Can I make an infant sleep area without an expensive build in?
How do I turn a big empty room into an inviting and manageable childcare space?
How can I separate play spaces from the feeding area?
I got runners! I need to better control transitions.

In this practical session Iain and Bogdan will tackle some of the most common requests the LKG team has heard over the years in doing hundreds of floor plans. Whether for a learning area or a whole new centre, from multi-functional and multi-age learning areas in tight spaces, to finding ways to create cozy nooks, we’ll share tips, solutions, and floor plans that you can use whatever the size of your next project.

Duration: 46 mins

The nationwide expansion of childcare makes it an exciting but also daunting time for a lot of early childhood educators. Is a new room or centre in your future? Or are you thinking your existing space could do with a refresh?

Join us as Dr Diane Kashin, RECE shares her rich experience as a centre supervisor, professor of ECE and consultant on how to get started planning a space, including locating learning areas, flow and the seven initial steps to planning a room.
 Plus how play responsive pedagogy, your community and contemporary design trends can help shape a learning environment that is truly a third teacher.

Duration: 60 mins

In this second room planning web workshop, respected ECE educator and author Dr. Diane Kashin (RECE) will show how to maximize the potential of your space through careful planning.

If you’re planning a new early years learning or caring environment, join us as Diane delves into storage, building in durability and how to celebrate students.

 She will share strategies, tips and examples that sort through specific purpose-built Early Years furniture – Roomscapes by Community Playthings -- and layout choices that reinforce pedagogically sound practices.

Duration: 25 mins

How do you future proof a child care space? Children put a lot of wear and tear on furniture, toys and all manner of play resources, demographics could change from year to year, not to mention tastes and trends.

Whether you’re upgrading a learning area or leaping into a big build, join us for ideas to help you plan for resilient learning environment.

This session will share:

• The importance of the materials used in manufacturing
• Choosing furniture for flexiblity
• Open ended play resources

Second in a series of 20 minutes sessions where you’ll see tips & strategies and real world Canadian examples of floor plans with Community Playthings furniture. Plus get access to exclusive resources – guides, sample layouts, -- to help you plan a childcare room or learning area that lasts for generations!

Duration: 20 mins

When you step into your new child care room, you want to hear “Ahh!” not D’Oh! 

If the learning environment is the third teacher, planning should be meticulous, involving the entire community and a lot of fun, too. 

Whether you’re upgrading a learning area or leaping into a big build, join us for ideas on planning your new space, this session will share:

• Tips for working with an architect/designer
• Walls are a resource
• Locating learning areas/zones
• Maximizing floor space for local licensing standards
• Some common opening day disasters and how to avoid them.

First in a series of 20 minutes sessions where you’ll see tips & strategies and real world Canadian examples, plus get exclusive resources – guides, floor planner, sample layouts -- to help you plan your childcare room or learning area!

Duration: 45 mins

Join us as we explore classroom layout applying the Curiosity Approach to learning.

This web workshop will consider the child’s rights in classroom design, inspired by noted EC educator and author Sandra Duncan. We’ll look at how we can implement these rights into classroom layouts that respect the need for play and exploration, active learning and creating opportunities for thinking critically.

Join Julie as she shares how you, too, can create a classroom that is child-centred, accessible and that ignites a child’s natural curiosity to explore.

Duration: 45 mins

Whether you’re an early childhood educator, centre director, or dedicated caregiver, you strive to create infant environments where children feel safe, nurtured, and ready to explore.

In this 30-minute webinar, we’ll explore Canadian infant rooms to uncover the principles behind creating spaces that are not only safe and functional, but also calm, beautiful, and responsive to the unique needs of infants.

 As part of our webinar series focused on different age groups, this “Spaces That Inspire” session highlights thoughtful planning strategies and practical insights from educators, supported by inspiring examples of developmentally appropriate infant environments.

What you’ll learn:

• Examples from real Canadian infant rooms.
• Key elements of inspiring infant spaces, including layout and flow.
• Design principles for creating purposeful zones: quiet, active, dramatic, messy, and transitional.
• Strategies to control clutter to reduce overstimulation and restore calm.
• Using multi-purpose furniture to maximize space and respond to infants’ developmental stages.

Guided by best practice and Canadian curricular standards, join us for inspiration on planning your next infant room or refreshing your existing infant spaces.

All attendees can get a certificate of completion and enter a draw for a give away of quality play resources.

Duration: 40 mins

In this 30-minute webinar, we’ll explore simple, inclusive design strategies that help children in early years settings identify their own needs and comfortably engage with calming spaces.

