Third Annual Forest School Teacher Training

 Forest School Teacher Institute in Partnership with The Department Of Early Childhood Education - East Tennessee University 

March 24 - 26, 2025

The Camp at Buffalo Mountain, 201 Methodist Camp Road, Jonesborough, TN 37659

Join Dr. Jean Lomino, Founder and Director of Forest School Teacher Institute along with ETSU professors of Early Childhood Education, Dr. Jane Broderick and Dr. Pam Evanshen at The Camp at Buffalo Mountain for three days of sweet communion with like-minded people, learning together how to engage with children in a forest school. The Camp at Buffalo Mountain is tucked into a scenic valley in the Cherokee National Forest. You can explore miles of trails, a cascading mountain creek, and a reflecting pond set among the gifts of an Appalachian Spring.

Participants will gain Forest School Teacher Skills and Knowledge: 

• Observe children, learning best practices for documentation and assessment, preschool through middle school at Seedkeepers Forest School onsite and just down the road, at Fauna Forest Farm.
• Understand the principles of child-directed Emergent Learning and create seasonal learning frameworks
• Discover the importance of Place-based Education and how to integrate Culture and Heritage in Forest School
• Participate in Mindfulness and Nature Journaling and learn how these skills benefit children in FS.
• Identify the benefits of Story-Telling through observation and practice

Additional Benefits:

• Introduction to Forest School online course FREE with this registration; should be completed before the March training.
• FSTI Certificate of Completion for 24 hours of FS Teacher Training
• Free nature journaling supplies
• Networking and inspiration throughout the training
• Free EVENING MEAL, March 24 with GUEST SPEAKER (TBA), March 2

ENROLLMENT DEADLINE:  March 17, 2025. Maximum participants:  25

LODGING AND MEALS: are not included in the tuition with the exception of the evening meal March 24.

• ON-SITE LODGING through Airbnb is available. For more information go to www.thecampatbuffalo.com and click on menu item “Airbnb.”

TUITION: (Choose one of these two options)

1.  Enroll through the Forest School Teacher Institute: $850 ($100 Early Bird Discount, complete registration and payment by 12/31/24). Complete the Enrollment Form Below.

For any questions or more information about this certificate of completion, contact Dr. Jean Lomino at [email protected].

2.  Enroll through the Department of Early Childhood Education, East Tennessee State University as an Independent Study, to earn Academic Credit (2 credits, undergraduate or graduate credit.)

To Enroll as an Independent Study, for tuition rate and more information contact: Dr. Pam Evanshen: [email protected].

Forest School Studio Sessions

In-person with Dr. Jean Lomino

in Chattanooga, Tennessee

• How do I expand my forest school program to older children?
• What are the best ways to document and present the benefits of FS for parents, donors and community?
• How can FS be integrated into a public school setting?
• How can I build greater awareness of forest school in my community?
• What site or program enhancements could I add to my forest school?
• Should I consider expanding the reach of my forest school with multiple locations? 
• What are the pros and cons of using sites on public land, private land?

If these are some of the questions you have been asking, consider joining Dr. Jean Lomino for a Forest School Studio Session in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Explorations and conversations highlight these personal and transformative experiences all set in the place where Jean started her own forest school journey.  As you walk the scenic acres of Lookout Lake, where Wauhatchie School was born, she will share the story about how this little school influenced nature-based learning throughout the Chattanooga area and beyond. You will gain inspiration and a renewed sense of purpose visiting public and private Forest Preschools, Kindergartens and programs for older students along with meeting school founders, principals and teachers. 

Tuition:  $989 individual | $949 group rate per participant (2 or more)

Timeframe: 2 full days

Group Size:  Each session capped at 6 participants

Tuition also includes one of the following options:

• Online Introduction to Forest School Course of Study
• Two online Forest School Teacher or Director classes
• Two hours individual zoom consultation(s) with Jean Lomino

Tentative Schedule (other dates may be considered for groups of 3-6 from the same school or organization)

 January 23-24, 2025

February 27-28

July 17-18

August 28-29

September 25-26

October 9-10

November 20-21

December 4-5

December 11-12

"The June 2024 studio session with Dr. Jean Lomino was an inspiring and informative experience. The variety of Forest Schools in the Chattanooga area is so rich and vibrant that it's hard to come away from the studio session without your head swimming in new thoughts and ideas about how the Forest School philosophy could be implemented in your own program. I would recommend the studio sessions to anyone looking for a better perspective on the flexibility of the Forest School movement." --Stephen Pullom, June 2024 Studio Session

On-Site Forest School Teacher Training 

Dr. Jean Lomino will travel to your school to offer customized FS Teacher Training designed to meet the objectives of your Teaching Team.  This training provides many advantages for schools looking to establish forest school programming and philosophy in both traditional and non-traditional settings. Besides teaching the required classes for completion of a Teacher Certificate, Dr. Lomino will help your team:

• Develop seasonal learning frameworks that are standards-based and within the framework of emergent and child-led learning. 
• Explore, identify, evaluate, and imagine the best spaces on your site for nature-based learning.
• Brainstorm new opportunities to educate parents about forest school philosophy
• Create a task list and timeline to meet your objectives for forest school. 

