Natural Start Alliance

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Natural Start Alliance A coalition of educators, parents, organizations, and others who want to help young children connect with nature and care for the environment.

At the Natural Start Alliance, we believe in great beginnings. We know that hands-on experiences in nature help build stronger, smarter, and happier children, and we believe that quality education for young children includes regular opportunities to connect with nature and the local environment. We also believe that as children learn to care for themselves and others, they also begin to learn to care for the world around them. Experiencing and learning about the environment in early childhood builds a foundation for lifelong environmental literacy.

For this month's Member Spotlight, we're excited to feature the Howard County Conservancy's Nature Preschool! This licen...
10/05/2026

For this month's Member Spotlight, we're excited to feature the Howard County Conservancy's Nature Preschool!

This licensed nature preschool for children ages 3 to 5 sits within a Howard County park, surrounded by Patapsco Valley State Park. Learn more about how this program uses public land to make outdoor learning and exploration part of every child's day.

🔗 bit.ly/HowardCountyConservancyNaturePreK

Natural Start's Research Network and Graduate Student Network are teaming up for a few joint opportunities to connect at...
10/03/2026

Natural Start's Research Network and Graduate Student Network are teaming up for a few joint opportunities to connect at the NAAEE Conference and Research Symposium in Portland, OR next week!

If you have a passion for or are engaged in research focused on nature-based early learning, we would love to see you there!

Nature is full of opportunities for young children to build early math skills. Loose parts like stones, sticks, leaves, ...
10/01/2026

Nature is full of opportunities for young children to build early math skills. Loose parts like stones, sticks, leaves, and pinecones are perfect for exploring concepts such as quantity, comparison, and order.

In this Community Playthings article, educator Dorie Ranheim shares her 10 favorite outdoor math activities to try with your class this season.

How do you document learning when your classroom is the forest? 🌲Former Natural Start presenter Raven Casey found her an...
09/29/2026

How do you document learning when your classroom is the forest? 🌲

Former Natural Start presenter Raven Casey found her answer in Floorbooks®, a collaborative approach created by longtime Alliance member Claire Warden. Children's words, drawings, and pressed flowers fill the pages, and documentation becomes part of the learning itself.

Read her story 👉 bit.ly/NBELDocumentation

We are just one week out from the 2026 Annual Conference and Research Symposium in Portland, OR!Heading there with a sp...
09/28/2026

We are just one week out from the 2026 Annual Conference and Research Symposium in Portland, OR!

Heading there with a special interest in nature-based early learning? We've gathered a list of sessions in one spot so you can plan your days 👉 bit.ly/NAAEE-NBEL2026Sessions 💚

🌲🎬 Kentucky friends, this one's for you!In Our Nature, a documentary made possible in association with , screens outdoor...
09/28/2026

🌲🎬 Kentucky friends, this one's for you!

In Our Nature, a documentary made possible in association with , screens outdoors on Oct. 17 in Frankfort, KY! This screening is hosted by featured program Red Oaks Forest School, with proceeds supporting outdoor learning for young Kentucky children.

Learn more 👉 bit.ly/InOurNature-Kentucky

🌿 Take young kids outside regularly, and good things happen: fewer behavior problems, more kindness, deeper learning.Thi...
09/24/2026

🌿 Take young kids outside regularly, and good things happen: fewer behavior problems, more kindness, deeper learning.

This collection of six studies show what works. The best part? You don't need to be an expert to start.

Explore the eeRESEARCH collection 👇
🔗 bit.ly/NBEL-eeRESEARCH

🧗‍♀️ What do 80 studies say about letting kids take risks?Dr. Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter, the Norwegian professor whos...
09/24/2026

🧗‍♀️ What do 80 studies say about letting kids take risks?

Dr. Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter, the Norwegian professor whose research defined the categories of risky play used worldwide, has co-led a new scoping review of the international evidence on risky play in early childhood education.

It maps seven key themes, from the developmental benefits of risky play to how educators' beliefs and regulations shape what kids can actually do. It also reveals major gaps: little research on indoor risky play, few studies combining parent and educator views, and a need for large-scale, long-term and cross-cultural work 👀

Essential reading for educators, parents and policymakers 🌳

🔗 bit.ly/RiskyPlayScopingReview

Child Health Champions Advocacy Training 📣 | Sept 24, 3:30–5:00 PM ETJoin the Children's Environmental Health Network fo...
09/15/2026

Child Health Champions Advocacy Training 📣 | Sept 24, 3:30–5:00 PM ET

Join the Children's Environmental Health Network for a FREE training + workshop designed for parents, educators, healthcare providers, and anyone who cares about child health.

✅ 60-min training: Build power. Tell your story. Take action.
✅ 30-min hands-on workshop: Turn what you learned into real advocacy — draft a call script, book time with your elected official, or sharpen your organizing skills.

Register 👉 bit.ly/CEHN-AdvocacyTraining

Missed our Climate Impact Forum? Here's your recap. 🌍Last month, Claire Underwood (University of Minnesota Duluth) and K...
09/10/2026

Missed our Climate Impact Forum? Here's your recap. 🌍

Last month, Claire Underwood (University of Minnesota Duluth) and Kit Harrington (Deputy Director of Early Learning Policy, Natural Start) led an open-space conversation on climate-responsive practices in outdoor early childhood education. We talked strategy, shared resources, and made room for the emotional weight of this work — because collective resilience starts with showing up for each other.

Catch the summary, provide input for what's next in our quick survey, and dig into our growing resource collection for navigating climate challenges outdoors 👉 bit.ly/ClimateImpactResources

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