Resources
Forest Magic for Kids
Come discover the world of Forest Magic for Kids, an activity guide for families and educators who want to play in nature.
The title Forest Magic for Kids framed with charming, whimsical illustrations including little fairies, gnomes, owls, moles, and mushrooms.
Forest Magic for Kids is an activity guide for families, educators, and caregivers that celebrates the imaginative place nature gives kids to play, pretend, create, explore, and ultimately connect to the natural world. A blend of natural science and wild magic, meet in Forest Magic for Kids.
Place-Based Scientific Inquiry: A Practical Handbook for Teaching Outside
Cover image for book Place Based Scientific Inquiry, showing three students touching a soil sample
A new open-access book for educators focused on justice-first and place-based scientific inquiry, following best practices from the Next Generation Science Standards.
We're constantly looking for great resources for our members. Below is a complete list of the resources we've gathered so far. You can select the types of resources you're looking for. To select more than one type of resource, hold the control button while you make your selections.
A Parents' Guide to Nature Play: How to Give Your Children More Outdoor Play ...and Why You Should! In 20 concise pages you can learn about what makes great nature play, why it is important, and how you can restore it to your children’s daily lives. Written by Ken Finch at Green Hearts INC.
For over two decades, Acorn Naturalists has focused on developing and distributing resources that nurture curiosity about the natural world. Selections provide teachers, outdoor educators, naturalists, parents, and others with unique, effective educational resources.
This book from the Alliance for Childhood's Joan Almon is an exploration of why children need adventurous play and how they successfully cope with it through risk-assessment.
These three films look at the benefits of time spent outdoors, each focusing on a specific age group; each concentrates on a year in children's lives. The films are divided into sections as children of gradually increasing ages are watched going about their work outside.
Help centers create nature-based outdoor spaces or classrooms by offering workshops, design consultations, and certification programs. Also sell natural play materials for use in outdoor classrooms and provide resources for families.
A comprehensive, color-photo-illustrated guidebook to creating living schoolyards. Case studies from North America, Scandinavia, Japan, and Great Britain demonstrate natural outdoor teaching environments that support hand-on learning in ways that nurture healthy imagination and socialization.
Awakening Creativity shows in gloriously illustrated detail how artist Lily Yeh guides a participatory process for teachers, students, and a community in transforming an abandoned factory into a beautiful school for the children of migrant workers on the outskirts of Beijing China. Yeh's open, joyful approach is a model for building healthy cultural esteem.
This InfoSheet discusses the benefits of connecting children to nature and presents examples of simple ways to naturalize outdoor learning environments in childcare centers.
Bill Brennan (a.k.a. “Billy B.”), a trained educator turned performer, uses songs and dances which he writes and choreographs himself to teach children of all ages about the wonders of natural science, ecology and the environment with his exciting, unique style of combining environmental education and entertainment.
From "Baby Bumblebee" to "The Ants Go Marching," children will sing and learn about the insects they encounter in their own backyards. The enclosed CD features 21 fun songs-old favorites and originals-and the book offers more than 250 activities that help children appreciate the wonderful world of bugs.
Public discussions of global climate change and other threats to the planet are making children more aware of environmental issues. As increasing numbers of kids come to school wishing to take action, educators want to know how to teach in a way that fosters a love of nature and an understanding of the complexity and seriousness of these issues.
The Children and Nature Network offers a range of programs aimed at connecting children, families, and communities to nature. This organization is closely associated with Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, and their site contains valuable research summaries, lots of ideas for ways that families can connect with nature, and more.
These abstracts and studies from the Children & Nature Network summarize research supporting the benefits of connecting children to nature. Abstracts include an executive summary of each research report; full citation; and a PDF if available, or a link to each study in its entirety, or contact information if the study is not available online.
Children and Nature examines the evolutionary significance of nature during childhood; the formation of children's conceptions toward the natural world; how contact with nature affects children's development; and the consequences of the weakened childhood experience of nature.
Community Playthings is a site dedicated to high-quality wood furniture, learning materials, and toys for kids. These materials are designed to withstand the elements, and are safe for outdoor play. The site also provides room planning tools for classrooms and homes.