We planted In Bloom in Keene in the spring of 2011. It was part and parcel of the inception of the Nature-based Early Childhood program at Antioch New England. We did a couple of annual events in Keene and then we moved further afield—down to New Haven, CT, up to Burlington, VT, over to Kittery, ME. We liked exploring the early childhood communities around New England, but eventually we started to feel a bit homesick. So it feels right to come home with In Bloom in New Hampshire.

The conference will be held at Symonds Elementary School in Keene—a charming, arts-filled, neighborhood elementary school with good outdoor learning spaces and easy access to surrounding Wheelock Park. Symonds has a number of teachers conducting forest days in the early elementary grades and you’ll enjoy all the beautiful child-created art work on the walls throughout the school. The school provides great examples of how to incorporate nature-based education into the public school curriculum.

I am presenting one of twelve workshops at the conference. (You must register for the whole conference to attend my workshop.) Below is a description of the workshop I’m giving. You can view the entire conference flyer here.

Supporting the Development of Executive Function through Outdoor Games

2:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
David Sobel, Professor Emeritus and Author, Antioch University New England

Research over the past decade suggests that it’s more important to focus on the development of executive functions in preschool children than to focus on early literacy and math skills. But what is “executive function (EF)” anyway, how do you measure it, and what can you do to develop it? After a brief review of the research on EF in preschool children, we’ll engage in an array of outdoor games (some traditional, some new), and we’ll analyze how different components of the games develop different aspects of EF. Be ready to play Simon Says, Red Light/ Green Light, a variation of Head & Shoulders, Knees & Toes and other old and new games.