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.

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.

Project Learning Tree (PLT) is an award-winning environmental education program that includes curriculum and professional development for early childhood environmental education.

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.

Natural Beginnings Early Childhood program has grown exponentially since its inception nearly three years ago. While yet a relatively new nature-based educational program, Natural Beginnings is making its mark on the profession and in Northern Illinois.

Dr. Deborah Schein is an expert in children's spiritual development, and she believes that it can be nurtured through experiences in and with nature.

Honey Hilliard is the author and illustrator of the book Looking for Butterflies, a color-along poetic narrative celebrating nature, art, and perseverance.

Kindergarten students at Newington Elementary wanted to green their school, and they literally took matters into their own hands. The students worked together with their teacher to turn a bare, muddy patch of ground in front of their school into a welcoming garden.

'Kids Afield' is a collaborative project developed by three teachers at an N-12 Independent School that uses technology (specifically kid-cameras) as a focus tool to connect K-1 students to nature. Started in September of 2012, in its second year we hope our model can be exported to other schools and groups working with young children in natural environments.