"This week our staff had the amazing opportunity to learn from the founder of Forest School Teacher Institute, Dr. Jean Lomino. Benefits of a nature based education include leadership, teamwork, compassion, adaptability, independence, critical thinking skills, and mindfulness." --The Circle School, San Antonio, TX (August, 2024)

Fall Forest School Teacher Training

At  Woodsong Forest School

October 2024

Johnston Woods 

Join us for 3 days of sweet communion amidst stunning fall scenery, with a cadre of like-minded folk from around the US. Dr. Jean Lomino, Founder and President of Forest School Teacher Institute, and Bonnie Cretton, Founder and Director of Woodsong Forest School will co-facilitate FS Teacher Certificate Training at Johnston Woods Retreat Center home of Woodsong Forest School, set amidst 400 acres of forest, meadows, creeks and lakes. 

This training intensive will feature observations of children at Woodsong, preschool through elementary. Participants will gain FS skills, knowledge, and inspiration including: Observation and Assessment Strategies, Child-directed Emergent Curriculum in nature-based programs, Cultural Themes in Forest School, Practicing Mindfulness and Nature Journaling, among other offerings.  

Experienced naturalists will also be on hand to lead participants into a deeper understanding of general ecology, developing observation skills, and learning field identification of local flora and fauna. Lead naturalist is Dr. Carl Swafford, Professor Emeritus at Southern Adventist University, and founder of the MSED in Outdoor Education Program. 

PARTICIPANT BENEFITS:

• Introduction to Forest School online course FREE with this registration; should be completed before the October training.
• Receive a FSTI Certificate of Completion for 32 hours of FS Teacher Training
• Network and gain inspiration with attendees from around the US and beyond
• Gain the many personal benefits of time spent in nature

Forest School Director Training

July 2024

CHATTANOOGA TENNESSEE

Join us in Chattanooga Tennessee for the first-ever, In-Person Director Certificate Training!  Our journey will begin at Lookout Lake Farm, the birthplace of Wauhatchie Forest School. Each day we will explore forest schools in the region that were inspired by this small beginning. Training will provide firsthand knowledge and skills to help you plan, develop and manage programs, as we meet with Forest School founders, directors, and teachers as well as community leaders who currently partner with Forest Schools. And perhaps the greatest benefit will be sweet communion with a cohort of like-minded people from around the country.

Participant Benefits:

• 24 hours of training which includes presentations, discussions, and individual consultations
• Certificate of Completion for Forest School Director Course of Study
• Follow-up Zoom Meeting to share Synthesis Projects and collaborate
• Online collection of templates for Forest School Management and many other resources
• This event is limited to only 12 participants.

FOREST SCHOOLS WE WILL VISIT:

Woodsong Forest School with Founder and Director Bonnie Cretton, Cleveland, Tennessee

Wauhatchie Forest School with Founder Jean Lomino and Head of School Amanda Martin, Chattanooga, Tennessee 

Red Bank Elementary School, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Nature Kin Farm & Forest School at Crabtree Farms with Founder and Director Jean Lomino and Assistant Director Stephanie Lomino, Chattanooga, Tennessee

 May 2024

Forest School Teacher Institute

in collaboration with Mind Body Nature Counseling

Creative Writing and Nature Therapy Workshop:

Writing Your Wilderness -- Finding Self in Nature 

LIVE, On-line Virtual Event

In this hands-on workshop, we will demonstrate how to creatively interact with the natural world as a raw, ready, and real resource that can help you process emotions, untangle thoughts, and generate whole-body wellness.

Join us to learn strategies to weave nature-based creative writing experiences into therapeutic practices that can reconnect you to the natural world, to yourselves, and to the beautiful wilderness that lives inside us all.

Facilitators:  

Author Emma Hudelson leads the Butler MFA Writing for Wellness initiative. She holds a PhD in creative writing from the University of Cincinnati, and her research areas include narrative medicine, expressive writing, and critical autoethnography. At the intersection of these fields lies creative writing for wellness, and Emma loves harnessing the therapeutic power of creative writing with her students. Since 2017, she's led Writing for Wellness workshops in the Indianapolis community and beyond. Her first book, Sky Watch, will be released in March 2024 with the University Press of Kentucky. Emma lives on the east bank of the White River with her husband and daughter, and she will forever be a horse girl.  

