Category: Online PD

Growing Outdoor Classrooms ~ Spring 2023

On By aprilzajkoIn College Courses, Online PD, Outdoor Classrooms, Trainings with April's Teaching TreeLeave a comment

Growing Outdoor Classrooms

3-credit course through Castleton University

Taught virtually by April Zajko, M.Ed.

Dates: March 13 – May 31, 2023.

Times:​ This online course will be taught using a FLEX model. There will be FIVE Zoom sessions that students are encouraged to attend in real time. Each session will be recorded and uploaded so students can also watch at their own pace, if preferred.

Zoom sessions will be on Monday evenings from 6-8pm:  March 20, April 3, April 17, May 1, & May 15 

Format: Online

  1. Zoom synchronous meetings (or watch the replay)
  2. Self paced modules of content and submission of work

Location: Online; Technology Tools: Zoom and Google Docs 

​Cost: $1,100

Course Description:

Every outdoor classroom is as unique as the school or program that designs and builds it. Whether you are starting from scratch, transforming a traditional playground into a nature-inspired play area, or expanding an existing outdoor classroom, this course will help you define and prioritize design elements for your space. Research confirms that learning outdoors promotes child development and learning in all domains – physical, cognitive, and social/emotional. By understanding the benefits of outdoor learning, participants will discover ways to share information with stakeholders as a powerful way to communicate the value of creating nature inspired learning spaces

Audience: Early Childhood Educators (PreK – 3rd grade) 

Instruction Information:

April Zajko, M.Ed. is a Licensed Early Childhood Educator and Reading Specialist. Her bachelor’s degree was earned at Delaware State University, and her master’s degree was earned at University of Virginia. Her passion for lifelong learning led her to study in-depth about place-based learning, mindfulness, holistic development, nature-inspired approach to early childhood, and creating supportive learning environments for all children.

Deadline to register: February 14, 2023

Registration steps:

  1. Fill out the registration form to hold your spot. (Registration is limited to 20 students per semester.)
  2. Mail payment – Course payment of $1,100 is payable by check to the Fairbanks Museum. This is due 2 weeks from the time of registration. Please mail your check to: Fairbanks Museum, Attn: Karina Weiss, 1302 Main Street, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819 
  3. Confirmation of registration will be emailed to you once payment is received. ​

For additional course or registration information, please contact April Zajko for more information ~ aprilzajko@gmail.com

Course Goals

  1. To explain the developmental benefits of learning in an outdoor classroom and create buy-in with stakeholders within your school or early childhood program.
  2. To develop a vision map and action plan for developing an outdoor classroom that meets the need all children.
  3. To define obstacles, develop solutions, and create a funding plan in order for the outdoor classroom to be established and thrive for years to come.
  4. Establish or expand the outdoor classroom that meets the developmental needs of young children

Course Objectives

Through participation in this class, the student will be able to:

  • Recognize the differences between an outdoor classroom and traditional playground
  • Describe the significance of nature-based education in early childhood (preschool through 3rd grade) and name the developmental benefits from learning in an outdoor classroom.
  • Demonstrate ways to share information with stakeholders about outdoor classrooms as a way to communicate the value of creating nature inspired learning spaces
  • Explore ways to get buy-in from stakeholders and discuss ways to assemble in inner circle of supporters 
  • Design a vision map of your outdoor classroom with multiple phases of implementation
  • Research ways to secure funding to build or expand outdoor classrooms 
  • Develop an action plan for creating an outdoor classroom based on your vision and research. 

P.O.W.E.R. ~ Path of Wellness, Environment, & Relationship

On By aprilzajkoIn Hybrid Courses, Online PD, Uncategorized, WellnessLeave a comment

“P.O.W.E.R. – Path of Wellness, Environment, and Relationships” Hybrid E-Course – Are you ready to reclaim your inner power and clear a path toward the life you envision? Join me this summer for a six-week online course that will help you reconnect to your most powerful self.  With all that is happening in the world it is easy to feel like we are giving away our power, burning our candle at both ends while we are on a hamster wheel not getting to where we want to go. This course will help you identify how to refuel so that you prevent burning out.

We will will practice recognizing and addressing issues related to vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue.

We will explore the eight domains of wellness and determine which areas to add focus and attention.

We will discuss ways to improve the environments that we live, work, and socialize that align with our core values.

We will brainstorm how to develop nurturing and supportive relationships as a way to build support one another.

Throughout the six week course, participants will hear inspiring stories of growth and transformation that others have found on their own path back to their P.O.W.E.R.

