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

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.

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

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

This is an interactive graphic that describes gardening fundamentals to aid young children in creating their first garden.

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 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.

Find information about educational materials for use in the classroom, teacher workshops, and more. SMARTBoards™ Lessons  includes lessons linked to the Illinois Early Learning Standards. Lessons include A to Z from a Tree and A Year with Wildlife. Wings, Stings, and Leggy Things: Insects of Illinois is a booklet, which can be downloaded in PDF form, that includes a diagram of an insect and insect life cycles.