Sounds to Soil: Connecting Nature-Based Learning to the BDI-3

Sounds to Soil: Connecting Nature-Based Learning to the BDI-3

This webinar explores how listening, sensory observation, and hands-on experiences with soil can support young children’s whole-child development. Participants will examine how activities such as listening walks, soil investigations, movement, conversation, and collaborative outdoor exploration create authentic opportunities for children to demonstrate skills connected to the five BDI-3 developmental domains: Adaptive, Personal-Social, Communication, Motor, and Cognitive.

The webinar emphasizes that nature-based experiences are not intended to replace formal assessment. Instead, they provide meaningful contexts in which educators and caregivers can observe children’s abilities, interests, emerging skills, and support needs during everyday learning. Participants will leave with practical ideas for planning developmentally appropriate outdoor experiences and documenting observations that can inform individualized instruction and family conversations.

Continuing Education Credit:
Participants who attend majority of the live session will be eligible to receive CEUs. Additional details regarding CE credit requirements and documentation will be provided during the webinar

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe how sound, soil, and nature-based experiences can support whole-child development.
2. Connect listening and soil exploration activities to the five BDI-3 domains: Adaptive, Personal-Social, Communication, Motor, and Cognitive.
3. Identify communication opportunities that arise when children describe sounds, ask questions, learn new vocabulary, follow directions, and share observations about soil, plants, animals, and weather.
4. Recognize cognitive skills demonstrated through nature investigations, including attention, memory, comparison, classification, problem-solving, reasoning, and cause-and-effect thinking.
5. Plan motor experiences involving digging, scooping, carrying, pouring, balancing, walking, and manipulating natural materials or age-appropriate tools.
6. Support personal-social development through turn-taking, cooperation, shared decision-making, self-expression, confidence-building, and participation in group routines.
7. Promote adaptive skills through practical routines such as preparing for outdoor exploration, caring for materials, following safety expectations, cleaning up, and taking responsibility for personal belongings.
8. Use authentic observation during nature-based activities to document children’s demonstrated skills and identify possible opportunities for individualized support, without treating the activity as a substitute for BDI-3 administration or scoring.

About the Speaker:

Amy Reyes-Hauff is a prominent leader in the early childhood education (ECE) landscape, dedicated to bridging developmental gaps for children across Wyoming and the United States. With over 26 years of experience in child development, leadership, and transformational change, Amy has cultivated a diverse career spanning roles as a Montessori Director, Head Start Director, Kindergarten teacher, and Administrator in state government.

Amy is a recognized expert in outdoor learning, early literacy, and the intersection of digital technology and wellness. Amy is a passionate advocate for the integration of nature into the educational experience. She is the driving force behind the "Get Wild Wyoming" initiative, a groundbreaking program that has successfully brought outdoor learning to over 300 classrooms, impacting the lives of more than 6,000 children across the state. Her philosophy centers on the belief that children thrive when they are disconnected from digital devices and reconnected with the natural world. Amy teaches that self-regulation is naturally fostered through the organic colors, shapes, sounds, and textures of the outdoors—environments that allow young learners to focus and grow without the overstimulation of modern technology. Amy’s work addresses the critical modern challenge of Digital Tech Wellness and Addiction. She provides essential guidance on emotional intelligence and the necessity of "unplugged" play to combat the rising tide of technology dependency in early childhood.

As a sought-after speaker and motivator, Amy inspires educators and parents alike to rethink the standard classroom model. She is also the author of the insightful book, "Why Did They Do That?", available on Amazon, which explores the complexities of child behavior and development. Amy continues to be a pivotal voice in the ECE space, ensuring that the next generation is grounded in literacy, emotional intelligence, and a deep, lasting connection to the world around them.