Appreciating the Natural World with Young Children

Find articles for families about how to engage in nature activities with children.

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

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

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 site describes the impact of insects on the environment.

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

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

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.

These five-minute videos explain how educators can teach concepts like science, language arts, and math using nature. The videos explore using nature indoors and outdoors.

This topical guide provides important books, videos, and information resources available from the EI Clearinghouse regarding activities for everyday fun 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.

The article offers seven suggestions for winter activities.

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.

Nature is increasingly being recognized as an important, and often low-cost, tool for fostering children’s health and development. This article explores how nature can be explored in early learning settings.