Natural Start and Nicole Thurrell of IWEM held this webinar (March 2025), exploring the very best of what is known about nervous system regulation and how we can bring our best, most resilient selves to the world.
As programs navigate all of the varied considerations in operating a nature-based education program, an important question is: Should my program operate as a non-profit or for-profit venture? This webinar provides an overview of a new resource to help programs considering their options.
Nearly a quarter of all children in the US speak a language other than English in the home. In some states, that percentage is over a third, and in some urban areas, more than half of children may be learning multiple languages. How can we best support children in their language learning outdoors, and are there elements of nature-based, outdoor learning that are particularly helpful in language learning? Join us to hear some of the latest research and learn from programs that have made nature and language learning central in their curriculum.
Natural Start reached out to members to learn how nature preschools are prioritizing equity and diversity through their enrollment process. We heard back from programs employing a variety of strategies for attracting and enrolling racially and economically diverse families, including administrative policies, marketing and outreach, community partnerships, accessing state pre-K funding, and more.
This webinar draws from the extensive research of Dr. Deja Jones, Founder of Honeypot Montessori, and the hands-on expertise of Ashley Causey-Golden, co-founder of Gather Forest School. This webinar focused on the collaborative creation of outdoor play areas tailored for Black children between the ages of 3 and 6 and explore the practical implementation of research in this domain.
"Do You See What I See?" provides a look at NASA’s nature-based explorations for young minds that build upon their natural curiosity. Webinar provides a variety of nature-based learning activities designed to foster a natural sense of curiosity through the development of observation skills that encourage young minds to ask questions and explore the natural world using their senses.
The Natural Start Alliance in collaboration with the Children and Nature Network, offer valuable evidence and practice-based information to make the case for affirming the voices, experiences and cultural ways of knowing of our youngest participants in nature-based education in this webinar. Recording available.
The Natural Start Alliance collaborates with state and regional groups around the country to advocate for and promote outdoor learning as a high-quality approach to early childhood education. These groups work from the very local to the regional level to support and provide training to educators all along the outdoor learning spectrum, from those just stepping outdoors with their students for the first time to those operating nature-based preschools. This forum features the Minnesota Early Childhood Outdoors (MnECO), sharing their success in partnering with the Minnesota Department of Education to develop outdoor learning resources for all early childhood educators.
The right gear is essential for outdoor learning, but many families and schools view gear as a barrier. We’ve asked four leaders from four different programs to share how they acquire and manage gear in ways that are equitable and accessible.
Natural Start invited Sarah Heller, co-founder and former director of Fiddleheads Forest School, to share the process she developed at Fiddleheads to enroll families with equity in mind. Sarah has spent the last two years learning about enrollment practices and asking questions with the goal of learning how to build more equitable systems and reduce barriers to accessing nature-based education.
