[309] MTSU OFFERS FREE OUTDOOR PLAY SYMPOSIUM EVENT FEB. 28

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 12, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919 or lrollins@mtsu.edu

MTSU OFFERS FREE OUTDOOR PLAY SYMPOSIUM EVENT FEB. 28
Community Members Invited to Learn How to Utilize Nature for Children’s Learning

(MURFREESBORO)—From student teachers and homeschool educators, to public school educators and parents who simply want to enhance their child’s learning in the great outdoors, an upcoming free workshop at MTSU is designed to do just that.
Play Symposium II: Physical Activity, the Outdoor Classroom and Recess is the title of the free daylong event, which will be held 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, and meet in the lobby of MTSU’s Business Aerospace Building.
Open to the community, the rain-or-shine event is sponsored by the Center for Physical Activity & Health in Youth. Registration may be made in advance or on site. Those who want lunch provided, $9.50 per person, must pre-registration, but participants are welcomed to bring a sack lunch.
This year’s workshop will offer attendees with a choice of seven afternoon field-trip options, as well as presentations by three professional educators; namely, “The Outdoor Classroom” by Dr. Kathy Burriss; “The Importance of Physical Activity and Recess for Children’s Learning” by Dr. Don Belcher; and “The Blend of Man-Made and Natural Features in Outdoor Playscapes” by Cheri Lindlsey, state coordinator for Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance.
Regarding the symposium’s focus, MTSU’s Burriss, a professor of elementary and special education, said, “The outdoor classroom is severely under-utilized for a variety of reasons, but probably the greatest one is just a misunderstanding of what it is and how to connect outdoor activities with traditional indoor learning.”
Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable attire, such as tennis shoes and jeans, for the symposium’s afternoon field trip.
This year, the day’s trip options will include an exploration of the indigenous aspects of an area nature trail, creating quality outdoor play areas for preschoolers, pond-centered curriculum and activities, science and play in the outdoor laboratory, and outdoor learning via a cedar glade, among other activity options.
For more information, including advance registration, please contact Burriss at (615) 898-2323.


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• ATTENTION, MEDIA—To request interviews with symposium educators, please contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919 or lrollins@mtsu.edu.