Get Outdoors and Reimagine Learning at Shaping the Future 2026
Written by Louise McClelland
Conference professional learning doesn’t have to mean just sitting in a hotel ballroom. At Shaping the Future 2026, we’re stepping outside, literally, and inviting attendees to reimagine how learning can look, feel and thrive in the outdoors.
This year, we’re heading to Edmonton, where the conference will still feature the interactive outdoor sessions, walking presentations and nature-based learning experiences that our delegates have come to love, designed to inspire connection, creativity and well-being.
Because professional learning isn’t just about acquiring knowledge, it’s about connection, inspiration and nurturing your own well-being so you can better support the children and youth you work with.
Why Outdoor Learning Matters, For You and Your Students
Outdoor learning isn’t just a change of scenery, it’s a change of mindset. When we bring learning outside, we invite curiosity, movement and mindfulness into our classrooms. Outdoor learning supports academic engagement, mental health, and collaboration, while helping students build the skills they’ll need for a rapidly changing world: adaptability, problem-solving and resilience.
Even in an urban setting, outdoor learning can thrive. Here are a few ways to get started:
- Maximize Your Space: Turn a schoolyard, sidewalk, or playground into an outdoor classroom with flexible seating and portable materials. Consider building yourself an outdoor learning kit that features some ready-to-use materials (like clipboards for a portable desk!).
- Connect to the Curriculum: Use your surroundings to make learning tangible (measure the shadows in math, map the neighbourhood in social studies or write poetry inspired by seasonal changes).
- Practice Learning Outdoors: Students are used to playing outdoors when at school. Build in time and space for your students to practice what it means to learn outdoors and set appropriate expectations.
- Promote Movement: Host walking discussions or outdoor brain boosters. Movement refreshes focus and energy, helping both students and teachers stay engaged.
Check out our Outdoor Learning Quickdraw resource for more tips and ready-to-use activities to get your classroom outdoors! Download a FREE sampler pack here.
Experience It Firsthand at Shaping the Future 2026
At Shaping the Future, we’re all about walking the talk – and we have an incredible lineup of keynotes, concurrents and workshop sessions for you to do just that.
Some of our featured outdoor sessions this year include:
Pre-Conference: Grounded Leadership: Building Connection, Confidence, and Community Through Outdoor Learning
Facilitator: Court Rustemeyer, Alberta Teachers’ Association
(Separate ticket required)
Step outside the classroom and into the power of experiential learning that moves the mind, body, and heart. This highly participatory pre-conference session invites educators to explore how outdoor and nature-based learning can strengthen belonging, well-being, and leadership for both students and teachers. Together, we’ll dive into the art of designing meaningful outdoor experiences that nurture connection, confidence, and community.
Participants will spend 75% of the session doing: engaging in hands-on challenges, team-based problem solving, and land-based learning activities that bring curriculum to life. The remaining time will focus on strategies for program design, risk engagement, and fostering school-wide wellness through outdoor learning.
Come ready to move, laugh, and reconnect with the joy of teaching outdoors. You’ll leave with practical, adaptable ideas for all grade levels and a renewed sense of grounded leadership—rooted in purpose, community, and the natural world.
15 First Nations Games and 5 Cool Outdoor Knots
Facilitator: Jim Lovell, School District 60 (North Peace)
15 First Nation games from the Arctic, Plains, Coast and Boreal forest regions of Canada, plus add 5 cool outdoor knots. Bring your energy, water bottle and have some fun and learn some cultural connections to share with your students. Walk away with a 6 page PDF with more games and ideas.
Outside Together: Nurturing Learning, Connection & Wellness
Facilitator: Vicki Perkins, Alberta Forestry & Parks, Environmental Education Coordinator
Step outside and rediscover the power of nearby nature as an extension of your classroom. In this 90-minute outdoor session, Alberta Parks Environmental Education specialist will guide participants through simple, engaging core routines that spark curiosity, support student wellness, and bring curriculum learning to life. Together, we’ll explore how outdoor learning rooted in place, experience, and connection can nurture environmental literacy, reduce stress, and ignite a sense of wonder and belonging in students.
Through hands-on activities, reflection, and shared discussion, teachers will gain practical strategies to confidently integrate outdoor experiences into everyday teaching – no wilderness required. Participants will leave inspired and equipped with ready-to-use ideas, renewed confidence to take students outside, and access to a collaboratively developed resource list that supports meaningful, place-based learning year-round.
Urban Wayfinding: Active Navigation as a Teaching Tool
Facilitator: Leith Monaghan, Ever Active, Health and Wellness Consultant
The Urban Wayfinder is an action-packed, outdoor session that will have you exploring your local urban landscape with a wayfinder mindset. You will learn how to incorporate navigational basics like cardinal directions, mapping and compass use within your teaching practice while getting your classroom outside and active. Not only are there great curriculum connections to make with navigational skills, it also builds cognitive functions like spatial awareness and problem-solving while fostering essential life skills such as self-reliance, confidence, and exploration.
To view our full conference schedule visit: https://everactive.org/events/stf/
Learning, Well-being and Leadership are All Connected
Outdoor experiences like these remind us that professional learning isn’t just about new strategies, it’s about reconnection. As one educator from Shaping the Future 2025 shared, “I came here to learn new practices. I’m leaving with a renewed sense of purpose.”
This year’s conference invites you to experience that same renewal. Step outside your routine, meet colleagues who share your passion, and explore ways to make learning more active, inclusive and inspiring, both for your students and yourself.
Join Us in Edmonton
Whether you’re travelling from a nearby community or across the country, Shaping the Future 2026 offers an opportunity to recharge, reconnect and rediscover the joy of teaching.
Your professional growth, your well-being and your students’ success are worth the journey.
Join us in Edmonton for Shaping the Future 2026, and let’s get outside to reimagine learning together. Register here: https://everactive.org/events/stf/
