The Global, Environmental & Outdoor
Education Council
An Interdisciplinary Specialist Council of the Alberta Teachers Association.
GEOEC is your resource for teaching in the area of global, environmental, and outdoor education.
Become a member, take part in our conference and workshops, receive teaching ideas, and bring global, environmental and outdoor education into your classroom.
Our mission is to provide resources and venues for dialogue and networking, as well as to promote quality professional development for Alberta teachers. Members receive current news items, food for thought through our journal Connections, teaching ideas, and information about our workshop series.
We are also active on Facebook and Twitter, with up-to-date information
on PD opportunities and initiatives in Alberta.
Education Council
An Interdisciplinary Specialist Council of the Alberta Teachers Association.
GEOEC is your resource for teaching in the area of global, environmental, and outdoor education.
Become a member, take part in our conference and workshops, receive teaching ideas, and bring global, environmental and outdoor education into your classroom.
Our mission is to provide resources and venues for dialogue and networking, as well as to promote quality professional development for Alberta teachers. Members receive current news items, food for thought through our journal Connections, teaching ideas, and information about our workshop series.
We are also active on Facebook and Twitter, with up-to-date information
on PD opportunities and initiatives in Alberta.
Get your class exploring today!
K-3 Tool KitA free teacher's guide and backpack full of supplies for outdoor lessons in science, PE, art, math and language arts, K-3.
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Five Minute Field TripsQuick, engaging outdoor activities in two volumes, ready to fit into any lesson, any schoolyard, any time.
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Explore All ResourcesBrowse the full Lesson Ideas library for even more resources curated by GEOEC.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS!
Welcome Back, GEOEC Community!
Fall 2026
We hope everyone had a wonderful summer and found some time to slow down, get outside, explore somewhere new, or simply enjoy a little space away from the pace of the school year. It is hard to believe we are already here again, getting classrooms ready, welcoming students back through our doors, reconnecting with colleagues, and beginning to imagine what another school year might bring.
There is always something special about the beginning of a new school year. Even for those of us who have experienced many Septembers, there is still a feeling of possibility that comes with starting again. We get another opportunity to build relationships with students, try new ideas, learn from what worked before, and create experiences that might stay with our students well beyond their time in our classrooms.
As we head into another year, we hope you continue to find opportunities to get outside with your students and remember that outdoor and environmental learning does not have to be complicated. It does not always mean a major trip, expensive equipment, or weeks of planning. It can be a walk through the neighbourhood, a lesson moved into the schoolyard, time spent observing the changing seasons, or simply following a question that takes the learning somewhere you had not expected.
That is a big part of what we love about the GEOEC community. Across Alberta, educators are approaching this work in so many different ways. Some are leading established outdoor programs and expeditions, while others are beginning to explore what learning outside might look like with their students for the first time. There is room for all of those experiences within our community, and we believe there is tremendous value in sharing what we are learning with one another.
Throughout the coming year, we hope GEOEC continues to be a place where you can find useful ideas, resources, professional learning opportunities, and a community of educators who understand why this work matters. We have lots to look forward to and are excited to continue connecting educators from across the province while finding new ways to support the incredible work happening in schools and communities.
As the year begins, we hope you find some time amongst all the busyness to enjoy getting to know your students and settling back into the rhythm of school. Take the learning outside when you can, try something you have been thinking about for a while, and remember to leave a little room for your own adventures along the way.
From all of us on the GEOEC Executive, welcome back. We hope you have a wonderful start to the 2026–2027 school year.
The GEOEC Executive Team
Fall 2026
We hope everyone had a wonderful summer and found some time to slow down, get outside, explore somewhere new, or simply enjoy a little space away from the pace of the school year. It is hard to believe we are already here again, getting classrooms ready, welcoming students back through our doors, reconnecting with colleagues, and beginning to imagine what another school year might bring.
