IPA USA 2024 RIGHT2PLAY, RIGHT NOW: Full Schedule

Welcome to the IPA USA 2024 Conference, The Right to Play, RIGHT NOW! To ensure ease in registration, here are a few tricks.

Once you have purchased your ticket for the conference, you will be directed to a Registration Form. This form is not just a document; it’s a key part of our planning process, and your participation is highly valued. Please complete it to help us track attendees for each of the special events.

If you wish to enhance your conference experience by adding a T-shirt or the Saturday Evening Celebration, you can do so by visiting this page: https://ipausa2024right2playnow.sched.com/?iframe=no

To add the T-shirt or the Saturday Evening Celebration to your registration, click on the ’Reserve Tickets’ button and select the option/s you want to add on.

If you want to attend the Pre-Conference, please follow the link below to register.

PreConference Session – Wednesday, September 25 – 9:30-2:30 pm
Connecting Children with Nature: A Practical Workshop for Educators
Follow this link to register for the preconference——https://events.humanitix.com/connecting-children-workshop

Looking forward to seeing you in Greenville, SC

Deb, President, IPA USA

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9:15am EDT

Mud Kitchen's & Creativity In Children

Friday September 27, 2024 9:15am - 10:15am EDT

Library B 25 Heritage Green Pl, Greenville, SC 29601

Creativity and play go hand in hand - especially in childhood and this session will look at the creative side of messy play. We will look at how process based art thrives in a mud kitchen and ways adults can help support the creative elements of play while standing back. We will look at how all children are born creative and as they grow, their creativity level decline and ways we can stop this. We will discuss different types of creativity and how they are seen within play and look at our own creative play. Bailey the co-presenter (who is only 8 years old), will be providing first hand experience on how creativity and play have existed in her life and how she is able to influence others to creatively play as well.

Presenters

Lindsay Dzielski

Play Coordinator, COT Neighbors United

Lindsay is a play advocate from the Buffalo, NY area who has actively been bringing play back into childhood through Pop-Up Playgrounds and Recess Advocacy. She has a Bachelors of Science in Education, a Bachelors of Fine Arts and a Masters of Science in Creativity. Although not a... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 9:15am - 10:15am EDT
Library B 25 Heritage Green Pl, Greenville, SC 29601

Session

10:30am EDT

The Art of Capturing, Documenting, and Communicating the Magic of Child-Led Play

Friday September 27, 2024 10:30am - 11:30am EDT

Library B 25 Heritage Green Pl, Greenville, SC 29601

In the ever-evolving landscape of childhood, one timeless element remains at the heart of a child's development: play. This presentation delves into the art and science of observing, documenting, and communicating the spontaneous and rich world of child-led play. Without adhering to any single pedagogical approach, we will illuminate the crucial role that play holds in the cognitive, social, and emotional development of children. Attendees will be immersed in a visual and narrative journey that showcases how carefully captured moments of play can tell a compelling story. By providing practical strategies, we seek to bridge the gap between the fleeting moments of play and the profound insights they offer into a child’s world. Led by a Photographer and Speech Therapist, who are also Playworkers, this presentation aims to empower adults to see beyond the surface of play, to understand its deep-rooted significance, and to communicate its multifaceted benefits more effectively within a variety of settings.

Presenters

Ashli Givens

Co-Founder, Rooted in Play

"Ashli Givens is a Playworker and Speech and Language Pathologist who, along with her partner, Maggie Fuller, founded the non-profit organization Rooted in Play. After spending two decades working with children to resolve their communication difficulties, she intimately understands... Read More →

Maggie Wilman

Friday September 27, 2024 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
Library B 25 Heritage Green Pl, Greenville, SC 29601

Session

11:45am EDT

When Don't Becomes Do: When On the Job Outdoor Forest Days PD Training is Transformational to All

Friday September 27, 2024 11:45am - 12:45pm EDT

Library B 25 Heritage Green Pl, Greenville, SC 29601

"In the Fall of 2022, two leaders in outdoor learning came together to examine how nature-based learning could improve outcomes for toddler through pre-k students. Utilizing a play-based approach, they went on to facilitate an outdoor Forest Days experience in a preschool setting. They began the program by posing these questions: Will the teachers embrace Forest Days? How will the children's development benefit from Forest Days? How do you get a diverse community, speaking multiple languages, to discover the benefits of outdoor learning? The answer: by following joy. Join us as we share our year of play, observation and reflection.
"

Presenters

Monica Wiedel-Lubinski, M.Ed.

Founding Executive Director, Association for Nature-Based Education (ANBE)

Monica has pursued her love of nature-based education for over two decades. She is the founding director of the Association for Nature-Based Education, a nonprofit that offers professional development and community-based programs to cultivate equitable access to nature-based education... Read More →

Jim McCullough

Founder, Adventure Walkers, LLC

"”We didn't learn, we played."" Jim worked ten years at his family's preschool, being educated by his director and co-teachers. He was also influenced by Bev Boss' play philosophy, the Reggio Emilia approach, and children's play. In 2009, Jim heard Robin Moore speak about ""playwork... Read More →

Hallye Smith

Executive Director, Falls Church McLean Children's Center

Hallye has over twenty years of experience in the early childhood education field and was introduced to the outdoor classroom approach while working at an early childhood program in California. While serving as the Director of Curriculum and Teacher Supervision at The Country Day... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 11:45am - 12:45pm EDT
Library B 25 Heritage Green Pl, Greenville, SC 29601

Session

2:00pm EDT

Nature's Dozen

Friday September 27, 2024 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT

Library B 25 Heritage Green Pl, Greenville, SC 29601

Mother Nature is a better teacher then we could ever be so it just makes sense to use her to help engage and enrich our educational system. Nature's Dozen offers practical ways to incorporate the outdoors into any setting.

Presenters

Peter Dargatz

Nature Kindergarten Teacher, Hamilton School District

While his claim to fame might be as a retired racing sausage for the Milwaukee Brewers, Peter Dargatz is prouder for being a father of three nature-loving children, a national board certified teacher, and the coordinator of a well-respected, public school nature kindergarten program... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Library B 25 Heritage Green Pl, Greenville, SC 29601

Session

3:15pm EDT

Free Play Pedagogy: Benefits, Barriers...and Hope

Friday September 27, 2024 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT

Library B 25 Heritage Green Pl, Greenville, SC 29601

This session will engage participants in discussion of four major benefits of a free play pedagogy in early childhood. We will then investigate five barriers early care and education practitioners must overcome to provide young children with environments of free, child directed play to find hope for increasing children's access to this crucial human right.

Presenters

Heather Bernt Santy

Professor/Podcast Host

For over 30 years, Heather Bernt-Santy has been living her commitment to children, their families and their teachers. You may know Heather from her work as the host of the popular early care and education podcast “That Early Childhood Nerd,” but she also loves her work as a speaker... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT
Library B 25 Heritage Green Pl, Greenville, SC 29601

Session

IPA USA 2024 RIGHT2PLAY, RIGHT NOW

From $20.00