Overview of Workshop

TOPOnexus and the City of Harbor Springs collaborated to offer a pilot of TOPO Explorers at four parks during July and August 2021. The project resulted in 56 individual park experiences while raising awareness of lesser-used City parks and sharing the mission of TOPOnexus – connecting people to place. 

By responding to a need for PreK programming, the collaboration yielded a positive outdoor learning experience, a deeper connection to the parks, and exposure to the TOPOnexus way of learning for 15 families, including 18 kids and 17 adults.

Impact & Wide Reach

Learners participating in TOPO Explorers were given the opportunity to use their sense of wonder, slow down, and explore. The parks provided a powerful setting where kids could be self-paced learners making discoveries on their own and sharing them with others. Adult participants were guided to facilitate child-led play and find unique features in each park. These families are now empowered with tools to take place-based learning to any park.

Park Experience Participants

56

Individual Park Experiences

15

Families

18

Kids

17

Adults

Collaboration

The benefit of this collaboration was twofold: more awareness of HS parks and visibility of TOPOnexus programming. Our partnership was successful on multiple levels: we worked together to articulate and achieve the shared goal of filling an identified gap in PreK programming and increase traffic at select HS parks.

Wonder & Whoa!

We witnessed many special learning moments between children and adults. Together, they delighted in exploring the parks and creating a shared play and place-based experience that can be easily replicated. Many expressed the desire to return again on their own to City park sites and take part in TOPO Explorers again. We are excited to build on this positive momentum with the future refinement of TOPO Explorers as well as other pilot projects.

What is Wonder & Whoa?

Without wonder, we cannot gain new perspectives or innovate. With wonder, we become lifelong learners. We are full of wonder. Whoa is something that stops you in your tracks and inspires, surprises, or shocks you. Together, wonder and whoa have the transformative power to create meaningful personalized learning.