What you’ll learn:

• How thoughtful room design empowers children to make choices that support comfort, focus, and confidence.
• Designing Quiet Zones that are accessible, calming, and engaging for children of all abilities.
• LKG’s NEW Quiet Zone furniture.
• Selecting the right resources and materials to enhance Quiet Zones.
• Using inclusive visual cues and signage with Widgit Online and communication devices to support understanding, independence, and self-regulation.

All attendees can get a certificate of completion and enter a draw for a Fidget Set giveaway.

Duration: 30 mins

Whether you’re an early childhood educator, a center director, or a passionate caregiver, you aspire to create learning environments where children will find comfort, joy and thrive.

In this 30-minute webinar, we’ll look at four specific Canadian toddler rooms to explore the principles behind creating environments that are not only safe and functional, but also beautiful. First in a series of webinars with each focusing on a different age group, we’ll share planning strategies and practical tips from educators backed by inspiring examples of engaging, and developmentally appropriate spaces.

 What you’ll learn:

• Examples from real Canadian toddler rooms.
• Key elements of inspiring toddler spaces, including layout and flow.
• Design principles for creating purposeful zones: quiet, active, dramatic, messy, and transitional.
• Strategies to control clutter to reduce overstimulation and restore calm.
• Using multi-purpose furniture to maximize space and respond to toddlers’ developmental stages.

Guided by best practice and Canadian curricular standards, join us for inspiration on planning your next toddler room or refreshing your existing toddler spaces. All attendees can get a certificate of completion and enter a draw for a give away of quality play resources.

Duration: 30 mins

Tables and chairs do more than fill a room — they shape how kids learn! Join us for a practical session on how thoughtful furniture choices and placement can improve focus, behaviour, and learning outcomes. We’ll also showcase LKG’s NEW modular tables and seating!

Duration: 45 mins

Totes, display, adjustable, lockable... Oh my!

When the environment is the 3rd teacher, even a shelf can influence learning. Effective and versatile storage solutions in early years classrooms are crucial for maintaining an organized space, enhancing efficiency, safety and accessibility.

Join us for this 30-minute webinar as we explore:

• New 2025 storage systems that promote independence and foster ownership and responsibility, regardless of abilities or developmental stages.
• Tips and strategies for sorting through and choosing different storage options making the most of limited space.
• How flexible and modular storage units can be adjusted as classroom needs change, supporting different activities and group sizes.

Plus a draw prize and a certificate of completion for all attendees.
If you or your team can't attend the scheduled time, just register and you’ll receive a notification when the recording is available for anytime viewing.

Duration: 30 mins
Presenters: Bonnie Ip & Bogdan Pospielovsky

The big muscles of little ones need to be worked at all stages of development. You can encourage climbing, lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, balancing, in indoor learning environments, not just outdoors.

In this session, we’ll look at some easy upgrades for your indoor space, that will get your children using their glutes, abdominals, arms and legs. Plus, a splash of risky play and lots of invitations for cooperation that work that most demanding and important body part of all – the brain!

• Adding levels: from an indoor play gym to risers for infants
• Blocks for BIG life size builds
• Challenges for balancing and coordination that engages pre-coding skill development
• And because some children after a busy day want quiet time, resources for focused private creativity: quality art materials, light and colour play too.

Join us for suggestions, tips and inspirations for teams supporting children from infant to kindergarten. Plus, free downloadables, a certificate of completion and entry into our draw for play resources.

Duration: 30 mins

Many childcare centres across the country are now pulling double duty: caring for infants and toddlers during the school day and then school-age students before and after school. 

This webinar will outline some easy upgrades to your space to add age versatility with resources that are engaging yet screen-free and furnishings that are portable, flexible.

• Storage that is moveable, durable and lockable.
• Tables and seating that are easy to store, plus tips on how to pick the right height.
• Unique life size play resources you can take indoors and out including the new Modu, that get big muscles working.
• And because some children after a busy day want quiet time, resources for focused private creativity: quality art materials, light and colour play too.

Plus draw prize and a certificate of completion for all attendees.

Duration: 40 mins

Explore the art of creating provocations that spark wonderment and inquiry in the mind of our youngest learners. 
Together, we will discover how to build provocations that incorporate purchased and found materials that will ignite curiosity for children of all ages.

 Join us to discover:

• Many inspiring examples for engaging children from toddlers to kindergarten ages.
• Combining different colour, shapes, sizes and textures
• Developmental and learning benefits of speaking to all the senses in the many languages of learning.

Plus a draw prize and certificate of completion.

Duration: 45 mins

Before and after school programs face unique challenges, different ages, roll-in-roll-out storage, often in a shared space. After a long school day some children will have energy to burn, others will just want to chill.

