Member Spotlight

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

Tiny Trees is planning to open six forest preschools in parks across Seattle.

Brooklyn Forest offers classes in New York City parks for young children and their caregivers.

Mountain Village Charter Schools is America's first nature-based and Montessori public elementary school, and one of the first schools to bring nature-based education to the elementary levels.

Vogel Alcove is the only comprehensive early childhood education program in the city of Dallas whose primary focus is to provide childcare and case management for children and families referred by emergency shelters, domestic violence shelters, and organizations that serve homeless families. The Backyard at Vogel Alcove is a natural playground enhanced with garden areas that serve therapeutic and educational goals.

The Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, is home to the Nike Child Development Program (NCDP), which reflects Nike’s commitment to sustainable practices and active lifestyles.

The Blue Waves Preschool is located on the coast of Kuwait, and brings children outdoors to enjoy, and learn to protect, their seaside home daily.

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.

The Environmental Nature Center is developing Newport Beach, California’s first nature-based preschool. Although students will do most of their learning and playing outside, when they do spend time inside, it will be in a sustainable “green building” certified by the US Green Building Council.

The Nature Center Preschool at the South Shore Natural Science Center in Norwell, Massachusetts, uses 30 acres of conservation land and an onsite museum to help each child learn and grow in all areas of development while gaining a love and respect for the natural world.

Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest is a nearly 15,000-acre, privately owned preserve that seeks to creatively explore the connections between nature, science, and art. In 2012, Bernheim launched the Children at Play Initiative, a regional coalition of people and organizations focused on connecting more children to nature.

The Chicago Zoological Society's Hamill Family Play Zoo at Brookfield Zoo engages families in child-centered nature play. Educators from a variety of backgrounds can learn from the zoo's "play partners" in the NatureStart professional development program.