Tools & Resources
242 Resources
Want to learn more about birding with children or have an enthusiastic beginning birder in your life? Check out this book from special educator Rasha Hamid with this exclusive excerpt. Learn how to get started, birding terminology and strategies that will help everyone get connected to the joy of birding!
Available in English and Spanish, these bird bingo cards from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology offer an easy way to get young people engaged in birding.
With an emphasis on birds found in southern Wisconsin and North America, these bird guides designed especially for kids are a great way to introduce children to birds and the distinct qualities of different species. The guides are available in English and Spanish and can be printed or viewed on a computer for free. The web page also has several other field guides, covering insects, tracks and scat, birds in winter and leaves.
These Nature Activity Cards are a great way to get started having fun in nature with family and friends. Each set of cards has a suggested age group (2-6 years old or 7-11 years old) and a theme, such as urban animals, clouds, crafts, reptiles and frogs. Inside each set, you’ll find activities that incorporate play, acting, drawing, stewardship and more. You can view the cards online, or download and print out for fun on the go.
This toolkit highlights innovative, Nature-Smart Library initiatives nationwide, showcasing how libraries can collaborate with cities, parks, and community partners to expand nature access. While many libraries lead individual efforts, this toolkit emphasizes system-wide strategies to ensure nature is accessible across entire communities.
Encouraging children and youth of all ages to participate in gardening, whether at home, school or in the community, can positively impact their health, development and the environment. In this toolkit, we share research, resources and recommended reading to help children and teens experience the benefits of nature through gardening.
Engaging local stakeholders helps align new children and nature strategies with previous efforts and community goals. It can also help maximize local resources and build connections with new stakeholders who may value children’s well-being but may not currently use nature connections. This resource supports communities in bringing local stakeholders together to support local efforts.
For communities working to incorporate nature-based solutions to children’s health and development, the support of local government officials or school leadership can catalyze coalition building and action. A pledge of support, resolution or proclamation can demonstrate a leader’s commitment to equitable nature access for children. This resource provides an overview of types of support and examples.
In the final Research Digest of 2024, Research Director and Digest editor Cathy Jordan shares exciting developments for the year ahead and offers a look back at the Digests from 2024.
At the end of 2024, the Children & Nature Network Founders’ Council published a report identifying the key issues that affect how children and youth meaningfully connect with nature in their everyday lives. Grounded in both scientific research and less formal ways of knowing, these observations help inform the ongoing contributions of the Children & Nature Network.
This list of books and practical guides offers expert perspectives and real-world solutions for bringing the power of gardening to children and families. Direct links to publishers are included when available; publications can also be found through online booksellers such as Bookshop.org, IndieBound.org and Amazon.
This list of books and practical guides offers expert perspectives and real-world solutions for bringing the power of gardening to teens and families. Direct links to publishers are included when available; publications can also be found through online booksellers such as Bookshop.org, IndieBound.org and Amazon.
This slide deck on the economic benefits of green schoolyards can be used to support your own case-making efforts. Kindly credit them to Rob Grunewald in your presentations.
What is a cross-sector team and why is it important for the success of Nature Everywhere Communities initiative? This one-page resource defines a cross-sector team and looks at considerations for how to form a successful team. This resource is targeted to support Action Challenge communities.
The early phase of Nature Everywhere Communities involves a planning phase to “map the landscape” of the local systems both literally and figuratively. This planning process helps teams analyze assets, gaps, opportunities, and barriers. This resources provides a high-level view of what to consider when doing landscape scans for stakeholders, programs and experiences, and policies and funding in a community.
Each year, we recognize an individual doing exemplary work to advance equitable access to nature in their community. Read about Richard Louv Prize recipients to date, and learn about the nomination process and timeline.
In this video, join Children & Nature Network’s Director of Research, Dr. Cathy Jordan, for an introduction to the benefits of nature. Dr. Jordan provides an overview of nature’s benefits to children. She also discusses the “equigenic effect,” the term used to describe nature’s outsized benefits for children negatively impacted by economic disadvantage.
This resource aims to guide you to meaningfully engage community members to inform a Nature Everywhere vision and action plan.
This set of resources includes a report developed by national economist Rob Grunewald titled, "How Green Schoolyards Create Economic Value." The report takes a deep look at the economic benefits of green schoolyards as well as additional benefits such as boosting children’s learning, enhancing environmental sustainability, and supporting community development and health. Additional resources include source data and case studies for the report from The Big Sandbox, Inc. and Autocase Economic Advisory, plus infographics, case making materials and more.
