Early childhood educators & nature educators
Unearthing Joy partners with early childhood educators and environmental educators looking to introduce new nature-based curriculum and programming, transition existing programming, or learn more about a culturally centered approach to learning for kids.
Simply peruse and select from the workshops below. Each one will help you take existing nature-based programming to the next level or help develop new programming from the ground up.
Great facilitation“I loved that the content was relevant and appropriate for children. I also feel that Ashley is a very knowledgeable presenter. Anyone can present content, but her facilitation skills are great. Very informative, and I could tell she loves what she does.”
Practical inspiration“Your session last night was something I have been looking for over the past few years. Our early learning center has a large garden and we are very interested in the stories and knowledge our families have. You gave some concrete strategies that we will begin to explore this spring.”
Interactive & fun“The workshop was informative, delightful, inspiring, interactive, and fun! I loved the ideas about how to apply books to activities. Thank you for the inspiration and steps forward!”
Knowledgeable & intentional “Ashley is extremely knowledgeable! She has her hands in the coolest projects and is so intentional about her work. She is inspiring.”
Tangible strategies “A really engaging talk—especially visually. Ashley does really great work and it was great to hear about it. I love that Ashley left us with tangible strategies to consider and adapt into practice. Really great growth opportunities!”
Global, local, and personal“I loved Ashley’s emphasis on using her strategies and yet using local resources, and for working on ourselves.”
Thought-provoking“What counts as nature, who gets to engage, how am I invited to engage, where do I get to engage, nature vs. outside: all great, thought-provoking terms!”
Beyond the classroom“The culturally centered focus was very helpful for our predominately white program (middle/upper white academia) as were the questions on what is nature, how to include and work with community beyond the children and “classroom,” and involving and serving the larger community and future for social justice.”
Relatable & inspiring“Ashley was able to be speak from a teacher’s perspective and also speak on our level. Her perspective on community and family outreach inspired me.”
Elevating & grounding “Beautiful to take the pause to think about ‘what brings joy’ today and every day, what would ground us in hearing and connecting to the minorities among us… nice to think about for the classroom setting.”
Informative & inspiring“Ashley’s keynote was very informative and inspiring. I really liked the storytelling piece, and the reminder to include things that bring me joy, too. I also liked the reminder to include the families and their stories in the classroom community.”
Concrete steps to take“I love the terminology that I am leaving this keynote with. Leaving with a full mind of steps I can and will take back to my program!”
An expert & inspiring storyteller “I love the way Ashley told her work through stories. She was super knowledgeable, personable, inspiring, and sharp!”
Inspired courage“Ashley set the tone beautifully; so informative! She reinforced values and inspired the courage to make positive change in the world.”
Useful tools & discussion “A very good presentation with a good balance of useful tools for the classroom as well as good discussion amongst members for integrating families and family stories into classrooms.”
Helpful & relevant “It was very relevant and helpful. The activity-and-then-discussion format was a good model for the ideas discussed as well! Thank you, Ashley!”
Unpacking experiences“I really liked the activity. It was simple yet powerful and effective. I appreciated the time to discuss and unpack experiences with one another.”
Phenomenal speaker “Ashley Brailsford was a phenomenal speaker who fostered important dialogue around storytelling. I truly enjoyed both her speech and her panel.”
Inspiring “Great storytelling to share about her journey. An inspiring story!”
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