Connecting Children With Nature

Nature Action Collaborative for Children Community Forum Stories & Opportunities

“The single most important factor in developing personal concern for the environment was positive experiences in the outdoors during childhood.”

Cross-cultural research study by J.A. Palmer

Common outdoor play space for today’s children

• Multi-disciplinary national research team

• Direct observation of children's work over time

• Analysis through multiple lenses

• Example of research article

Miller, D.L. (2007). The seeds of learning: Young children develop important skills through their gardening experiences at a Midwestern early education program. Applied Environmental Education and Communication, 6(2).

  Interaction with nature  Development of visual-

spatial skills  Multi-sensory   Inspiring sense of

wonder

  Expand urban canopy   Improved infiltration

lessening runoff

Nature Explore Classroom opportunities

Nature Explore Classroom Certification

Recognizes schools and community organizations with outdoor classrooms that have:

1. Well designed outdoor space based on the Guiding Principles from the Learning With Nature Idea Book

2. Staff Development

3. Family involvement

Partners

Supporters

• USDA Forest Service • American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)

• American Institute of Architects (AIA)

• Colleges and Universities • Environmental Groups • Hospitals

• Keep America Beautiful • Parks Departments • Private Foundations • School Districts • State Departments of Education • Project Learning Tree • U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Before

Concept Plan

After

Before

African American Community Center

Before

African American Community Center

Concept Plan

In Process

African American Community Center

After

African American Community Center

After

African American Community Center

Educational Service Unit

Before

Concept Plan

After

After

Educational Service Unit

After

Educational Service Unit

Making Nature an Integral Part of Children's Daily Lives

Connecting the World’s Children With Nature

Connecting the World’s Children With Nature

The Nebraska Department of Education, Early Childhood Training Center Nebraska Association for Education of Young Children and Nebraska Statewide Arboretum collaborated:

  Written Nature into the Early Learning Guidelines for the state of Nebraska http://www.esu3.org/ectc/nature/nature.htm

  Creating 8 Nature Explore Classroom pilot sites and 12 demonstration sites across Nebraska… plus oversee 10 more

  Helping collect data from sites… 1)  Decrease behavior problems 2)  Increase family outdoor involvement

A State Model Nebraska Nature Collaborative for Children

• Educator Workshops • Training for Landscape Architects • Natural Outdoor Classrooms being created at:

I.  Headquarters for Family Based Libraries

II.  Native American Reservations III.  Botanic Gardens IV.  Children’s Museums V.  Schools VI.  Head Start early child care settings

LINCK results

Other venues around the country…

Before

•  elementary schools •  early childhood programs •  Head Start sites •  nature centers •  home child care settings

•  botanical gardens •  nature reserves •  arboretums •  hospitals •  libraries

Traveling Exhibit sponsored by

SEATTLE Nature Action Collaborative

for Children

Seattle Nature Action Collaborative for Children

  Early Education Benchmarks   Educator Workshops on creating and

using outdoor classrooms   Nature Explore Classrooms being

created I.  Woodland Park Zoo II.  Nisqually Wildlife Refuge III.  Burlington Little School IV.  Community College with Teacher Training

St. Louis Nature Action Collaborative for Children   Family Involvement – Shaw Nature

Reserve & Missouri Botanical Garden   Missouri Dept. of Conservation –

Educator Training   Mark Twain National Forest – Nature

Resource availability   Forum generated funding for Outdoor

Classrooms

Upcoming Community Forum Communities

  Pittsburg – Spring 2009   Atlanta – Summer 2009   Boston – Fall 2009   Philadelphia – Spring 2010   Los Angeles – Summer 2010   Chicago – Fall 2010

New Tools for Connecting the World’s Children With Nature

Los Angeles Unified School District

A Call to Action

Reconnecting the World’s Children to Nature

To sign on as an endorser, go to www.worldforumfoundation.org/nature

Initiated by the Nebraska Department of Education and National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education

Community Involvement

Keep American Beautiful Collaboration

  Connect schools and organizations to local natural resources

  Help beautify the space…and the community… by helping plant trees

  Link schools and organizations to volunteers for guidance in caring for trees or planting gardens

Volunteer

•  Natural Materials

Volunteers   Planting Trees

Volunteers

  Building

Getting Involved   Pizza Pavers

To Learn More:

  www.arborday.org/explore   www. dimensionsfoundation.org   Nature Action Collaborative for Children … go to

www.worldforumfoundation.org