At The Lion and The Mouse, we’re passionate not only about our work with children and families, but also about sharing our approach with others. We offer workshops designed specifically for educators, teachers, parents, and anyone else interested in deepening their understanding of the principles our work is based on.
By participating in our training sessions, you will develop a greater understanding of the principles our programs are built on and will learn how to apply them to your own context, whether at home or at work.
You can choose from the following workshops:
1. Supporting Risky Play : Best Practices and Policies (April 27 2019):
| Objective: To inform participants about health and safety concerns, to distinguish between “risks” and “hazards,” and to introduce the practice of risk assessments, both generally-speaking and in the context of dynamic, ever-changing spaces.
Topics covered: Health/safety risks in the city, in nature, and with tools; Distinguishing between hazards and risks; Best practices for supporting risky play |
2. Making Space for Free Play : “Tools” Edition (May 18 2019):
| Objective: to familiarize participants with the theories underlying loose parts play, discuss the benefits, and to experience these first-hand via an actual pop-up play session. Participants will also learn best practices for incorporating tools (knives, saws, hammers, and ropes) into play.
Topics covered: Historical precedents (junk/adventure playground movement); Playwork principles; introduction to risk, loose parts, and nature play; Loose parts play theory; Forest School practices for supporting unstructured play; risk assessments and tools in play. |
During each workshop, our facilitator will share brief informed presentations on that month’s topic, facilitate group discussions, and animate experiential learning activities.
We feel it is important to share our learning and experiences with as many people as possible, regardless of language. Being in Montreal, both French and English are prominent languages in our community. That said, while our facilitators are bilingual and the training session will be offered mostly in French, much of the literature on the topics we’ll be discussing is only available in English. For this reason, having a working knowledge of English is recommended to give you full access to the material we’ll be discussing. If you feel your ability to communicate in one language would limit you, please speak with us so we can offer support for translation and accommodate your language needs.
The sessions will be facilitated by our Outreach coordinator and training facilitator Gabrielle Doiron.
Languages : English and French
Cost : $125 per workshop
Site : Champ des Possibles (Temps Libre)
Hours : 1:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Outdoor free play in the city 