Therapist Bailey Sims holds a MA in clinical mental health counseling from Christian Theological Seminary and a BA in cross cultural community development. She is also a registered yoga teacher. She works as a mental health counselor in Indiana, holding space for transformation and incorporating mindfulness, body and nature-based modalities into her work. Cultivating experiences for people that instill love, compassion, and comfort is her life's work. 

March 2024

Forest School Teacher Institute

in Partnership with 

East Tennessee State University

Department of Early Childhood Education

FOREST SCHOOL TEACHER CERTIFICATE

and Level I Forest School Naturalist Certificate

Camp at Buffalo Mountain, 201 Methodist Camp Road, Jonesborough, Tennessee

Join Dr. Jean Lomino (Founder/President of the Forest School Teacher Institute) and professors Dr. Jane Broderick and Dr. Pam Evanshen (ETSU Dept. of Early Childhood Education) for this four-day intensive. Practical and place-based, hands-on learning will include:

• observation and assessment strategies
• mindful site tours of students at Seedkeepers Forest School and Fauna Forest Farm
• practice of emergent learning techniques
• place-based activities including naturalist skills, nature journaling, comtemplative practices, learning frameworks

Forest School Teacher Training is conducted in partnership and endorsed by the Early Childhood Education Department of East Tennessee State University.

March 2024

Forest School Teacher Certificate 

with Additional Certificate: 

Nature's Therapy for Children's Mental Well-Being 

At Paradise Canyon, Rio Medina, Texas

Join Dr. Jean Lomino, President and Founder of Forest School Teacher Institute and Sloyd & Croft for a one-of-a-kind, four-day intensive training and retreat designed for Forest School Facilitators thriving in unique environments like cactus-filled landscapes, caliche, and road runners. Embrace the beauty of nature even in arid settings!

PRESENTERS:

Dr. Jean Lomino, PhD: Meet the requirements for a Forest School Teacher Certificate through the Forest School Teacher Institute. Dive into emergent learning, flow learning, observation and assessment, inquiry learning strategies, nature journaling, integrating cultural and heritage themes, and sit spots, rituals and schedules. Training also includes daily Nature Field Observations and a Naturalist-led session. Participate in small group and individual mentoring opportunities.

Dr. Wanda Hillard DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, and Tracy Ziomek, RN, BSN:  Nature’s Therapy Certificate, Enhancing Mental Well-Being in Children in the Forest School setting. Gain practical experience in sensory exploration, stress relief, teamwork, and creative expression, relaxation techniques and positive affirmations taking ques from the environment.  Take home 15 outdoor wellness experiences you can implement immediately. Enjoy small group coaching opportunities to get answers to questions for your unique setting and situation.

GUEST SPEAKERS:

Delaney Ziomek of NEW Ember Winds Forest School

Kevin Cooley of Drumming Around

Amy Sterner and her therapy poodles of Hill Country Therapy Tales 

Sloyd & Croft, the Boat Brothers

February 2024

Northeast Indiana Workshop: Exploring the Nature of Forest Schools

Location: Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College, Albion, Indiana

Join Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center and the Forest School Teacher Institute (FSTI) for a two-day immersion into nature-based learning. At the core of this professional development opportunity will be multiple nature-based site visits to observe preschool and elementary children along with their teachers.

Conversations and deep dives into relevant topics including: 

• What does observation and assessment look like in the forest?
• What is the teacher’s role in outdoor classrooms?
• How does free play contribute to academic success?
• What is it about nature’s classroom that engages children so deeply?
• What does the research say about the worth of this type of experience for children in today’s world?
• Do I have to be a naturalist to take children into nature?
• How might this look in my neck of the woods?  

 September 2023

Forest School Teacher Certificate Training with additional Endorsement for Social and Emotional Well-Being 

Hosted by Sloyd & Croft: An American Slöjd School at Paradise Canyon

Rio Medina, TEXAS (near San Antonio)

Over 50% of US parents are currently reconsidering their child’s educational environment. They are searching for schools that provide a place for children to experience the joy of learning within a healing environment. Forest School philosophy can provide a solution. Join us for this special training event designed for new and seasoned professionals alike in beautiful Paradise Canyon. Experience a packed, four-day training program that emphasizes the integration of best practices from both education and clinical health into the Forest School setting.