There is always something special about the beginning of a new school year. Even for those of us who have experienced many Septembers, there is still a feeling of possibility that comes with starting again. We get another opportunity to build relationships with students, try new ideas, learn from what worked before, and create experiences that might stay with our students well beyond their time in our classrooms.
As we head into another year, we hope you continue to find opportunities to get outside with your students and remember that outdoor and environmental learning does not have to be complicated. It does not always mean a major trip, expensive equipment, or weeks of planning. It can be a walk through the neighbourhood, a lesson moved into the schoolyard, time spent observing the changing seasons, or simply following a question that takes the learning somewhere you had not expected.
That is a big part of what we love about the GEOEC community. Across Alberta, educators are approaching this work in so many different ways. Some are leading established outdoor programs and expeditions, while others are beginning to explore what learning outside might look like with their students for the first time. There is room for all of those experiences within our community, and we believe there is tremendous value in sharing what we are learning with one another.
Throughout the coming year, we hope GEOEC continues to be a place where you can find useful ideas, resources, professional learning opportunities, and a community of educators who understand why this work matters. We have lots to look forward to and are excited to continue connecting educators from across the province while finding new ways to support the incredible work happening in schools and communities.
As the year begins, we hope you find some time amongst all the busyness to enjoy getting to know your students and settling back into the rhythm of school. Take the learning outside when you can, try something you have been thinking about for a while, and remember to leave a little room for your own adventures along the way.
From all of us on the GEOEC Executive, welcome back. We hope you have a wonderful start to the 2026–2027 school year.
The GEOEC Executive Team
Check out our latest issue of Connections Here!
Mark Your Calendar - MORE PD Opportunities!
Including your Local Conventions Near You!
Beginning Teachers' Conference - Edmonton: Sept 25-26, 2026, Fantasyland Hotel
Beginning Teachers' Conference - Calgary: Oct 2-3, 2026, BW Calgary Plaza
Outdoor Learning Leadership Conference: Oct 29-31, 2026, Banff Centre
Shaping the Future 2027 (Ever Active): Jan 28-29, 2027, The Westin Edmonton
Make sure you sign up as a GEOEC Member to get the latest information on upcoming Events!
Outdoor Learning Conference 2026 -Recap
May 2026
This past week, educators, mentors, storytellers, artists, and community builders from across the country gathered at the Banff Centre for the 2026 Outdoor Learning Conference.
Set against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, the conference became much more than a professional learning event. It became a space for reflection, reconnection, creativity, and community.
From the very beginning, the tone was grounded in intention and relationship. Anna Fox opened the conference with a beautiful prayer that invited participants to slow down, arrive fully, and recognize the importance of gathering together in a good way. Throughout the conference, Leano Prince reminded us of the power of storytelling, culture, identity, and listening with both heart and humility. As the conference came to a close, Tika offered participants a final gift. Silence, meditation, and reflection which created a space to pause before returning home to busy classrooms, schools, and communities.
Across hallways, outdoor spaces, workshop rooms, and fireside circles, learning came alive in countless forms. Participants carved wood, created art, shared stories, built fires, played games, and explored hands-on approaches to outdoor and experiential learning. There were pinecones, ropes, storybooks, marshmallows, and pool noodles scattered throughout the conference. Reminders that meaningful learning does not always require perfection or expensive resources, but rather curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to engage fully.
One of the most powerful parts of the conference was the sense of connection that developed throughout the week. New friendships were formed between educators from different provinces, organizations, and backgrounds who quickly realized they shared common hopes and challenges. Old friendships were strengthened over coffee, shared meals, walks between sessions, and moments of laughter overlooking the mountains. In a world that often feels increasingly disconnected, the conference served as a reminder that outdoor learning communities continue to create spaces where people feel seen, valued, and inspired.
The Banff Centre itself felt like the perfect home for these conversations. The mountains quietly reminded us to slow down, breathe deeply, and pay attention. Between sessions, participants stepped outside into fresh mountain air, reflected beside the peaks, and carried those moments back into conversations and workshops. The landscape became part of the teaching.