“P.O.W.E.R. – Path of Wellness, Environment, and Relationships” – the summer course begins the week of July 11th and runs for six weeks. There will be six meetings “in real time” on Zoom for one hour ~ day of the week & time to be determined. There will also be at your own pace assignments to help integrate the strategies into your life.

Investment: $197

Registration is not yet open ~ but to get on the list to be notified, email – April Zajko, M.Ed. ~ aprilzajko@gmail.com

April Zajko, M.Ed. is the founder and owner of April’s Teaching Tree, a consulting business that aims to deepen our roots in connecting to nature and stepping into our full powerful selves. April has led professional development programs for hundreds of teachers and child care providers throughout the state of Vermont, and is now exploring ways to share her knowledge with people around the globe. April provides online and in-person professional development and consulting with a focus on integrating nature, art, and self care. Her flagship e-course, “P.O.W.E.R. – Path of Wellness, Environment, and Relationships” helps individuals reclaim their inner power and clear a path toward the life that they envision. 

Summer Professional Development with April Zajko, M.Ed.

On By aprilzajkoIn Early Childhood Education, Online PD, Trainings with April's Teaching Tree, WellnessLeave a comment

Thanks for all those who attended “April’s Teaching Tree” trainings in May 2020! All of our trainings were held via Zoom which worked better than anticipated.

Nearly 200 Vermont based early childhood educators attended trainings this month led by April Zajko! The feedback has been amazing and I appreciate the sense of community and mutual respect that we have in our early childhood field here in Vermont.

Topics in May 2020 included:

Growing Outdoor Classrooms (6 hours) ~ introduction and practical training in how to naturalize your outdoor space

POWER: Path of Wellness, Environment, and Relationships (6 hours) ~ a personal empowerment, self-care, and community care model training offered 1 hour a week for six weeks

Natural Loose Parts (2 hours) ~ explore open ended materials that foster deep engaged play

Visioning Our Future with April & Dawn Irwin (6 hours) ~ a leadership and advocacy course offered 1 hour a week for six weeks

Finding Your Way: Ethical Decision Making (6 hours – offered as 2+2+2 model) ~ explore the NAEYC Code of Conduct and practice with real world and relevant scenarios

Sponsors in May 2020 included:

Building Bright Futures Caledonia, Essex, & Orleans

Let’s Grow Kids – “Make Way for Kids Grant” & Stephanie Carvey in Rutland, VT

Growing with Wonder in Essex, VT & Dawn Irwin

Northern Lights at Community College of Vermont

 

 

I hope to offer these same trainings again in June & July 2020! I am also designing “Nature Inspired Teacher” as a 6 hour ONLINE training. Another new training in June will be a 2 hour “Sensory Gardens”. If your network, organization, or center would like to sponsor a training send me an email! aprilzajko@gmail.com 

Please follow me at April’s Teaching Tree either on Facebook or Instagram for updates on upcoming trainings & for free ideas on nature-inspired early childhood topics!

June 2020 trainings: (I will update this as more sessions open)

“Finding Your Way: Ethical Decision Making” on June 24 & July 1 ~ There are slots open for my *FREE* 6 hour training funded by Northern Lights-   Register on the Northern Lights calendar at:  https://northernlightsccv.org/trainings/finding-your-way-ethical-decision-making-for-professionals-21/

My “Sensory Garden” training will be funded by Northern Lights at CCV. The first three sessions are full, so they will open another training on June 24 6-8pm. Registration is not yet open but check back next week on the Northern Lights calendar.

Visioning Our Future with April & Dawn Irwin (6 hours) ~ a leadership and advocacy course offered 1 hour a week for six weeks  (FULL) 

Thanks again for your ongoing support! Offering high quality professional development for early childhood educators is my teaching passion! I am honored that so many attended my trainings and I hope that they inspire your work with children!

With gratitude,

April Zajko, M.Ed.

aprilzajko@gmail.com

 

“But what do you do?”

On By aprilzajkoIn Conferences, Early Childhood Education, Online PD, ReflectionsLeave a comment

“But what do you do?” ~ when I hear the question I have to quickly decide if I give the full speech, a one minute version of the speech, or just a few words.

Most people within my professional circle know me as a “preschool teacher”. A kind, warm and fuzzy teacher who ties shoes, wipes off messy faces, sings songs and teaches about manners, nature, art, and social-emotional skills. My last eight years in the classroom were spent in preschool, and I came to realize the power and fundamental role that early childhood has on both the academic success in school and lifelong impact for children who have access to high quality early childhood programs.

