spent at the family cottage with my extend family from the time school was let out to the time school was let in and seasons in between.

The year that has been is sometimes how I talk and think about the 2020/2021 academic year. Much of the last year has contained elements of chaos, the unknown, anxiety, concern, and disrupted routines.

Entering back into the field of ECE to work alongside the children and educators was a daunting challenge within the second phase of the Lawson Foundation Project. An important clue was revealed to me. Perhaps it is my age and a little snippet of wisdom has developed?

When this project began two years ago, I could not have imagined the breadth and depth of learning that I would be claiming as my own. I knew I would learn more

The journey of Outdoor Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education: From Colleges to Communities has brought many ebbs and flows throughout the process.

As we arrived in Moncton, New Brunswick to begin our site visit with the Lawson foundation I reflected on our visit to YMCA Moncton 7 months prior.

I was unsure what to expect in NB in terms of the evaluation. I first concentrated on situating myself in this beautiful, unknown place & space.