Nature-Based Early Childhood Education

This book will be promoted via various NAEYC marketing efforts, including social media pages promotions (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest with a reach of over 200K followers); promotional emails; advertisements in Young Children, Teaching Young Children, and Exchange magazines; and NAEYC’s seasonal resource catalogs. Select authors of the publication will also present a webinar on a topic covered in the book soon after its publication. Finally, the publication will be advertised and sold at various early childhood conferences and trade shows (NAEYC’s Annual Conferences, NAEYC’s Professional Learning Institutes, Zero to Three, etc.).

Bring to life the power of nature-based pedagogy and emergent curriculum to enhance learning for children. This book will clarify how to implement seasonal, nature-based, emergent curriculum with practical strategies for indoor and outdoor settings. Emergent curriculum is an approach that engages with children’s interests to plan curriculum, in contrast to teachers planning the curriculum around a theme without input from children.

Emergent curriculum is a central feature of NBECE, yet it is widely misunderstood in the context of outdoor learning. Readers will discover how emergent curriculum underpins NBECE pedagogy in lockstep with developmentally appropriate practices. This book provides a definition of nature-based early childhood education (NBECE) as it is applied in American early childhood settings. Each chapter contains topics that form the backbone of a nature pedagogy framework.

Learning in nature is certainly not a new concept. It is as old as time and human existence. But in recent years, a renewed interest to unplug and get back to basics has brought this movement to the forefront of early childhood education. Until now, nature-based approaches have been loosely lumped into a bucket of environmental education, outdoor education, or recreation unless a school or program explicitly refers to itself as a forest or nature preschool, forest kindergarten, or something similarly named. This book defines nature-based early childhood education as its own educational philosophy. And while it is already being applied in forest and nature preschools, it is spreading into every imaginable early learning environment.

At the opening of each chapter, you will find Guiding Questions as a starting point for reading. There are further Reflection Questions at the conclusion of each chapter to encourage more thought about what you have read. These questions may challenge previously held beliefs or practices as you examine how to apply new knowledge to your unique setting. The Teacher’s Call to Action is a related challenge to help you deepen your understanding of nature pedagogy.

Each chapter also includes examples of how NBECE is applied in programs across the United States. Research and best practices from nature-based early childhood education experts provide diverse perspectives for you to consider. An appendix includes workbook-style templates that teachers can pull out for outdoor/classroom use, to advocate with families/communities, communicate...read more...