When I took on a new role of entrepreneur and creating a business as an educational consultant, my friends didn’t quite know how the presumably soft skills of preschool teacher would translate into a business model. Surprisingly, learning how to take care of young children prepared me well for working with a wide range of groups because nearly all people find it refreshing to work with someone who is both kind and a go-getter!

Back to the question…”But what do you do?”

In a few words ~ I am an educational consultant.

One minute speech ~ I am an Early Childhood Educator and I work with schools, child care centers, businesses and organizations to develop programs that support a ‘holistic view of childhood”. With my almost twenty years of working with families and children I know the silos and obstacles that exist within our system and I can help facilitate ways to improve our programs to have a greater impact on children.

And for those who really want to dive into more of the details….I typed up an even longer description!

April Zajko, M.Ed. is the owner of April’s Teaching Tree, an educational consulting business with a mission of “growing a holistic view of childhood”. April has been leading professional development in education since 2003 and is licensed in Vermont as both as an Early Childhood Educator and Reading Specialist. April has built a solid reputation for providing relevant, engaging, and motivating programs that take theory and put it into actionable steps to improve outcomes for children.  Over the last school year, April has led professional development in Vermont for child care centers, regional Head Start teams, Starting Points networks, and private programs. April has partnered with several nonprofit organizations who are working toward improving educational programs for young children, including the Vermont Community Engagement Lab and the STEM Lab at the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium. Over the last eight years, April has led trainings at the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children fall conference and developed master level trainings in science. Since 2016, April has taught early childhood courses for the Community College of Vermont in Saint Johnsbury, and has helped many new professionals get started on their career path in early childhood education.

April is committed to workforce development and knows that as we empower early care providers we strengthen our system and practices of care for ALL families.

April is passionate about advocating for nature-based learning and puts creativity and PLAY at the center of the curriculum.

April believes that ALL children thrive when we design inclusive programs that offer supportive and warm environments that cultivate nurturing  and responsive relationships.

April’s Teaching Tree gives voice to the vision and mission of “growing a holistic view of childhood”. To read my weekly blog post subscribe at http://www.aprilsteachingtree.com

*Help me spread the word by sharing this post *

If your program or organization wants to create custom professional development or partner on projects for the next school year, please email April directly at aprilzajko@gmail.com

If you are an individual and want to sign up for a course of program led by April Zajko, visit this link which will be updated as programs or classes are added ~ https://aprilsteachingtree.com/upcoming-trainings/

If you would like to be part of April’s ongoing women’s leadership group called P.O.W.E.R.~Path of Wellness, Environment, and Relationship ~ send an email to get more information ~ aprilzajko@gmail.com

“You may never know what results come of your actions, but if you do nothing, there will be no results.” ~Gandhi

P.O.W.E.R. ~ Path of Wellness, Empowerment & Relationships

On By aprilzajkoIn Online PD, Staff Wellness, Uncategorized, WellnessLeave a comment

One of the best parts of leading professional development training is the deep conversation and connections that I get to make with other early care providers and educators.

On Monday of this week I led a training called “Leading with Empathy” and we dove deep into topics of emotional vocabulary, fostering inclusion and belonging in our programs, building strong relationships with the families in our programs, defining empathy & considering how to build those skills with children, and developing self care action plans.

This was the first time leading this training, but I knew that this was helping me to synthesize and apply much of the research and work that I have been exploring this year. Helping others to make deeper connections, act with compassion, gain more confidence in their work, and build up our reserves so we can be care givers without depleting ourselves, and to turn our vulnerabilities into strengths.

Whoa…this is important work for all of us no matter our field!

Driving home I was reflecting on the presentation and the conversations. The word “POWER” kept coming to mind, and my wish to be able to pass on confidence and power to all the women that I work with. Many child care providers and moms that I know need a POWER boost, and often I find myself giving PEP talks to other women who feel stripped of their power.

Community of Practice model ~ working together with others in order to improve ourselves and to foster growth within our team or community is the way to change our views. When we connect with a small group of others in this way, all working toward the same goal, we create a synergy! Being part of a community who are all committed to the same goal makes us feel like we belong, and we feel supported to grow and change.

Women’s Gatherings ~ for most of my life I have been part of a small tribe of other women who are working on the same life goals. As a teen being invited into drumming circles, as a young adult leading Wise Women’s retreats, leading yoga classes and adult wellness programs when I ran a Holistic Health Center. Later once I began working in early childhood education, leading parenting groups, play groups, Mommy Coffee Hour, and professional development. All of these tribes and circles have supported me and helped me become who I am.

So developing my own framework for growing into our P.O.W.E.R. is one of the big projects in store for June 2019!