Join us to see flexible play resources focusing on ages 9-12 and versatile furnishings designed for lasting portability indoors and out. Including:

• Sensory spaces for self-regulation
• Rolling locking cabinets and other storage solutions for indoors or out
• New construction sets for life size imaginative builds
• Robots that develop coding skills, without screens

In 25 minutes, we’ll share examples of open-ended resources that prompt collaborative play, helping to develop new physical, cognitive, and social skills that nonetheless differentiate from the school day. Plus draw prizes and certificates of attendance.

Duration: 25 mins

Beautiful and interesting spaces for children not only enriches play opportunities but encourages self exploration. In this presentation Mark Rocamora, ECE will show how the design of the learning environments can makes connections to Developmentally Appropriate Practice in your learning environments.

Drawing on his frontline experience at Centennial College's Early Learning Centre at Progress Campus, Mark will share examples of how to provoke, invite and encourage creative expression using a variety of materials in different learning areas.

Duration: 45 mins

Before and after school programs face unique challenges of engaging children of different ages, often in a shared space. After a busy school day some children will want to wind down with physical big muscle play others with thoughtful focused activities.

Join us to see play resources for a wide range of ages (up to aprx. 12+) and mobile, portable furnishings, for indoors and out. Including:

• Life size construction tools that explore the physics of simple machines.
• Rolling locking cabinets and other storage solutions for indoors or out
• Blocks, vehicles and games for cooperative big muscles play outdoors.
• Stackable tables with quick, toolless height adjustmen
• New magnetic construction sets.
• Quality arts and crafts materials for projects that can be easily stored unfinished
• Screen-free robots you can take outdoors

In 25 minutes, we’ll share examples of how age neutral resources can prompt collaborative play, helping to develop new physical, cognitive, and social skills while still being different from the school day.

Duration: 25 mins

Furniture and resources that target gross muscle work – gyms, outdoor features, trikes, life size blocks – are some of the biggest investments in a childcare centre. And with concerns around health and socialization, opportunities for risky and cooperative play indoors and out are so important. Climbing, riding, lifting, transporting, dropping -- these materials are also subject to a lot of wear and tear.
In this session we’ll look at:

• The importance of the materials and construction and what to look for
• Considering accessibility and inclusion
• How to get durability without sacrificing flexibility and open endedness
• Cleaning and care including wood.

Third in a series of 25 minutes webinars where you’ll see tips & strategies and realworld Canadian examples, plus get exclusive resources – guides, sample layouts -- to help you plan indoor or outdoor learning areas that last for generations!

Duration: 25 mins

How can your early years room foster a love of reading? Cozy quiet nooks, thoughtfully displayed books -- learning environments indoors and outdoors can entice children to reading. While play resources can enhance stories and support the development of the decoding skills early learners need.

Celebrate I Love to Read month and join Iain and Bogdan for ideas for engaging literacy learning areas and designing dedicated reading environments:

• Book furniture for early years classrooms and libraries.
• Nooks for self-selected reading delight.
• Resources for letter recognition and decoding.
• Creating multilingual literacy materials.
• Neat ideas for infant areas and taking literacy outside, too.

Duration: 40 mins

If a new early year’s classroom is in your future, you have to consider Roomscapes. A unique collection of interconnecting shelves, gates, and dividers, Roomscapes is a flexible system that can turn any open space into a learning environment. Discover the power of a well-organized classroom that genuinely becomes the third teacher: managing flow, encouraging positive behaviours, and inviting self-directed learning.

 In 25 minutes, Iain and Bogdan will show how Roomscapes can transform a space -- tool free, without an expensive build-in -- that can adapt to your community’s changing needs. We’ll also look at how to get started within an existing space while profiling some real Canadian childcare centres with Roomscapes.

Duration: 25 mins
 

Easy to take for granted, but if the environment is so critical to early learning, then tables and chairs might be one of your most significant teaching tools.

We’ll look at some innovative Community Playthings designs: from furnishings for young toddlers transitioning from high-chairs to back saving work stations and chairs for the adults in the classroom.

We’ll review tips for selecting seating and surface heights and how to create flexible, responsive, collaborative spaces with these workhorses of the classroom.

Duration: 20 mins
 

Join us to explore how Widgit Online is the Canadian choice for creating bilingual, symbol-supported materials with ease. Perfect for teachers, para-educators, speech pathologists, clinicians, ECEs, and parents:

• 20,000+ Widgit Symbols and hundreds of templates to build: AAC boards, visual schedules, social scripts, flashcards, and more
• Symbol-supported stories, instructions, and topic sheets
• Canadian-specific content: cultural, historical, curricular vocabulary
• Fully bilingual: create in English or French, with a French interface option
• Dual-language support for EAL/ELL learners in 80+ languages

Create materials that support structure, communication, and learning—like visual timetables, communication books, social stories, colour semantics worksheets, and mind maps.