Training Facilitators:

• Jean Lomino, Ph.D., Founder/President of the Forest School Teacher Institute
• Wanda Hillard, DNP, MBA, APRN, PMHNP-BC, Founder of Thrivability
• Tracy Ziomek, RN, BSN, Founder of Sloyd & Croft
• Plus guests: Kevin Cooley, Therapeutic Percussion, and Amy Sterner, Anxiety Relief with Animals 

 June 2023

 In-Person Forest School Teacher Certification

Lookout Lake Farm in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Join Dr. Jean Lomino, Founder and President of Forest School Teacher Institute, at Lookout Lake Farm, the birthplace of Wauhatchie School and the current site of Nature Kin Farm and Forest School for a three-day Forest School Teacher training intensive. Inspiration, wonder, and awe abound on the scenic trails of Reflection Riding Arboretum &Nature Center and the lakeshore, woods, and fields of Lookout Lake Farm. We will observe children learning through exploratory play at local forest school camps, engage in debrief sessions, and participate in classes including Emergent Curriculum in Nature-base Learning, Cultural Themes in FS, Practicing Mindfulness, Nature Journaling, and three hours of Naturalist Training. 

Participants will:

• Practice observation and assessment strategies.
• Learn to use questioning for creating on-the-spot activities that enrich/extend children’s
  discoveries
• Understand backwards-lesson planning and create learning frameworks
• Learn how to incorporate heritage and cultural studies in a forest school setting
• Engage in mindfulness practices including sit spots and nature journaling

 Spring 2023 Retreat

Living the Forest School Way

Location: Camp at Buffalo Mountain, 201 Methodist Camp Road

Jonesborough, Tennessee

Join Forest School friends, fans, and colleagues for a weekend of sweet communion at Camp at Buffalo Mountain Retreat Center. We promise to nurture your body, mind, and soul as we uncover how Forest School ethos can be a way of life. A series of workshops and conversations will address "living the forest school way."  

 March 2023

Forest School Teacher Institute

in Partnership with 

East Tennessee State University

Department of Early Childhood Education

Forest School Teacher Certification

Camp at Buffalo Mountain, 201 Methodist Camp Road, Jonesborough, Tennessee

Join Dr. Jean Lomino (Founder/President of the Forest School Teacher Institute)  and professors Dr. Jane Broderick and Dr. Pam Evanshen (ETSU Dept. of Early Childhood Education) at Seedkeepers Forest School and the newly opened Fauna Forest Farm for this three-day intensive. Practical and place-based, hands-on learning will include:

• observation and assessment strategies
• mindful site tours of intentional outdoor learning environments
• practice of emergent learning techniques
• place-based activities including naturalist skills, nature journaling, comtemplative practices, learning frameworks

 January 2023

Gateways to Emergent Learning 

Fernandina Beach, Florida

Join Jean Lomino along with Dr. Carl Swafford and other forest school colleagues to take a deep dive into using nature journaling as means to connect with the natural world. We will engage in teaching strategies and activities for interdisciplinary, multi-age learning in nature, while exploring the many social and emotional benefits of nature journaling for children. These benefits include 1) learning how reflection and silence helps us connect with our own bodies and minds, 2) discovering a bigger view of the world, its “wholeness,” interconnections and our place in it all, and 3) respecting the ordinary—which leads us to understand that all things are extraordinary! In these ways children learn about hope and how they can live in a peaceful community with their nature kin. Teachers will leave the training with a seasonal framework using nature journaling to integrate multiple topics and subject areas (and meeting academic standards, if needed.)   

 September 2022

 In-Person Forest Teacher Certificate Training

Join Dr. Jean Lomino on the beaches of northeast Florida for a three-day teacher intensive. Activities include observing children doing “forest school” in the sand and surf and in coastal wetlands, learning together about emergent curriculum, introducing cultural themes into forest school, practicing mindfulness, journaling, and naturalist training.

Participants will:

• Practice observation and assessment strategies
• Learn to use questioning for creating on-the-spot activities that enrich/extend children’s discoveries
• Understand backwards-lesson planning and create learning frameworks
• Learn how to incorporate heritage and cultural studies in a forest school setting
• Engage in mindfulness practices including sit spots and nature journaling

 July 2022

 Natural Start Alliance

 Nature-Based Early Learning Conference 

Cincinnati, Ohio

Jean and Joe will be presenting at the Natural Start Alliance Annual Conference.

This is a conference of kindred spirits that will inspire and inform your work. Consider joining us for this interactive session! 

Bushwhacking: Untethered and Holistic Learning for Children 6-12

How does nature-based learning work for elementary-age children? How does child-directed learning correlate with academic skill development? These are leading questions as schools expand the use of outdoor learning spaces. Discover how emergent learning integrates seamlessly with academic subjects.

July 2022

 Louisville Forest School Summer Day Visit

_{Enjoy a day-long sojourn in Kentucky observing, conversing, and communing with a network of forest schools.}

June 2022

Jonesborough, Tennessee Workshop

June 2022

Chattanooga Workshop

Forest Schools: Creating Emergent Learning Frameworks Pre K-5

April 2022

Spring Tour: