Bright Ideas - The Natural Start Blog
Natural Start Forum: Mid-Year Check-In
January 15, 2021
Join Natural Start and two nature preschool directors for a mid-year check-in to discuss what's working this year, what isn't, and what lies ahead in the coming weeks and months. Read More
Natural Start Forum: Holiday Book Fair
December 8, 2020
Get comfortable and gather your favorite children’s books to share with friends and colleagues near and far during Natural Start’s Holiday Book Fair on December 16th at 12 pm ET! Read More
Natural Start Forum: Flourishing in Nature
November 2, 2020
View a recording of a forum featuring Professor Julie Ernst's research on the impact of nature preschools on young children. Read More
NatStart Forum: Taking Preschool Outdoors
September 8, 2020
Join Natural Start on Tuesday, September 29 at 4 pm ET for a conversation about reopening nature preschools during the pandemic. Hear from several program directors who have transitioned their schools to be 100% outdoors this fall, followed by Q&A and discussion. Read More
Safety and Healthy Risk-Taking in Nature-Based Education
September 4, 2020
Enjoy a two-part session on safety and healthy risk-taking in nature-based programs, presented by Anne Stires and Amy Butler. The goal of these two sessions is to provide examples of the practices outlined in the Safety section of the Nature-Based Preschool Professional Practice Guidebook, which was written collaboratively by Anne, Amy, and Kit Harrington. Read More
Resources from the Community
August 6, 2020
Browse resources shared by organizations in the field of nature-based early learning and environmental education. Read More
Outdoor Learning: A Solution for Schools During COVID 19
August 6, 2020
Hear from a panel of experts who share the hows and whys around outdoor learning as a response to reopening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More
Nature preschools continue impressive growth across US
July 7, 2020
A new report from Natural Start reveals outdoor, nature-focused preschools have grown 25-fold over the past decade. Read More
Tiny Essay Series Wrap Up
April 27, 2020
As a way to stay connected, we asked nature-based professionals to share how they were feeling, good or bad, in 500 characters or less. Read these tiny essays for a glimpse at how the field is coping with quarantine. Read More
Natural Start COVID-19 Forums
March 31, 2020
Natural Start has organized several forums for nature-based early learning professionals to discuss happening across the field and think together about where we are and where we're going. Read More