About

In 2008 several Manitoba Educators attended the World Forum Nature Action Collaborative for Children conference at Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska, where they met with nature educators from all over the world to discuss their observations, challenges and victories. One of these Educators returned wondering why getting children outside was not just a problem in Manitoba, it was a worldwide concern. A call out to Educators in Manitoba was made and an agreement was made to plan the very first Manitoba Nature Summit in 2010. 

The aim of the Manitoba Nature Summit was to address the need for nature education to be infused into the lives of children through play. However, above all, those who are responsible for offering this education have a global need for opportunities to learn about and become motivated by nature in order to pass this inspiration and experience on to the children that they work with. The term “summit” was used because it embodied the idea of a meeting of minds and the intentions to have participants take a role in the development and learning. Principally, the ethos of the Manitoba Nature Summit was to encourage all those engaged to share their knowledge as equals.

The first Nature Summit was held September 10th to 12th, 2010 at Camp Manitou, in Headingly, Manitoba. It was a weekend full of interactive workshops and events designed to educate and connect attendees with their sense of wonder about the natural environment. There were opportunities for delegates to mingle and learn from others that are doing similar work and how to take this back to the children with whom the participants worked. In response to the overwhelming positive feedback from the debut of Summit 2010, a second Summit was held in 2012 and subsequently bi-annually to the present. At the end of each Summit, attendees are provided with a short survey for their feedback and recommendations for future opportunities. There is never a shortage of proposals and words of praise.

Notable keynotes from past Summits include Severn Cullis-Suzuki, who started the Environmental Children’s Organization at age 9! Lenore Skenazy, America’s Worst Mom (self-proclaimed!), The Dragon Family of Yellowknife, Jim Duncan of Discover Owls, and Niigaan Sinclair, writer and activist. Along with unforgettable workshops such as birding in Manitoba, gardening with young children, outdoor fire cooking, edible plants in Manitoba, fishing with children, mud day, wild walks, geocaching, papermaking, nature journaling, dogsledding, building mud kitchens, dressing for Manitoba Winters, whittling, and tool work with children to name only a few!

The Manitoba Nature Summit has been credited with opening the conversation on how to offer nature education to children and importantly providing opportunities for Educators to learn and engage in hands-on outdoor activities, so they can impart their knowledge onto children in their educational environments from the early years right up to school age.