Calendar of events

Upcoming Samara events, workshops, & speaking engagements

Interested in scheduling Dr. Rachel A. Larimore for an event? Learn more here.

Filtering by: “Growing a School”
The Camp Renegade Play Virtual Summit
Jan
30
to Feb 2

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.

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Preschool Naturally: An outdoor & nature-based learning campference
Jun
4
to Jun 6

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.

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2024 IPA Conference
Sep
25
to Sep 28

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.

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Free to Play Summit
May
18
to May 20

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!

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Nature-Based Emergent Curriculum: The Power of Place for Planning (Webinar)
May
16

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.

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