An immersive, energizing week on the farm for early childhood educators
July 14–18, 2025
Tap into your own curiosity and joy by connecting with peers; engaging with our farmyard, forest, lake, and wetlands; and learning practical activities and pedagogy you can easily employ in your own place. We’ll use hands-on activities, protocols, and shared learning to examine how the Big Ideas of Sustainability can instill a deep love and appreciation for the natural world in both you and your students.
We look forward to this week every year because no program is the same and it brings together a wonderful community of learners from all over who share, inspire, and support each other.
Cultivating Joy and Wonder is best suited for practicing early childhood educators (preK–2nd grade level), though all educators working with young children are welcome.
Join the Waitlist
- Participation details: This program is free and includes light breakfast and lunch. In order to register, you must commit to attending the entire program, all day Monday–Friday. Optional accommodations and graduate credits for a separate fee.
- Optional accommodation fee: $75.00 per night double occupancy room (+10% tax on lodging). $125.00 per night single occupancy room (+10% tax on lodging). Accommodations are on a first come, first served basis.
- Optional graduate credits for an additional fee.
- Note that due to ongoing renovations at the Coach Barn, this program will be offered in the Farm Barn in 2025. Space is limited; early registration is recommended!
What You'll Learn
While we use the farm as a teaching tool, we’ve crafted this experience to support you no matter where you’re located. You’ll learn ways to utilize your community—be it a city, the suburbs, or a rural area—as a vital resource in your early education program. We’ll use a variety of protocols and provide opportunities for rich conversations to enhance our shared learning and inspire your curriculum with fresh ideas.
- Build knowledge of developmentally appropriate place-based learning and gain tools and resources to use in the future.
- Cultivate a learning network with peers and facilitators.
- Learn how to develop a curriculum that utilizes the natural world by exploring different ecosystems on our campus (farm, forest, lake, and wetland).
- Increase your capacity to integrate farm to early education and education for sustainability into your classroom curriculum.
What Participants Say
Overall, my biggest takeaway is an increase in educating about sustainability as a consistent part of my curriculum. My knowledge base has improved significantly. The experiential nature of the Cultivating Joy and Wonder program was wonderful. Hands down the best professional development I’ve ever done.
What Participants Say
I have many ideas that will change my teaching. The gardening and outdoor, hands-on activities that connect to the Big Ideas of Sustainability were very impactful. I’m going to facilitate learning now by giving kids space to play and have joy.
Create Your Learning Pathway
Cultivating Joy and Wonder is a great immersion in place-based learning and will introduce you to the building blocks of Education for Sustainability.
After Cultivating Joy and Wonder, we suggest early childhood educators take the program Foundations in EFS.
Interested in graduate credit? Some of our programs, including Cultivating Joy and Wonder, are typically offered for optional credits for a fee.
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