Bonus: All participants receive a FREE 21-day trial of Widgit Online Canadian.

Duration: 45 mins

For over a year the team from Progress Child Care Centre have been creating hundreds of engaging visuals, quickly and easily with Widgit Online: schedules, vocabulary labels, name tags and more.

 Janet Burchert (Manager) and Mark Rocamora (educator) return to update us on how their centre in Centennial College is using Widgit’s dual language tools to reflect and connect with their multi-cultural community. They’ll share single and dual language activity resources and engaging invitations that they’ve developed.

 Using clear consistent visual materials is good practice that is mandated in childcare centres in many jurisdictions across the country.

 Join us as Mark and Janet share how visuals created with Widgit Online can fit into an early year's context and reflect on the impact of this implementation on the children, their parents, and staff.

Duration: 60 mins

Using clear consistent visual materials such as schedules, recipes, vocabulary labels and name tags is good practice that is mandated in childcare centres in many jurisdictions across the country.

Janet Burchert, Manager at Progress Child Care Centre at Centennial College will share how her team has been creating engaging picture rich visual supports with Widgit Online. Presented with Susie Blackstein-Adler (OT, M.Ed.) who has over two decades of experience using symbols to support language and concept development and who guided and coached the team at Progress.

 Sharing lots of practical examples and tips they will talk about symbols, how they fit into an early year's context and reflect on what they have learned implementing Widgit Online in a childcare centre.

Duration: 60 mins

Inclusion isn’t a one-time initiative—it’s a daily practice. Join us for an inspiring and practical webinar that explores how early childhood centers can embrace universal design to create inclusive environments where all children thrive. This session will unpack the principles of universal design and demonstrate how thoughtfully chosen products and materials can foster meaningful participation, engagement, and belonging—regardless of ability, background, or individual needs.

Through real-world examples and actionable strategies, participants will discover how inclusive design benefits not only children with disabilities but enhances learning and play for every child. Whether you're just beginning your inclusion journey or looking to deepen your practice, this session will offer practical tools and inspiration to make inclusion part of every single day.

Let’s build a future where every child feels seen, supported, and empowered to participate —starting in the earliest years.

All attendees can get a certificate of completion as well as a 21-day free trial of Widgit Online and a Guide to Early Year Visuals with Widgit with pages of free teaching material and templates.

Duration: 30 mins

One of the key goals of the new federal childcare funding is creating inclusive spaces. Designs that anticipate and minimize barriers such as physical access, communication, and cognitive fatigue -- benefit everyone in your childcare centre -- children and adults.

Informed by examples from Canadian centres and classrooms, this presentation will review some furniture and play resources that can help create an inclusive childcare environment, guided by universal design for learning:

• Tables and work areas
• Outdoor Play
• App for easily creating visual supports and communication aids
• Easy sensory environments
• Dolls and figurines that can foster inclusion and empathy
• Play resources that support differing abilities

Join us for ideas, inspiration and strategies for your centre to include children who have extra support needs.

Duration: 30 mins

Geometry and spatial sense is a critical yet underserved area in mathematics teaching. And after many months of disrupted learning, many educators are searching for ways to refresh and even restore foundational math knowledge and skills.

 In this third in our series of web workshops on math in the early years, join Usha Shanmugathasan as we unpack curricular goals and understand the why and how of geometry and spatial sense instruction in a kindergarten to gr. 2 classroom.

 You will leave the session with practical ideas to implement whether you are teaching virtually, or face to face or both!

Duration: 60 mins

Join us as we explore a variety of math possibilities in the outdoor environment. After many months of disrupted learning, many educators are searching for ways to refresh and even restore foundational math knowledge and skills. In this second of our series of web workshops on math in the early years, we’ll look at practical strategies for engaging children in math in the outdoor classroom focusing on toddlers to kindergarten ages.

We will talk about what nature and the built outdoor environment affords us when practicing numeracy skills. Plus, how educators can take familiar indoor math learning activities and materials outdoors.

Duration: 60 mins

Critical in so many aspects of daily life, numbers and number sense is so important for young students. And after many months of disrupted learning, teachers are finding foundational knowledge and skills need to be restored.

Join Lesley Pike and Melissa Seco as they share ideas and intervention strategies they’ve used to replenish and reinvigorate number sense in the early years’ classroom. They’ll look at hands-on, innovative and fun Number Sense instructional strategies for your kindergarten to grade 2 programs.

