Speaking
How do we help children care for the Earth without overwhelming them with the problems it faces?
For more than 35 years, I have worked at the intersection of nature connection, environmental education, child development and stewardship. My work brings together research, storytelling, humour and decades of hands-on experience working alongside children, educators and communities.
My presentations offer a hopeful and practical way forward: fostering wonder, relationship and belonging; providing children with meaningful, age-appropriate opportunities to act; and helping them discover that they have the capacity to make the very places where they stand healthier and more resilient.
Signature Presentations
The Wild Path Home: Raising the Earth Stewards of Tomorrow
How do we raise children who care for the Earth? Drawing on the Pathway to Stewardship and Kinship, I share how wonder, connection, belonging and age-appropriate action can grow into lifelong stewardship.
Seasons of Wonder: Practical Ways to Connect Children with Nature
Nature connection can begin right outside the door. Through games, sensory exploration, storytelling and seasonal discovery, I offer simple, field-tested activities educators and parents can use in school grounds, backyards and nearby nature areas.
Taking Learning Outside: Building Confident Nature Educators
Many educators want to take learning outdoors but aren't sure where to begin. Drawing on decades of educator training, including the Eco-Mentor programs I helped establish with Trent University and Fleming College, I provide practical ways to build confidence, use nearby nature and weave environmental learning across the curriculum.
From Eco-Anxiety to Agency: Helping Children Find Hope Through Action
How do we face environmental challenges without overwhelming children? This presentation shows how age-appropriate action can move children from worry to possibility, with meaningful opportunities to restore habitat, care for nearby nature and discover that their actions matter.