Another beautiful addition to this year’s conference was the live visual storytelling created throughout the event. Local artwork captured reflections, themes, questions, and moments of learning as the conference unfolded. These evolving pieces became gathering spaces of their own. Colourful reminders that outdoor learning is rooted not only in knowledge, but also in relationship, creativity, voice, and shared experience.
GEOEC is incredibly proud to continue serving as a Conference Partner alongside Take Me Outside, The Outdoor Learning Store, and EECOM. Coming together nationally to support outdoor learning, environmental education, and experiential practice is meaningful and important work. Conferences like this remind us that none of us are doing this work alone. Across schools, organizations, and communities, there are passionate people continuing to advocate for learning grounded in connection, stewardship, curiosity, wellness, and wonder.
As participants returned home, they carried more than just resources or lesson ideas with them. They carried renewed energy, strengthened relationships, meaningful conversations, and reminders of why this work matters so deeply.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s conference possible. We are grateful to continue walking alongside this growing outdoor learning community.
—The GEOEC Executive Team
PD EVENTS AND NEWS
If you want to see GEOEC at your Conference, Workshop, or PD Event,
please contact us, and we would love to help support in any way possible!
These are a few of the regular P.D. training and workshops we provide:
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Outdoor Council of Canada Field Leader (Hiking) Training & Certification Program September 12th & 13th, 2026 Successful graduates will be certified as OCC 'Outdoor Field Leaders' Don't miss out on this amazing training certification program! For more information check out the Outdoor Council of Canada website! Link below |
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Nation Wide Virtual Campfire
Monthly! Dates are being finalized as we speak for the 2026-27 Calendar Year! 7 pm to 8 pm (MST) Come join us for this amazing networking opportunity. With our partners at Take Me Outside and the Outdoor Learning Store we proudly look forward to hosting you! For more details register below! |
RESOURCE HIGHLIGHT
K-3 Outdoor Explorers Backpack!
In collaboration with the incredible Alberta Organization - Inside Education
Not only will this teacher PD provide you with tips and ideas for bringing your Division I students outside, it will also provide you with your very own K-3 Tool Kit, which includes a Teacher’s Guide and a backpack full of supplies that you can use to get your students outside right away!
This kit will give you the tools and ideas you’ll need to start exploring natural spaces with your students. This kit has the building blocks for outdoor lessons in science, physical education, art, math and language arts for Kindergarten to Grade 3. Along with a full teacher guide, you will receive all the equipment including , and more! (valued at ~$200). Not only will you get it for free, but we will also show you how to use all the equipment and facilitate meaningful curriculum-connected activities.
Themes:
This kit will give you the tools and ideas you’ll need to start exploring natural spaces with your students. This kit has the building blocks for outdoor lessons in science, physical education, art, math and language arts for Kindergarten to Grade 3. Along with a full teacher guide, you will receive all the equipment including , and more! (valued at ~$200). Not only will you get it for free, but we will also show you how to use all the equipment and facilitate meaningful curriculum-connected activities.
Themes:
- Tips & Best Practices for outdoor learning
- Environmental Awareness
- The Forest Floor
- Our Changing World
- Nature Stories
- Nature in Your Community
FIVE MINUTE FIELD TRIPS: VOLUME 2
Exciting NEWS!
Our latest edition of Five Minute Field Trips: Volume 2 is here!
Head on over to our Resource Section to check it out!
AWARD NOMINATIONS
Do you know a Teacher or Educator who is has done some outstanding work in the field of Global, Environmental and Outdoor Education?
If you know someone who deserves recognition in their field please take the time to read through our award applications and submit one today!
If you know someone who deserves recognition in their field please take the time to read through our award applications and submit one today!
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For all the latest up to date information, resources and news from across Canada.