Duration: 60 mins
 

In this session, experienced teachers and professional development leaders Melissa Seco and Lesley Pike look at unconventional ways of building coding skills in the early years.

Classrooms right across Canada are including coding in earlier grades for example, the new Ontario curriculum includes coding in Grade 1.

Join us to see how marble runs, patterning and games like sudoku, all promote the skills needed to code!

Duration: 60 mins
 

Classrooms right across Canada are including coding in earlier grades for example, the new Ontario curriculum includes coding in Grade 1. In this session, experienced teachers and professional development leaders Melissa Seco and Lesley Pike, will continue the conversation on: 

• How to transition from unplugged coding experiences to plugged coding experiences.
• How to incorporate coding relevant applications, websites, and devices into early years education programs.

They’ll illustrate strategies and techniques with the popular teaching robots Blue-Bot, Bee-Bot, Cubetto and Botley. 

Duration: 60 mins
 

We will also share some things that we have found helpful to have when coding in early grades, based on some of the learning opportunities we've had (aka mistakes!) and how we've learned from them.

Presenter:

Melissa Seco  Melissa has been both a teacher and Instructional Leader in Mathematics/Numeracy (K-8) and Early Years (K-2). Melissa’s main areas of interest include: early years, visual arts, mathematics, STEM, and inquiry-based learning. Currently she is a Grade 1/2 teacher and Digital Lead Learner (DLL), and she occasionally teaches AQ courses at OISE.

Lesley Pike  Lesley is a Toronto based educator who has taught Kindergarten to Grade 6 and worked c

Check out some popular early years classroom coding robots that don’t need screens. Classrooms right across Canada are including coding in earlier grades, with the new Ontario curriculum including coding starting in Kindergarten. In this session we’ll compare and contrast the features and design of Bee Bot, Blue Bot, Botley, LEGO Coding Express, Cubetto and the new Rugged Robot for outdoors, exploring how they can fit into pedagogical goals. Receive a certificate of completion and enter to win a Cubetto.

The original STEM learning resource! Join us for a full course 20 min blocks feast. One of the most essential and foundational learning areas of any early childhood classrooms, this session will fill your plate with the proportional essentials, amuse your bouche with figurines and vehicles and spice it up with bling to inspire creative expression. And we won’t forget about al fresco - blocks outdoors, too.

Duration: 20 mins
 

Experience the magic of early childhood learning through the eyes of curious little explorers. As infants and toddlers engage with the world around them, every new experience becomes an opportunity for growth, imagination, and discovery. From the simplest touch to the most vivid colour, their sense of wonder shapes the foundation of lifelong learning. Join us for a 30-minute free webinar as we explore:

• exciting introduction to LKG’s new 2025 infant and toddler collection.
• milestones in sensory development during the first three years.
• age-appropriate activities with mirrors, light, colour, and sensory play.
• designing sensory-friendly rooms with thoughtful use of lighting and colour.

Duration: 30 mins

Engaging exploration and loose parts play we’ll look at how harnessing light, dark, colour and reflection, children can develop important STEM skills while engaging their imagination and creative expression. Join Bogdan and product manager, Anna Coules as we delve into:

• Options for creating an inclusive sensory space.
• How different light appliances from LED panels to furnishings with light built in, compare.
• Low cost, easily implementable light and colour upgrades.
• Stacking sand and other natural elements with light.

Plus activity ideas for science, math, creative arts, even literacy and communication.

Duration: 30 mins

Using sand and water in early years can foster sensory awareness, encourage experimentation, enhance focus through open-ended play, and support language development.

In this 30-minute webinar we will explore how:

• New 2025 furniture and resources and proven favourites can create a learning area that fosters deeper understanding of the world through tactile exploration.
• Sand and water play supports emotional development in the early years.
• Sensory play enhances cross-curricular learning. Building math skills, sparking scientific inquiry, supporting literacy through descriptive play, and fostering creativity in imaginative construction.

Duration: 30 mins

Samantha and the team at the EarlyOn program in Baawaating (Sault Ste. Marie) believe that Indigenous children must learn about the forces that shape them. Indigenous identity must be fostered at every opportunity.

The culture of First Nations’ children - their languages and kinship systems - must be modelled, taught and celebrated so that Indigenous children grow to be proud of who they are.

This session will share a snapshot of the unique history of First Nations people from the perspective of Indigenous early childhood educators. How that perspective inspired the methodology used to create an Indigenous culturally based early years family resource centre that places the knowledge and worldview of First Nations’ peoples at the centre of learning for parents/caregivers and their children.

