Nature is Our Classroom: Connecting Science to Early Learning

Join the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and Bluff Lake Nature Center for a full day professional learning experience for ECE educators. Join Bluff Lake Nature Center & the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for a full day professional learning experience for ECE educators on January 16, 2027. Each institution will deliver one PDIS approved training lasting three hours. Individuals attending the training will receive one certificate of completion for their participation in each session. DMNS Presents Guiding Curiosity & Scientific Discovery: Designed to help educators move beyond fact-based instruction, this hands-on session focuses on building a vibrant, inquiry-driven environment that empowers students to think like scientists. Participants explore the NGSS shift toward inquiry and learn to sustain curiosity using a Question, Prompt, Cue technique, which can also be applied to math and literacy. The workshop highlights the importance of the "effortful struggle" in learning, teaching educators how to guide students through discoveries without simply giving them the answers. Bluff Lake Presents Cultivating Curiosity and Independence Through Forest School: Join Bluff Lake Nature Center to explore how curiosity fuels learning and development both outdoors and in the classroom. Bluff Lake’s Forest Preschool is entirely outdoors, allowing students to take charge in their own learning, take risks, and explore the natural world around them. In this training, we will explore the wide-reaching impacts of curiosity, how to ask intentional questions, and how to implement all this within your classroom. You will walk away with a new perspective, and ready to use tools! Lunch will be provided! On an upcoming page, you will see the option to choose add-ons. These are intended to make this program financially accessible by allowing you to pay a price that is realistic for you. The add-ons describe what this additional cost equates to however. They are optional, and lunch will be provided for you no matter how much you pay. Parking: Free parking is available in our parking lot, or the neighborhood across the street. The parking lot is first come first served with EV chargers and handicapped spots. If there are no parking spots when you arrive, you are welcome to park in the neighborhood across the street and walk over. What to wear: You can expect to spend most of the day indoors, with activities up to 30 minutes at a time outside. Wear what makes you comfortable!