This document is intended to provide guidance to City of Austin Parks & Recreation staff, contractors and vendors hired through the City of Austin, and other Partners (Austin ISD and other schools, Non-Profits, etc.) in the design, installation, maintenance, and management of nature play spaces. This document is intended to provide guidance to City of Austin Parks & Recreation staff, contractors and vendors hired through the City of Austin, and other Partners (Austin ISD and other schools, Non-Profits, etc.) in the design, installation, maintenance, and management of nature play spaces.
Bring nature inside with Native Plant Party, a new card game created by Central Ohio Naturalist Jared Goodykoontz. Invite different “party animals” into your yard with various native plants from the Eastern US. Planting wild bergamot will swarm your yard with pollinators, while cultivating wasp-friendly plants will earn you a bonus! Make sure to keep the deer and bunnies from eating all your work, and steer clear of pesticide companies! Check out this free, printable version of the card game made exclusively available for the Children & Nature Network.
You don’t have to be an expert naturalist, or do it all alone. We’ve created this toolkit to help you plan and share outdoor experiences with like-minded friends and families who are yearning for “more green, less screen.”
Equity maps depict how nature appears in a city relative to key demographic, economic, and social data. Cities use equity maps to prioritize programming, funding and resources to areas most in need. This resource guide provides step-by-step process for creating equity maps.
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In 2020, 29-year-old Harmony Eshkawkogan, who is Anishinaabe of the Pike clan, helped start a youth-led garden space in Ottawa, Canada. The garden, run by the Assembly of Seven Generations Indigenous youth group, is devoted to cultivating fruits, vegetables and traditional Indigenous medicines in an effort to deepen understanding of Indigenous cultural practices and connect with ancestors. “When we started the garden, it was a good way to not only have the youth interact with the medicines,” says Eshkawkogan, “but also to get to learn about the different plants that our ancestors used to grow.”
As part of her thesis research, scholar-activist Alayna Schmidt collaborated with Asheville Writers in the Schools & Community, now known as the Artéria Collective, to publish an art zine on Black & Brown youth’s persepectives, opinions and ideas of nature. The project was the result of a year-long project that involved around fifteen youths, from elementary to middle school age. Find Schmidt’s full thesis here.
How do you (and your family) spend time outdoors? Use this resource to explore the types of nature activities you are participating in, and to reflect on your experiences. This is also a great tool for setting new nature experience goals.
Inclusive nature play spaces and gardens offer opportunities for children with disabilities and their families to engage with the natural world and feel valued in their communities. This toolkit offers research, resources and recommended readings that address the benefits and design of outdoor play and gardening environments that meet the unique needs of children of all abilities.
You don’t have to be an expert naturalist, or do it all alone. We’ve created this toolkit to help you plan and share outdoor experiences with like-minded friends and families who are yearning for “more green, less screen.”
The University of Minnesota’s Urban Agriculture Initiative includes Gardens for Change, which prepares youth interns for leadership by turning vacant lots into community gardens and spaces where interns and residents can connect with the broader community. “We are not only making lots more aesthetically pleasing and growing food in a garden,” says Craig Taylor, Extension regional director. “We are connecting and bringing power back to the community.”
The FINCH (Families Into Nature Connecting and Helping) resource is a practical guide packed with helpful information and guidance for community groups. It’s designed to help your group choose and offer nature-based activities for families, helping them to connect with nature and encourage action to help it. The guide is also packed full of self-led games, crafts and activities that a family can do independent of a community group or organization.
The AISD Educational Specifications, or “Ed Specs,” are design standards and concepts used by the school District to guide new school facility construction and major space renovations to create engaging and effective learning environments. School Districts are required by state law to adopt Educational Specifications.
The Greening School Ground & Outdoor Learning Global Action Agenda was written by Salzburg Global Fellows to support the work that ensures that all children and communities have access to green school grounds and outdoor learning.
The Green Schoolyards District Design Guidelines is a product of over a year-long collaboration with a group of cross-sector leaders working towards systemic change in the way we think about and use the outdoor spaces surrounding a school. This publication is intended to support and inspire school district staff in creating their own school design guidelines – tailored to meet the needs of your region and community and endorsed by your district. Our goal is that your school district creates procedures that meet the needs of your students and staff, align with your district priorities, and benefit members of all ages in your community. The content of this publication was written with input from experts in the field, including academics, professional landscape designers, and district-level staff from across the country.
