Conferences

Next Conference will be in 2024, date and details TBC

On 5 March 2022, NSW Early Years Nature Connections held our inaugural conference 'Nature Play - Not a passing fad', at the Randwick Community Sustainability Hub. The purpose of this conference was to inspire and connect early childhood educators who take children 'beyond the fence' of early years services. 

We aim for our annual conferences to always be affordable for those educators who need to pay their own way, and be kept small to promote networking. We are a Not for Profit organisation so ticket prices go towards creating more opportunities for NSW EYNC members and the community.

Our conference is a day of learning in and with nature and hearing from Australian academics and early childhood practitioners. A broad range of activities facilitate learning and discussion amongst educators who are new to nature play pedagogy, as well as extend the thinking of those who have been visiting the bush /beach with groups of children for some time. Like our Facebook page to keep up to date with new conferences. 

Organised by Armidale Community Preschool in conjunction with the University of New England, TAFE, Thalgarrah Environmental Education Centre and the NSW Early Years Nature Connections Group.

The Nature Play conference at Thalgarrah was based on the concept that educators inspire each other and learn together. Educators travelled from all over New South Wales representing bush, beach, city and rural aspects of nature play. The sessions were mostly outdoors, interactive and informal, and there was plenty of time to share ideas and build our nature play network. Academics, early childhood and primary teachers as well as early childhood educators with all training and skill levels attended the conference.

On the 27th April 2018, delegates gathered for a two day conference around the question 'Nature Play: What is it all about?'. The schedule was jam-packed for those two days with presentations across a range of topics from barefoot biomechanics to Indigenous aspects of nature play to play-site selection. Presenters included Sue Elliott, Fran Hughes, Sally Lockwood, Galia Urquart, Matt McKenzie, Shona Wilson, Alison Thompson, Gillian Traise, Sue Motley, Sue Nevin, Fiona Harris Margaret Gleeson, Lisa Milham, Melanie Elderton and Mayor and Councillors from Armidale Regional Council.