Member Spotlight

Meet some of the members of the Natural Start Alliance!

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Nature Nuts Family Nature Club

Nature Nuts is a Maine-based family nature club, completely designed and taught by parents. The club is in its second generation, having been started for the first time in 1984 by parents who wanted their girls to have the same opportunities that boys had in learning about nature.

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SHP Leading Design

SHP Leading Design provides architectural design, planning, engineering, and other services to educational institutions and other clients. We asked Ed Melvin, Landscape Architect, and John Noble, Project Architect, to tell us about their approach to the design of spaces for learning in early childhood.

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Camp STEM Club

At Camp STEM Club in Gilbert, AZ, small groups of children learn in a desert oasis all while practicing coping skills, exploring STEM concepts, and having fun. Learn more about the program in a Q&A with director Carolyn Mowery.

Location

Gilbert, AZ

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children in an outdoor shed poking their tongues out at the camera

Wild Oak Preschool

Get to know Natural Start member, Wild Oak Preschool, a fully-licensed nature-based preschool program located in the rural community of Applegate Valley in Southern Oregon.

Location

Williams, OR

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Friends' School

At Boulder, Colorado's Friends’ School, outdoor experiences are considered a vital part of the school day.

Location

Boulder, Colorado

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Mass Audubon Nature Preschools

With five licensed nature preschools, Mass Audubon serves as a leader in New England in the nature-based early learning movement.

Location

MA

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Y-Koda Nature School 4K

Get to know Y-Koda Nature School, a tuition-free 4K program where young children spend 50% of their day learning outdoors.

Location

Sheboygan Falls, WI

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Eyes of the World Discovery Center

When children arrive at the Eyes of the World Discovery Center in Kittery, Maine, they are greeted with a welcoming community that encourages them to explore, imagine, and learn in the natural world around them.

Location

Kittery, ME

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Aventuras Forest School

Aventuras Forest School is a 100% outdoors, Spanish-language immersion forest school set primarily in public parks in Los Angeles. Learn more about the program from the school’s founder, Pilar Gonzalez.

Location

Los Angeles, CA

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Harlem Grown

In the heart of Harlem, Harlem Grown is planting fruits and vegetables, and growing healthy children and sustainable communities.

Location

New York, NY

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Amy Beam member spotlight promo graphic

Amy Beam

Outdoor education specialist Amy Beam shares the nature awareness programs she's developed in Maryland.

Location

Derwood, MD