Duration: 60 mins

With story telling and active play educators in an early years classroom can engage young children to introduce Indigenous philosophies. But educators are often reluctant to try and don’t know where to begin.

 This session will provide ideas and inspiration by describing real world strategies from a child care centre in Winnipeg. Tara will share the experiences, books and resources she’s used to bring Indigenous teachings to children at the University of Winnipeg Child Care Centre.

Duration: 60 mins
 

In this engaging professional learning session, Usha Shanmugathasan explores how anti-oppressive education and differentiated instruction intersect to create inclusive, equitable early learning environments. Designed for educators working with young children, this webinar offers practical strategies to recognize and address systemic barriers while honouring the diverse identities and experiences of all learners.

• The foundations of anti-oppressive education in early learning
• Creating culturally responsive environments and inclusive curriculum
• Culturally fair assessment practices and family engagement strategies
• Implementing social justice concepts in everyday teaching

Duration: 1 Hour

The presentation will highlight the connection between self regulation and well being and identity, and how we can foster a sense of belonging for our students through holistic approach.

Presenter: Usha Shanmugathasan

Usha was part of Fraser Mustard Early Learning Academy, the all-kindergarten school's first faculty as a Lead Math Teacher creating innovative programs such as Math Studio and Expressive Arts.

Today she teaches JK-1, while pursuing a Masters of Education at OISE/UT in Educational Leadership and Policy

The presentation will highlight the connection between self regulation and well being and identity, and how we can foster a sense of belonging for our students through holistic approach.

Presenter: Usha Shanmugathasan

Usha was part of Fraser Mustard Early Learning Academy, the all-kindergarten school's first faculty as a Lead Math Teacher creating innovative programs such as Math Studio and Expressive Arts.

Today she teaches JK-1, while pursuing a Masters of Education at OISE/UT in Educational Leadership and Policy

New in furnishings and resources for creating multi-cultural, comforting environments that can reduce anxiety and increase engagement. Therapy dolls, light and reflection, engaging textures, multi-cultural themes, and home-like furnishings to create a calming space. Plus, a new cloud-based app for easily creating classroom visuals for clear communication even in dozens of languages.

Spaces that Inspire: Outdoor

Planning your outdoor learning area is an ongoing process that balances designing for the long-term with daily adjustments. Like an indoor classroom, the environment should be able to evolve with children’s interests and developmental needs, guided by observation and thoughtful changes over time.

In this 30-minute webinar, we’ll explore outdoor play spaces in Canadian childcare settings and share principles for creating environments that are safe, inviting, flexible, and supportive of meaningful outdoor play.

As part of our webinar series focused on different age groups, this “Spaces That Inspire” session highlights thoughtful planning strategies and practical insights from educators, supported by inspiring examples of well-designed outdoor play areas.

What you’ll learn:

• Real examples from Canadian outdoor learning environments and how educators use natural spaces.
• How thoughtful layout and pathways encourage exploration, movement, and independence.
• Creating meaningful play areas such as nature discovery, construction, dramatic play, and creative zones.
• A look at new additions in the 2026 outdoor collection, including dramatic play units and storage options.
• Inspiring outdoor activity ideas.

Guided by best practice and Canadian curricular standards, join us for inspiration on planning your next outdoor classroom or refreshing your existing space.

All attendees can get a certificate of completion and enter a draw for a give away of quality play resources.

Duration: 30 mins

Presenter: Anna Coules & Bogdan Pospielovsky

Cultivating Creativity: Furniture Solutions for Immersive Outdoor Learning

Nature engages and stimulates a child’s imagination, making outdoor learning a powerful way to foster creativity.
By reimagining outdoor classroom spaces, we can create dynamic areas that encourage exploration, imagination, and hands-on learning.

Join us for a 30-minute webinar as we explore:

• The latest 2025 trends and products in outdoor furniture and educational tools.
• Strategies for designing inspiring outdoor spaces that stimulate creativity, foster cooperative learning, and support cognitive and emotional development.
• Opportunities to engage with nature in an urban landscape.

Duration: 30 mins
Presenters: Anna Coules & Bogdan Pospielovsky

Duration: 45 mins

Outdoor areas can mean so much more for early childhood educators than a place for children to burn off excess energy. But where to begin in transforming an outdoor play area into an outdoor classroom?

Join Iain and Bogdan as we look at planning your outdoor learning area.

• Organizing your space into learning areas
• Rot Rules –embracing natural processes in your space
• Balancing nature in your furnishings while protecting your investment
• Incorporating water
• Making room for trikes and scooters

Plus sample plans, care guides and other materials to help you reimagine your outdoor area.

