Member Spotlight

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

The PlayGarden is a safe, supportive, accessible, and innovative place for children of all abilities.

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.

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

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