Nurtured by Nature

A conference to strengthen your connection to Nature and grow your understanding of Nature Based teaching

Why This Conference

It is our belief that nature is our biggest teacher. This conference will explore some of those teachings and how we can utilize them in our classrooms, with our children, in our work spaces and with ourselves. We can learn patience, expand empathy, and calm our nervous systems through time in nature, but we can also engage our senses and embrace the wonder of the world. It is this wonder that informs our teachings in the classroom. Join us for this adventure.

Who This Conference is For

Educators in schools and homeschools who understand the importance of being outside and are looking for inspiration for ways to engage kids in the outdoors while integrating nature with schoolwork.

Parents and Caregivers who want their children to spend more time outside connecting with nature and are searching for ideas, understanding and resources.

Therapists looking for resources and ideas on how to incorporate nature into their clinical practice as a way to expand empathy and develop self-regulation skills.

Nature Enthusiasts who want to explore new ways of engaging in the outdoors and encourage others to do the same.

What it looks like

Nurtured by Nature is a one day conference held in Cedartown, Georgia.

This year’s theme is:

“Keeping Learning Connected”

April 11, 2026 ~ 9:30 - 4:00

Register for Conference

We will gather in the morning for a welcome and introduction to the conference. There will be a keynote speaker and workshops both in the morning and then after lunch. Lunch is provided mid-day and we will gather again at the end of the day to share, reflect, and close out. Books and resources from presenters and conference organizers will be on hand for reference and for purchase.

Please check back for a detailed schedule of events.

Schedule:

Here is a list of workshop topics for this years conference:

Plant ID & Wildcrafting; Learning to engage your kids with what is right outside your door.
Stream Study; How to connect your local waterways to learning.
Biodiversity & Land Use; Why this is important and how you can engage with it.
Yoga & Mindfulness; How to incorporate into our daily routines with kids.
Using Nature to Teach; Continued techniques, tools & practices for using nature to help you teach.
Implications and Importance of more time in nature for ourselves and our children.

Workshop and Presentation Topics:

Conference Cost: $100

Lunch, Tea and Coffee is provided with dietary requests taken upon registration.

Lodging and Sauna

On Site Camping: Bring your own tent to camp in the garden space. There will be access to a toilet, handwashing station, propane stove, fire pit, and screened porch. Please note that there is no shower available.
Wood Burning Sauna: A wood burning Sauna will be available for use. Participants can pay and sign up for a one hour session 5-6pm or 6-7pm. Those who are tent camping will have access after those times.

Cost:

Camping: $20

Sauna: $10

Pricing

Rebecca Drage

Bio:
Rebecca Drage has worked with children and families for over 20 years in schools, camps, and community-based programs. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Child and Family Development and a master’s in Special Education. Rebecca is a nature enthusiast who has spent her life outdoors. She describes nature as a source of connection, meaning, and healing and is passionate about helping others to deepen their relationship with nature. For the past 10 years, she has completed various nature-based trainings and is certified as a forest educator through the Eastern Region Association of Forest and Nature Schools. In 2020, Rebecca developed and implemented a forest kindergarten program for a private school in Roswell and established a multiage nature-based program of her own in 2022. She now resides in Cedartown, Ga where she is working to bring nature-based education to her community through her work with Kindred Nature Foundation. We are excited to have Rebecca as a presenter and host for this conference!
Warren Lee

Bio:
Warren Lee is a farmer, educator, storyteller and designer. Warren has 14 years of experience working with kids as a camp counselor and in the classroom. He has a masters in Sustainable Design with additional certificates in various farming practices and design disciplines. The importance of connecting to the natural world around us is a theme that runs through all of Warren’s teaching, farming and design philosophy. Currently a farmer near Rome, Ga he is always thinking about how best to connect kids and communities to nature. Warren believes stories play an important part in this connection, helping us connect to nature, ourselves, and our community while providing important lessons and insights for living. We are excited to welcome Warren as a presenter and host of the conference!
Andrea Laubstein

Bio:
Andrea Laubstein is a holistic educator, yoga teacher, and teacher trainer. She developed a children’s yoga teacher training course in collaboration with ‘Yogapoint India’, which she facilitates internationally and online. She has studied and taught yoga in India and the US for the last 10 years and spent two years teaching kindergarten at Roong Aroon School in Bangkok, Thailand. Andrea and her husband, Camden Vancil, now run “Roots of Life, Where Living is Learning,” a holistic and nature-based program for homeschool children ages 4-12 in Carrollton, GA. Andrea also teaches yoga and dance for children and adults at the Carrollton Center for the Arts and we are excited to welcome her to the conference!