P.O.W.E.R. = Path of Wellness, Environment, & Relationships ~ weaving together much of the research, reading, and inner work that I have been doing in order to offer an in-person women’s coaching group. I am also going to offer it as an online e-course as well so I can send my positive message to a wider audience. Eventually, I will have a framework or blueprint ready to share with other women who want to lead their own groups!

If you would like to be part of my FREE online BETA-test group or live local and want to be part of my summer group, email me at aprilzajko@gmail.com 

 

 

Thank you to the “Starting Points Child Care Network” in Randolph, Vermont for inspiring me this week! I hope you each took away some tools that you will use in your work! Our training this week really me inspired me! I am so eager to dive into developing this larger training program!

With gratitude,

April

Play Advocate & BETA Test

On By aprilzajkoIn Early Childhood Education, Online PDLeave a comment

Years ago I read about creating a play advocate binder from Lisa Murphy. Her #binder challenge was a practical way to empower early childhood educators of all backgrounds to embrace the research, read it, print it, and then feel confident to promote learning through play. At the time I thought that the Ooey Gooey Lady must be a soul sister, and I followed along her journey from the periphery. I also had been printing, reading and highlighting articles for years to prove my motto: PLAY = LEARNING!

My binder turned into binders, because there is so much important research about ECE and play. Those articles changed me and my classroom practices, so the binders got turned into workshops that I presented in person. Those workshops helped me meet all sorts of amazing early care providers in Vermont, who told me about more articles and books to read. Which lead me to more stuff to learn, synthesize, and apply. And during this journey of ‘teacher as researcher’ I realized that unequivocally PLAY = LEARNING!!!

Well for 2019, I have set my intention to be a more vocal PLAY advocate.

I believe ALL children deserve the right to PLAY! (((shout it from the mountain tops)))

I have been figuring out how my voice could add to and enhance all the great things already happening. I shy away from political action, loathe asking people for money or doing fund raising, and might rather pluck my eye lashes out than to argue with people entrenched in their own ways of doing things. My pal Sally Haughey, of Fairy Dust Teaching fame, urged me to take my ‘teacher as researcher’ practical approach and use my voice to lead online e-courses. So that’s what I am working on this school year…and there is definitely a lot to learn.

Earlier this week I sent out a little message to a private early childhood group about my goal of being a “play advocate” and about the BETA test of my first online course. I want to test out my course with a small group of diverse early childhood educators so that the content is applicable to wider audience and is tested in the field.

Within an hour of sending out my little message,who is the first to respond but the guru of play advocacy herself! Yes, Ms. Ooey!!! Pinch me, I might be dreaming!

To quote Ms. Ooey’s idea about creating a binder of articles related to play, from a FB post from 2013…. “Put PLAY = LEARNING! PRESENTING THE EVIDENCE. on the cover. From this point forward, copy anything and everything that supports a hands on play based program and put it in there. The intention is to see that it’s not our personal preference that “play is the way” but it is what is backed by science, evidence, anecdotes and experience. It gets it out of us appearing to simply “want it” and shows that others have already done the work to support it.”

For me being a play advocated started with a binder….and now I feel equipped (and most days confident enough) to say that PLAY is a right that is worth fighting for! Maybe I need to sew a cape or make a protest sign!

Stay tuned to April’s Teaching Tree because I have lots of research based information and have the know-how to make it do-able for a wide variety of settings.

I am learning the ropes of the social media world and can now be found here—

Blogging at: www.aprilsteachingtree.com

Facebook – April’s Teaching Tree

Instagram – Aprils_Teaching_Tree

Pinterest – azajko

 

And if you want to be in the small group of participants to BETA test my new course email me – aprilzajko@gmail.com The official well-polished course will be ready for release later in 2019!

Gardening All Year: The Circle Widens

On By aprilzajkoIn Conferences, Online PDLeave a comment

IMG_2586This week I had the fine pleasure of being a presenter in Sally of Fairy Dust Teaching’s 2016 Summer Early Childhood Online Conference. What an honor it is to be a presenter with such a rich and knowledgeable group of educators. I am humbled, and honored for the many comments that were shared after folks watched my e-course.

I feel like my circle of friends has widened, and I am eager to share resources with everyone. My blog is in it’s sapling stage, but I hope that you check back.
I will set up my opt-in this weekend, and by subscribing to my newsletter, I will share a big packet of ideas (more than what was in the slide show) to get you “gardening all year” with your children.

Thanks again for stopping by!

April

 

For more information about the 2016 Summer Early Childhood Conference click here:

Summer Conference