Appreciating the Natural World with Young Children

Find articles for families about how to engage in nature activities with children. More articles include Play in a Puddle on a Rainy Day and Engaging Toddlers in Nature Play.

Many children spend the majority of their day in childcare. This infosheet discusses the advantages and tips to connect children to the outdoors while they are at childcare.

This podcast from STARNET: Early Childhood explores the many benefits of providing opportunities for young children to engage in mud play.

This provides links to information and activities to help young children learn about nature.

This article is and integrative review which summarizes recent advances and the current state of our understanding of the cause and effect relationship between nature and learning.

This site provides links to lessons, videos and resources for teaching about trees.

This page provides a link to a research article on a research project that investigated, in two stages, the ways in which playground equipment and the addition of loose parts to a playground contribute to preschool children’s dramatic and constructive play behaviors.

This topical guide will introduce you to important books, videos, and information resources available from the EI Clearinghouse regarding activities for everyday fun outdoors.

This resource includes suggestions related to observing and documenting observations of a tree. This article on Family TLC suggests ways that parents can watch and discuss birds with their children.

Find information about educational materials for use in the classroom, teacher workshops, and more. The Division of Education is responsible for the development and dissemination of educational programs and materials and for training in their use. 

This provides links to InfoSheets for activities for learning through the use of nature items.

This 5-minute video shows how to go for a walk and observe our everyday world with young children. It’s a simple way to support their natural sense of exploration.

This site includes a guide to activities such as making models, charting insects, and more.

This article suggests ways to help children explore trees through a lesson for ages 4 and up.

This website describes the history of Mud Day and offers resources for teachers participating in Mud Day activities.

This website provides classroom design services, workshops and conferences, natural products for classrooms, and family resources. This site is also encourages networking and research.

These five-minute videos explain how educators can teach concepts (Science, Language and Literacy, and Math) using nature. The videos explore using nature indoors and outdoors.

This article addresses why outdoor play is important and ideas for how parents can encourage outdoor play among their children. The website also provides resources, research, and articles related to the importance of nature play for children.

This article provides activity ideas for outdoor learning during the winter.

Also view the Family resources.

This article explains the power of the outdoors when it comes to building young children’s attention, including outdoor play, window views, and bringing the outdoors into the classroom.

This site is designed for use with older children but may be adapted for use in preschool.