NOLA Nature School is an early learning program based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The program started in 2018 with a mission to provide all children and families with an educational opportunity that respects the place we live and follows the students’ interests. The program aims to do this while supporting all domains of a child’s development and encouraging children to develop a connection to and concern for our natural world. NOLA serves close to 40 families and operates 100% outdoors three days a week and spends at least 75% of the day outdoors the other two days. The curriculum is play- and nature-focused with use of Reggio Emilia inspired ideals and place-based education to inform the program’s practice.
Natural Start spoke with NOLA Nature School’s Founder and Director, Clare Loughran, M. Ed., to learn more about this urban nature preschool.
New Orleans is a city known for its rich cultural diversity and celebration of the arts. Are there ways you incorporate these place-based characteristics into your programs?
New Orleans and the Gulf South are such unique and diverse places that we feel lucky to be able to experience it first hand. One of our favorite projects that relates to the city’s arts culture is preparing for our mini Mardi Gras parade. We make our costumes and decorations out of natural materials and then invite our families to parade through the forest! Our forest days provide endless opportunities to learn about the unique ecosystem of the Gulf Coast. On any day we can see alligators, herons, crawfish, or anhingas. Our students can climb live oaks and read books nestled in their trunks, collect palmetto leaves to weave baskets, and fish out invasive water hyacinth to protect our bayous.
When people think of nature-based programs, they often think of isolated green spaces with little human interference. Can you share the unique opportunities and/or challenges presented by running a nature preschool in an urban environment?
NOLA faces many of the challenges presented by our urban environment, including finding natural spaces that fit our needs and that we can safely and respectfully enjoy. Still, we are fortunate to have gorgeous local parks that offer the chance to immerse our learning in a forested environment. Having forest days in local parks creates a lasting relationship between the parks and our families. Students often take their families on tours around the parks on the weekends to show off their favorite tree or overlook discovered during nature school. This provides the parks with a new set of loyal park goers, and ones who understand and respect the natural world. We’ve also created a natural playspace at our building where the children have the freedom to build forts, dig in the mulch, and create obstacle courses with logs where we hold Fire Fridays.
On the website, you mention that NOLA is one of the first programs of its kind in Louisiana and the Deep South as a whole. What advice would you give to newly established programs, or programs trying to find their footing as they grow?
When we started NOLA Nature School, we wanted to introduce nature-based learning to a city that may not think of outdoor learning as an option. We started with a Saturday class to introduce ourselves and our ideals, which helped build a community of families that all enjoy the outdoors and understand the value of children spending time in nature. Having a strong community behind us has been essential as we grow and has helped us navigate any changes and challenges that we have encountered.
View a recording of a forum exploring cultural connections to nature, what it means to be culturally relevant, and how to develop programs that welcome all members of your community. Read More
