Calendar of events
Upcoming Samara events, workshops, & speaking engagements
Interested in scheduling Dr. Rachel A. Larimore for an event? Learn more here.
The Camp Renegade Play Virtual Summit
Dr. Rachel Larimore will be one of 19 speakers at the 4th Annual Camp Renegade Play Virtual Summit hosted by Kristen Day! 🎉
This year’s summit is all about empowering you with the tools, confidence, and inspiration to embrace the messy, unconventional, and totally magical parts of play-based learning. The speakers are ready to help you tackle these tricky questions and more, so you can fully support the children in your care.
You can get all the details on the official summit page, but here’s a quick overview to get you pumped:
📅 When: Thursday, January 30– Sunday, February 2, 2025
🎙️ What: Four incredible days packed with 19 AMAZING speakers who are diving deep into the big, messy, magical aspects of play-based learning.
💛How to Attend: You can attend the summit for FREE or go all-in with the VIP Camper All Access Pass, which includes:
365 days of access to all summit videos (watch anytime, anywhere).
A 20-hour professional development certificate to add to your collection.
Bonus content that will blow your renegade socks off!
Head over to the official summit page to grab your free ticket and secure your spot.
Preschool Naturally: An outdoor & nature-based learning campference
We are excited to co-host this event for preschool educators! This conference, in a camp-like setting, will be a chance to dig deep into practice through theory and hands-on workshops. Workshops will be led Dr. Rachel Larimore (Samara’s founder), Ferncliff Nature Preschool staff, and A-State Childhood Services staff.
Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA) 2024 Annual Conference
This year’s WECA conference will feature multiple sessions focused on early childhood nature-based education, including two by our very own Dr. Rachel Larimore!
2024 Great Beginnings Infant/Toddler Conference
Join Samara’s Dr. Rachel Larimore at the annual West Virginia Great Beginnings Infant/Toddler Conference September 26-28, 2024 at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Morgantown. Rachel will be presenting a concurrent session during the event.
2024 IPA Conference
Join us for the 2024 IPA conference in Greenville, SC! Continuing their quest to celebrate and promote child’s play, the 2024 conference will consist of 4 full days of learning, exploring, connection, and inspiration.
Trillium Montessori: Montessori & Ecological Consciousness Summit
Join us for a groundbreaking virtual summit on June 17-19, 2024 that brings together experts, scientists, activists, and educators to explore how Montessori principles and pedagogy can nurture ecological consciousness in children and cultivate a generation of sustainability leaders.
Free to Play Summit
Join us for a complete training on how to talk to parents, colleagues and administrators about play, behavior, and more. You’ll learn to speak powerfully to the brain science and benefits of play and how play nurtures children’s self-regulation, socialization, and focus. And it’s FREE!
Nature-Based Emergent Curriculum: The Power of Place for Planning (Webinar)
This edWebinar will first explore the fundamental principles of the nature-based approach. Then, Dr. Rachel Larimore will explore how we can live these principles in day-to-day teaching practices—especially if the goal is an emergent curriculum rooted in play and children’s interests. By focusing on the seasonal events that occur in our local place in the world, we can intentionally integrate nature into teaching practice—no matter our current situation.