In Bloom in Vermont 2026
Delivery Mode
In-Person
Date
May 16, 2026
Details
- Time: 8:15am - 4:00pm ET
- Discounts: AU Students & Alumni: $75 (Use the discount code IBANTIOCH26); Groups: $100 per person (Use discount code IBGROUP26)
- Location: Marion Cross School, Norwich, VT
Description
Nature-based early childhood educators – please join us for the In Bloom in Vermont conference, held at Marion Cross School in Norwich on Saturday, May 16! We have a great selection of workshops from regional educators and keynotes from Antioch University Nature-based Early Childhood faculty. The workshops will take place in the forest where MCS teachers and students spend their Forest Fridays. At lunch, participants will have the opportunity to meet with Antioch University/Inside-Outside’s regional chapters. We will enjoy providing you with simple morning refreshments and a healthy lunch as part of your registration fee.
A FEW NOTES ABOUT THIS REGISTRATION PROCESS:
- Each person must register individually using a unique email address.
- If you have never used this system, you will need to ‘Create an Account.’
- If you have registered before for a conference or class using this system, enter your name and email and use “Sign In” at the bottom of the page.
- It will recognize your email and ask you to enter your password.
- If you have forgotten your password, there is a link to reset it.
- If you start registering but don’t finish, you’ll pick up where you left off next time you log in.
- New this year: You will select your morning and afternoon workshops when you register. You can find workshop descriptions on this page and in the conference brochure. Workshops will be closed as they reach capacity, so you may want to keep the brochure handy while you register.
Antioch alumni and students: $75 per person
Use the discount code IBANTIOCH26 when you check out.
Group Registration: We offer a discounted group rate of $100 per person for schools or organizations sending a team of three or more.
If you are part of a school group, you must still register as an individual.
Use the discount code IBGROUP26 when you check out.
If you cannot pay by credit card, email Jen Zakrzewski at [email protected] to arrange for payment by check.
For questions or troubleshooting, email [email protected].
Morning Keynote
Honoring the ‘I’m Not Sure’ Feeling: Aligning Pedagogy with Children’s Perspectives of Risky Play
Dr. Erin Tanzer, Antioch University
Educators who venture outdoors often witness children engaging in adventurous play and may wonder: What is this experience actually like for the child? This keynote presents recent research into that inquiry, uncovering the complex feelings and wonderings children navigate during adventurous and risky play. For a young child, the true essence of risk extends far beyond physical challenge; it is purposeful play with emotions, uncertainty, and curiosity. Participants will find inspiration in children’s voices, rekindle their own sense of wonder, and glean child-centered strategies to support play that align with children’s lived perspectives.
Dr. Erin Tanzer is a member of the Education Department Faculty at Antioch University. She enjoys working with aspiring and experienced early childhood professionals to create playful and connected learning environments. Erin’s experience in the field includes teaching in postsecondary/higher education, teaching in Reggio-Emilia-inspired and nature-based early childhood settings, and facilitating educator professional development. Erin’s recent research focuses on young children’s perspectives of outdoor risky play.
Morning Workshops
Workshop Descriptions can be found in the Conference Brochure.
Be Inspired by Fire!
Chrissy Morley, Experiential and Environmental Education Coordinator, Marion Cross School
Whose Woods These Are – Poetry in the Forest Classroom
Eliza Minnucci, Senior Adjunct Faculty, Antioch University Education Department; Forest School Teacher, First Branch Elementary School
Tooling Around: Supporting Independence and Healthy Risk Taking through the Use of Tools
Ken Benton, Director of Education, and Harriet Hart, Forest Preschool Director, North Branch Nature Center
Nature Mandalas
Sarah Wilson, Environmental Artist; Alum and former staff, Antioch University
Little Explorers: Facilitating Caregiver-Child Programs
Liza Serenqua, Director, Inside-Outside Network; Early Intervention Educator, Rise for Baby and Family
Bringing the Farm Into Your Classroom
Jed Norris, Director of Farm Based Youth Programs, Shelburne Farms
Afternoon Keynote
Is The Best Day Ever Getting Even Better?
David Sobel and Eliza Minnucci
Let’s revisit the 2017 film The Best Day Ever about Forest Days in Vermont public school kindergartens and explore how nature-based education has changed since 2017. David Sobel will review more than 10 years of research on nature-based early childhood programs. He’ll articulate the difference between two underlying paradigms of early education–developing academic proficiency vs. developing executive function and resilience–and show how nature-based programs stack up against traditional programs. Eliza Minnucci will talk about the expansion of nature-based programming from just the early years to across the elementary years in schools throughout Vermont.
David Sobel is a Professor Emeritus in the Education Department at Antioch University. He consults and speaks widely on child development, place-based education, and nature-based early childhood education. He has authored nine books and more than 80 articles focused on children and nature for educators, parents, environmentalists and school administrators in the last 30 years. His most recent books are Wild Play: Parenting Adventures in the Great Outdoors published by Green Writers Press, The Sky Above and the Mud Below: Lessons from Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens and Best Bike Rides in New England.
Eliza Minnucci was a kindergarten teacher in Vermont when she began Forest Fridays in 2013. She published A Forest Days Handbook in 2018, and has provided professional development for early childhood and elementary educators around New England. She is an adjunct professor at Antioch University where she has instructed the Nature based Early Childhood Curriculum course since 2017. She is now most focused on her work as the Forest School teacher at the First Branch Elementary School in Tunbridge, Vermont, where she lives with her family.
Afternoon Workshops
Making Charcoal for Nature Inspired Sketching
Mariah Raynes, Librarian and Artist, Tunbridge Public Library
Telling Wild Stories
Paul Bocko, Teaching Faculty, Antioch University Education Department
Forest Fridays: A Celebration of Outdoor Learning
Heidi Freeman, Upper Valley Chapter Co-Leader, Inside Outside Network; Kindergarten Teacher, Marion Cross School; and Katie Fritschie, Kindergarten Teacher, Marion Cross School
Feathers and Fur, Scales and Tails
Hannah Gelroth, Senior Director of Education, Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS)
Inclusive Outdoor Education: Promising Practices for Working with Challenging Behavior
Laura Eldridge, Senior Lecturer, Antioch University Education Department; Upper Valley Chapter Co-Leader, Inside Outside Network; Behavior Specialist, Lebanon School District
Become a Play Detective
Erin Tanzer, Teaching Faculty, Antioch University Education Department
Workshop Descriptions can be found in the Conference Brochure.
Accommodations
To request accommodations for special needs, please email the Program Administrator at [email protected].
Terms & Conditions
Cancellations received in writing 7 days before the date of the event are entitled to a full refund. Cancellations received between 6 and 3 days before an event are entitled to a 50% refund. Cancellations 2 or less days before an event will not be eligible for a refund.