Resources
Teaching Outside: 20 Quick & Easy Outdoor Education Activities for Children
Learn to teach outside even if you’re not outdoorsy! This eBook is written for teachers, parents, caregivers, and mentors who understand the value and importance of having their children spend time in nature but may not have the time, resources, or ability to dedicate a regular part of their schedule to outdoor education. No matter how much time you have or advanced preparation you’ve done, there are things you can do with your students outside that are fun, educational, and worthwhile. This book contains 20 detailed, Common Core-aligned, step-by-step activities that are categorized by grade level, time needed, materials needed, “readiness level,” and subject. They are designed to be accessible for everyone, regardless of your comfort level with the great outdoors. The activities are designed for children in grades Pre-K through 5 but can easily be adapted for other ages and stages as well.
Early childhood environmental education: A systematic review of the research literature
This systematic review of 25 years of empirical studies of early childhood environmental education revealed strongly positive outcomes in environmental literacy development, cognitive development, social and emotional development, physical development and language and literacy development.
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.
The PERMIE KIDs “Inspiration Grows” 26 page e-book (PDF) showcases our permaculture-oriented framework that can help you use interconnected ethical edges, natural thinking tools, community virtues and transdisciplinary concepts to cultivating the “learning landscape.”
This toolkit from the World Forum Foundation's Nature Action Collaborative and Nature Explore contains over 80 pages of activities to use with children ages 3-8 years old. The guide is focused on actions that teachers and children can take together to make the world a "greener" and healthier place.
Inspiring Spaces for Young Children invites teachers to enhance children’s educational environment in a beautiful way by emphasizing aesthetic environmental qualities that are often overlooked in early childhood classrooms, such as nature, color, furnishings, textures, displays, lighting, and focal points.
A peer-reviewed open-access electronic journal promoting early childhood environmental education for global readership and action.
This book is designed to initiate dialog between parents and educators, and their kids, to get children thinking critically about what it means to be prepared, and invites them to share their perspective on planning for the outdoors. In this action-filled, outdoor education adventure book learn about being prepared for safety, protection and emergencies in nature.
KinderNature's Activities page provides great resources for educational group activity ideas for any time of the year.
Find one hundred creative and clever ideas repurposing common household objects into fun, educational, and safe toys and activities for young children. They benefit children's early learning by promoting sensory perception and development in multiple communication areas.
In the full-color Learning Is in Bloom, teachers and caregivers will find 40 hands-on activities effective in engaging young children in investigating nature, both indoors and outdoors, on the school grounds, and on excursions around the neighborhood.
Learning With Nature DVD is a joyful celebration of ways to use outdoor classrooms as an integral part of children's daily learning. See how well-designed outdoor spaces facilitate children's overall development socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually. Gain insight into ways to help children make deeper connections with the natural world. 23 minutes.
Book by Dimensions Educational Research Foundation, Nancy Rosenow, James R. Wike, Valerie Cuppens
Learning withOutdoors is a free educational resource for parents and educators to help teach children developmental skills and curriculum content while being immersed in nature. The website is run by two nature-based teachers, with the goal of helping parents and educators utilize the endless learning opportunities found in nature. Learning withOutdoors provides nature-based educational activities, songs and books (with learning extension ideas), and weekly curiosities to support children’s learning in the outdoors. Learning is meant to be fun and messy, preferably withoutdoors!
PEAK is a series of activities that interactively teach elementary school youth the seven principles of Leave No Trace. It is designed to educate children about the outdoors and responsible use of our shared public lands.
Lens on Outdoor Learning includes information to structure and support outdoor experiences, an explanation of how each learning standard relates to outdoor learning, and inspiration to connect children to the natural world.
Want to fix up your play space? Need to design a brand-new one? Then this delightful new book by a leading play space designer is for you! Offers practical advice on providing a safe yet challenging outdoor environment, including step-by-step instruction on how to assess your play space.
Here is a FREE resource to print, share, or link to. It is a pre-school level picture book with one-word titles translated into multiple languages. For a preschool age child, these are activities and words provide a skill building and language developmental opportunity to prepare them for kindergarten.