Whether your centre is adjacent to a woodlot, or surrounded by tarmac, we’ll share the LKG furnishings play resources and strategies that can help make discovery learning outdoors possible.   

Outdoor learning doesn’t stop when the snow falls. Many Canadian jurisdictions mandate outdoor learning for kindergarten, and pre-school year-round. And fantastic natural learning opportunities abound -- freeze, melt, snow, ice etc.

In 25 minutes, we’ll share some practical tips and strategies for caring for and maximizing the life of your outdoor classroom equipment. Including:

• Inspecting, lubricating and simple fixes for trikes, scooters, turtle buses and strollers.
• How to care for different outdoor wood furnishing: acetylated, cedar, eucalyptus and Thermory wood
• Safe cleaning and refinishing tips

And More...!!

Duration: 25 mins

Our outdoor environments are all so often underutilized and looked upon as a space to let children burn off their energy and solely engage in their free play.

The outdoors affords children with opportunities to explore and learn about the world around them and can be viewed as a classroom without walls.

 In this session, we will discover and discuss the possibilities when recreating our indoor learning environment in the outdoors, regardless of the weather.

Where: Virtual
Duration: 50 mins

Across Canada, early years educators are embracing the challenge of taking their classrooms outdoors. Iain (LKG Sales Manager) and Bogdan (Director of Marketing) will demonstrate a variety of furnishings for teaching outdoors that harness a child’s natural need to play and explore.

Topics discussed: 

• Explore the world of Outlast by Community Playthings. See what sets these products apart and how they are built to last a lifetime, in all weather conditions.

• Compare various wood options for outdoors, including Outlast’s acytelated wood, Canadian red cedar and other options.
• See examples and ideas for implementing these products in a variety of environments to help take indoor curricular strands - creative arts, math, language arts, science etc. - outside
• Learn sanitization and care tips

Informed by pedagogy and real world examples, this presentation will give teachers, ECE’s, centre managers, principals and administrators practical information for sorting through a variety of outdoor learning products.

Wood outdoor learning equipment and furniture that inspires independent, open-ended play. From a tables and benches, to blocks and mud kitchens, the Outlast line of weatherproof wood furniture is warrantied not to warp shrink or rot even in Canadian conditions for life. Smooth surfaces for writing and drawing, water tables and mud kitchens for investigation and experimentation, a block and plank system that fosters engineering, gross motor development and risky play. We’ll show you how Outlast – endlessly, flexible, and portable – can adapt to your changing needs without the cost of a built-in play-structure. Plus, what happens when you stick an Outlast table in a frozen pond for 6 months. 

What’s Kool in 2026: Trends, Furniture & Resources for Early Years

Join us for a 30-minute webinar for an inspiring look at what’s new in the early years learning environments. What you’ll learn:

Whether you’re refreshing a single learning area or reimagining your entire environment, this session will provide practical strategies, inspiring visuals, and trend-forward solutions to help you design engaging spaces for young learners.

What you’ll learn:

• A first look at the Connections Furniture Collection with innovative, inclusive design that creates accessible spaces for all learners.
• New dramatic play furniture to inspire infants, toddlers, and preschoolers during imaginative play.
• How to use light and colour to spark STEAM learning
• Unique infant and toddler furniture and resources that nurture sensory exploration and movement.
• Innovative approaches to small world and block play.

All attendees can get a certificate of completion and enter a draw for a give away of quality play resources.

Where: Virtual

Duration: 30 mins

Presenter: Bonnie Ip

Storytelling in the Early Years: Inspiring Learning, Connection, and Growth

Join an engaging webinar for educators exploring the power of storytelling in early learning environments. Using The Peaceful Orange Blossoms by Bahaa Zouki, this session demonstrates how meaningful stories can support learning across multiple developmental areas while fostering inclusion and engagement.

What you’ll learn:

• Benefits of storytelling for literacy, numeracy, emotional literacy, and critical thinking.
• How stories can support inclusive and responsive learning environments.
• Discover practical, story-based activities that actively engage children.
• Connect storytelling to children’s real-life experiences.
• Encourage curiosity, collaboration, and exploration through shared narratives.

All attendees can get a certificate of completion and enter a draw for a giveaway of The Peaceful Orange Blossoms.

Duration: 45 mins

Presenter: Bahaa Zouki

Vibrant dramatic play areas can be inviting storytelling hubs that ignite curiosity and promote meaningful learning experiences. In this webinar, we’ll explore creative ideas for encouraging young children to bring their stories to life. 

