Welcome back, educators! As you gear up for a new school year full of outdoor exploration and nature-rich learning, we've gathered some of our favorite resources to help you hit the ground running. Here's to a wonderful year of growing curious, nature-connected learners!
Must-Reads for Nature-Loving Classrooms
Looking for your next read-aloud? Check out the 2025 Blueberry Award Book List — over 30 nature books hand-picked by the Evanston Public Library Blueberry Award Committee. Then watch our Natural Start webinar for activities and tips to turn story time into outdoor learning.
Discover the Forest – helping educators and families find simple, fun ways to play and learn in nearby nature
Discover the Forest’s Seek & Find activity is the perfect way for children to become familiar with a new space (or get reacquainted with a familiar one). Simply hide plush animals, cutouts, or figurines around a space and send children on an adventure to find as many as they can.
Get back in a playful mindset with Discover the Forest’s new guide for Risky Play Outdoors. This is a great refresher on what risky play is and how to support children in navigating challenges that build body awareness, confidence, and resilience. Includes strategies and tips for incorporating risky play at home and school.
A new school year is a great time to introduce families and staff to the value of outdoor play. Discover the Forest offers research on how nature supports kids' development — point families to the site or share highlights in your newsletter!
Natural Start Webinar Recordings
The Natural Start site is host to a robust library of webinar recordings collected over the years — featuring experts in nature-based early learning. This curated collection is here to inspire and equip you for the 2026–27 school year ahead.
View the 2026 curated list of webinar recordings for educators
NatStart26 Online Session: #SEETHELEARNING
The NatStart26 online conference is still underway, with sessions built for educators available on-demand to all registrants through June 2027.
In the sample session below, presenter Nicole Corbo of Roots and Sky Nature School explores tools and strategies for active observation and documentation of learning. Nicole prompts educators to see and put words to the rich learning happening while children are engaged in authentic play and exploration during unstructured time in nature.
Want to see more from NatStart26? Register to access the full gallery of 50+ on-demand sessions!
Here’s to a wonderful 2026–27 school year ahead!