Maine Early Childhood Outdoors Network

08/28/2026

Course topics include:
✔Connection to Selves & Nature, Fundamentals of Play
✔ONB early education center site visits
✔Play Theory, Nature Based Site Observation
✔Teaching Outdoors and Risky Play
✔Common Considerations for Nature Based Programs
✔Policy and Communications
Registration is open and the course begins September 12th. Learn more and register:
https://www.maineeco.org/rooted-in-play

08/27/2026

Help us build a fuller picture of what is happening in schools, programs, and communities across the state.
If you help children connect with their environment and community, share your experience in the 2026 CBEL+ Census >>
teachmeoutside.org/2026-cbel-census/
Sharing in partnership with Maine Environmental Education Association and Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance - MMSA.

08/26/2026

The Maine Environmental Education Association (MEEA) has expanded its relationship with Maine Early Childhood Outdoors (MaineECO) by extending its 501(c)(3) status, becoming MaineECO's fiscal agent.
MEEA supports environmental and outdoor education for educators and students in PreK through higher education, and lifelong learners across Maine, while MaineECO brings nature-based, environmental learning experiences to Maine's youngest learners: 0-8 year olds. This represents a continuum of environmental education in the state.
Our aligned missions and partnership ensures more Maine children have access to high-quality outdoor learning at all stages throughout their lives.

08/25/2026

Held in-person at Bowdoin Children's Center in Brunswick, the program consists of intimate discussion and community building around designing outdoor, nature-based learning experiences that foster belonging, equity, and healthy development for every child. Take advantage of one or all three workshops.
MaineECO wants as many teachers to participate as possible to gain access to this vauable content. Participation and travel stipends are available.
Learn more and register: https://www.maineeco.org/bowdoin-college-partnership

08/24/2026

‼THIS THURSDAY‼
Join the Children & Nature Network for an initial look at nature in the prenatal-to-three years, including a preview of emerging findings from an upcoming Research Digest and a broader conversation about this developing area of work. We’ll also share why C&NN is increasing its focus on early childhood and some of the questions guiding our exploration

The prenatal-to-three period is a critical window for healthy development, and nature has an important role to play in supporting young children, caregivers and families during these earliest years. What […]

08/20/2026

What can MaineECO do for you?
Network Coordinator, Anne Adams shares her perspective, and you can find resources and professional development to support you at our link in our bio!

08/18/2026

Early Childhood Education Books Handpicked by Maine Teachers!
✔The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin teaches that regardless of appearances, everything has purpose. It has a community focus and is multilingual, with a guide on how to pronounce vegetable names in Chinese.

✔Little People of the Dawn by Passamaquoddy author Minquansis Sapiel and illustrated by Minsoss Sapiel-Bobadilla, shares the importance of caring for traditions, learning the ways of our ancestors, and caring for the Earth.

✔How to Find a Fox by Nilah Agruder is a story about determination as the main character sets out to find a the elusive fox.

✔Wild Berries by Julie Flett is written in both English and Cree, in particular the n-dialect, and highlights the Cree–Métis heritage. It teaches respect and reciprocity for our relatives in nature as you follow a grandson and grandmother take a walk in nature.

08/17/2026

Explore the why behind nature-based education and support safe and healthy play, learning, and development in outdoor spaces.
Offered by Maine Early Childhood Outdoors as part of its commitment to strengthening early childhood nature-based learning across Maine, this course is made accessible by a generous subsidy from The Quimby Family Foundation and costs $75 per participant. In-person sessions take place at To Thrive in Windham; virtual sessions and independent work are also included.
Registration is open and the course begins September 12th. Learn more and register:
https://www.maineeco.org/rooted-in-play

08/10/2026

What’s your quick take on why Nature Based Learning is so important?!
We asked MaineECO Network Coordinator this same question! She said she “didn’t have a ‘quick’ take on why NBL is so important,” but we think she gave it a pretty good try!

08/07/2026

Educators give everything to their students. The Educator Renewal Retreat was about giving something back to them.
Teachers traveled from Presque Isle; Skowhegan; Bath; Appleton; Portland; Eliot, and beyond to join this retreat, where "wellbeing seeds" - breathwork, movement, poetry, mindfulness, and art - were planted that teachers can sow in their own classrooms this fall.
This retreat was facilitated by Anne Stires Educational Consulting, in collaboration with an incredible team of regional health and wellbeing practitioners. Sweet Tree Arts & School hosted, Maine Environmental Education Association acted as the retreat's fiscal sponsor, and Maine Early Childhood Outdoors, the Quimby Family Foundation, and the Leonard C. and Mildred F. Ferguson Foundation co-sponsored the event.