In this 30 min webinar you’ll see:

• How to create a dedicated space for puppets and dress-up, where children can freely engage in imaginative play.
• See dolls and dollhouses that foster empathy, promote an understanding of diversity, and enhance problem-solving skills in young learners.
• Explore how to create themed environments or “mini-worlds” to promote literacy and storytelling.
• NEW for 2025 -- the latest enticing and inspiring upgrades for your dramatic play area.
• Practical strategies for organizing and designing spaces for collaborative play and self-expression.

Duration: 30 mins
Presenters: Anna Coules & Bogdan Pospielovsky

Dramatic play centered around food, from the store to the kitchen, sparks a child's imagination and provides valuable opportunities to develop communication, math, literacy, and STEM skills.

In this 30-minute webinar, we will explore how open-ended furniture, and blocks can inspire children to build their own food-themed dramatic play environments, such as a grocery store, kitchen, lemonade stand, or restaurant.  

Thinking of refreshing your play kitchen?
Join us for an exciting look at the latest modern wooden designs, featuring everything from sleek, compact styles to timeless traditional kitchens. We’ll also explore how a variety of kitchen dramatic play furniture and diverse play food can reflect different home styles.

Duration: 30 mins
Presenters: Anna Coules & Bogdan Pospielovsky

In this session, Looking to update you learning areas after a long school year? Need something fresh for summer programs?Join LKG Product Manager Anna Coules for a look at some new resources and furnishings for both indoor and outdoor spaces. Including:

• New locally made outdoor furnishings made from Canadian cedar.
• Stunning new additions to the popular Sense of Place dramatic play furniture designed for our youngest learners.
• Engaging introductory loose parts sets made from natural wood and wool.
• Delightful cork blocks and toys for indoors and out.
• Unique magnetic building sets.

Plus tips, draw prizes and a certificate of completion for all who join us. 

Duration: 20 mins.

Join Dr Diane Kashin, RECE for a webinar on loose parts provision in early learning environments. Loose parts are open-ended materials that spark children’s imagination, agency and learning in wonderous ways. These tactile and versatile materials deserve more than just a loose parts shelf, as they can support all learning areas and can be featured throughout the environment. This webinar will focus on the value, curation, and placement of loose parts. It will encourage thinking about how to offer loose parts invitations in ways that support children’s exploration, discovery, play and inquiry.

Duration: 1 Hour

Are the cubbies and backpacks of your children overflowing with arts-and-crafts projects? Does it all look the same and fridge worthy?  

In a process approach to creative arts, rather than step-by-step instructions where the end product is the goal, the focus is on exploring new techniques with quality materials as close to “adult” as possible, to develop skills and engage creativity.

Amanda Benton, Early Years Support Specialist and RECE educator, will show how key 21st century skills -- innovation, problem solving, self-direction – are engaged by a process approach.

She’ll share strategies for an arts learning area with a process focus including

• Invitations that ignite imagination and creativity
• Organizing for self-regulation
• Locating learning areas/zones
• Displaying Work

Join us for a practical introduction and learn how you can get started with a process focussed creative arts approach.

Duration: 1 Hour

Why wood? Made by nature, wood has so many benefits when used for toys. In this free webinar, Dr. Diane Kashin, RECE of Technology Rich Inquiry Based Research will focus on the developmental and learning benefits of wooden toys and will feature some of our favourites!

Wood speaks to the senses. At a time when families are looking to purchase gifts for children that have meaning and are meaningful, wooden toys provide an alternative to the commercialism of plastics. This session will share Diane’s love of wooden toys! We will learn why wooden toys never go out of style and can be passed down from generation to generation.

Where: Virtual
Duration: 45 mins

DURÉE: 1 Heure

Le Coronavirus a complètement transformé les milieux de la petite enfance.

Cet atelier vise à poursuivre notre réflexion sur les adaptations à prévoir, nos attitudes, nos attentes, les possibilités de réaménagement tout en explorant les opportunités présentes dans l’apprentissage en plein air afin de continuer d’offrir un programme de qualité et sécuritaire pour lequel nous sommes reconnus.

En profitant du développement professionnel offert en ligne nous pouvons augmenter nos connaissances, notre efficacité et notre créativité afin de surmonter cette crise.

Présentatrice: Hélène Pouliot-Cleare

Passionnée par l’éducation, Hélène Pouliot-Cleare œuvre dans le milieu de l’éducation depuis plus de 40 ans dans le Centre-Sud-Ouest de l’Ontario, en plus d’animer des ateliers et formations au plan provincial, national et international, en français comme en anglais. Ses conférences abordent une grande variété de sujets liés à la petite enfance, à l’apprentissage de la langue dans un milieu minoritaire, au leadership et à la motivation personnelle.