Gerhard E. Dekker
Regenerative Education Center

Honouring Children's Natural Love of Learning Through Nature and Community Centered Education

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Forest and Nature School Registration
Open March 31, 2025, 1:30 PM
Forest and Nature School 
Spring Session
We are excited to announce details of our Spring Forest and Nature School program! The program will offer play-based, emergent and nature-based experiential learning in rural Southeastern Manitoba.

Registration for these programs will open on March 31, 2025 at 1:30 PM CST. 

Sign up for our newsletter and stay tuned here for our registration opening link.

We are looking forward to offering preschool, teen and family programming as soon as we can.

Looking forward to seeing you soon out on the land,

The GEDREC Team
Take our Survey

Take our Survey

We want to hear from the community as we design and plan a Forest and Nature School in Southeastern MB. Survey is open to potential registrants, educators in the community, and those interested in volunteering, donating or becoming sponsors.

Learn More

Whether you'd like to participate in our programming, have any questions, or would like to explore volunteer opportunities and share your ideas and skills, we would love to hear from you.


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How to Use Nature Journaling in Inquiry Learning

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Iskotew / Fire Teachings

'Traditional Fire Teachings with Zhaawnong,' 'How Indigenous cultural burning practices could help mitigate future fire risk,' 'The Origin of Fire,' and more...!

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Resources for Nature-Based Learning

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CPAWS Outdoor Learning Resource Hub

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Indigenous Gardening Workshop with Audrey Logan

In spring of 2023 we invited Audrey Logan to share her incredible knowledge of Indigenous Gardening techniques with us in an online workshop. Here we present a recording of these precious and valuable teachings.

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Indigenous Canada - A Free Online Course!

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Spring Newsletter 2025 - Forest School Registration Opening!

Thank You Survey Respondents, Spring Forest School Registration Opening Announcement, Thank you to the Land, Indigenous Peoples, Government of Manitoba, Nature Conservancy of Canada and Shared Legacy, Poweshiek Skipperling Release and Controlled Burns on the Prairie.

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2024 Retrospective!

Art in the Woods with Friends, and a New Adventure in the Works (Friends of the Forest, our upcoming Forest and Nature School!)

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Upcoming Events in 2023

Community Connect Meeting, Indigenous Gardening Workshop online with Audrey Logan, 'Seasons on the Prairie' with Laura Reeves at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, Homeschooler's Market Table, Drumming with GED-REC, Walks in the Woods with Friends, Anndrea's Book Launch, and Rain Barrel Fundraiser!

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Walks in the Woods with Friends

Each month we'll walk a new Manitoba trail, play games, sing trail songs, and make friends! This summer's trail walks have been replaced by the series of walks with Laura Reeves; stay tuned for more walks this fall and winter!

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The Gerhard E. Dekker Regenerative Education Center (GED-REC) is a non-profit organization offering nature based programming and holistic learning opportunities for children, and people of all ages, living in South-Eastern Manitoba, Treaty 1 territory, the land of the Métis, Anishnaabe, Nêhiyaw and Očhéthi Šakówiŋ people.

We honour the Forest School pedagogy and multidisciplinary learning through dynamic, nature-based programming, creating inspiring learning environments where people are supported as individuals, as they learn, play and explore the incredible richness of the natural world. We are educators who are passionate about learning, creativity, nature, the vital importance of play, rest, reciprocity, gratitude, and respect.

When we are supported to learn about and engage with the land and nature, we also learn to care for the land. When we are supported to learn about our emotional nature and practie respectful relating, we learn to care for ourselves and others well.

At the core of our values is a deep respect for the natural world and an understanding that we are part of the Earth. Spending time outdoors, learning from Indigenous peoples and teachings, and developing programs which cultivate resilience, wisdom and compassion, and honour and support Indigenous resilience and life on Earth, are integrally important to us.
C$ 50

Donation Amount

Deanna Kazina

Co-Vice-President, Forest School Program Coordinator

Kara Peters Parkinson

Co-Vice-President, Forest School Program Director

Candice Humeny

Secretary, Program Coordinator

Anndrea Hermann

President

James Elmore

Volunteer Accountant/Treasurer

Kathryn Ruth Ayers

Volunteer

Gerhard Dekker


Namesake

Gerhard was the founder of the Northern Sun Farm Ecovillage, an inventor and designer of innovative methods of living in harmony with the Earth, and a supporter and ally of Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island.