These Guidelines outline the design principles, components, materials, and processes needed to plan, implement, and manage outdoor play and learning environments that foster climate resiliency, community cohesion, health, and nature connection.
This resource outlines how to develop partnerships between city government and a group of community organizations in order to maximize resources and achieve shared goals to advance children and nature connections.
This resource helps engage cities within a region or state to work collaboratively at the state level to expand access to high-quality green spaces and increase policies and programs that support children and nature connections.
Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN), through conversations with agency partners, created this online resource that outlines a set of “best fit” federal programs, from major federal agencies, that cities can leverage for their children-to-nature activities via direct application or through partnerships.
Salzburg Global Fellows에 의해 작성된 본 성명서는, 모든어린이와 지역사회가 학교 운동장 내녹지공간과야외학습에 대한 권리를 보장받을수 있도록전
Join us on Sept 18-19 for a 24-hour livestream event touring dozens of green school grounds
Towns and cities have an opportunity to reprioritize resources to foster children’s connection to nature while meeting sustainability and resilience goals. Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN), a joint initiative of National League of Cities and the Children & Nature Network, teamed with the Regional Plan Association (RPA) to demonstrate potential synergy in policies and practices in order to bridge these complementary field.
Los participantes del proyecto virtual Lecciones Globales Sobre Patios Escolares Verdes y Aprendizaje al Aire Libre desarrollaron esta declaración para influir en el pensamiento, políticas y estrategias para espacios escolares naturalizados y oportunidades de aprendizaje al aire libre.
Τα μέλη που συμμετέχουν στο διαδικτυακό πρόγραμμα Global Lessons on Greening Schools Grounds and Outdoor Learning ανέπτυξαν αυτήν τη δήλωση υπεράσπισης για να επηρεάσουν τον τρόπο σκέψης, τις πολιτικές, και τις προσεγγίσεις σχεδιασμού των σχολικών αυλών καθώς και να προωθήσουν την ανάπτυξη δυνατοτήτων για υπαίθρια μάθηση. Αυτό θα υποστηρίξει μια παγκόσμια ατζέντα δράσης που έχει σχεδιαστεί για να διασφαλίσει ότι όλα τα παιδιά και οι κοινότητες έχουν πρόσβαση σε πράσινες σχολικές αυλές και υπαίθρια μάθηση.
Os participantes do programa on-line Lições Globais sobre Espaços Escolares Naturalizados e Educação ao Ar Livre desenvolveram esta declaração com o objetivo de influenciar o pensamento, as políticas e as abordagens relacionadas aos espaços escolares e à educação ao ar livre. O documento apoiará uma agenda de ação global destinada a garantir que todas as crianças e comunidades tenham acesso a espaços escolares naturalizados e ao aprendizado ao ar livre.
Les participants au programme «Enseignements universels sur la végétalisation des cours d’écoles et l’apprentissage dehors» ont élaboré ce plaidoyer pour influencer la réflexion, les politiques et les projets concernant les cours d’école et les opportunités d’apprentissage en extérieur. Cela soutiendra un programme d’action mondial imaginé pour promouvoir l’accès de tous les enfants et toutes les communautés à des cours d’école plus vertes et des expériences d’apprentissage dehors.
Medskapare som deltagit i den digitala seminarieserien Global Lessons on Greening School Grounds and Outdoor Learning har utvecklat Salzburgförklaringen för att påverka synsätt, politik och tillvägagångssätt för skolgårdar och möjligheter till lärande utomhus. Denna kommer vara ett stöd till en global handlingsplan som ser till att alla barn och samhällen får tillgång till gröna skolgårdar och lärande utomhus.
參與了 「綠化校園及戶外學習之全
球經驗」項目的薩爾茨堡全球研討會
會員,編寫了本聲明,籍此促進對校
園和戶外學習的思考、政策和方法
साल्ज़बर्ग ग्लोबल फेलो द्वारा तैयार किया गया यह वक्तव्य, यह सुनिश्चित करने के लिए एक वैश्विक कार्रवाई एजेंडा का समर्थन करेगा कि सभी बच्चों और समुदायों की हरित स्कूल के मैदान और बाहरी शिक्षा तक पहुंच हो।
参与了 「绿化校园及户外学习之全
球经验」项目的萨尔茨堡全球研讨会
会员,编写了本声明,籍此促进对校
园和户外学习的思考、政策和方法。
The Salzburg Statement for Greening School Grounds & outdoor Learning was drafted by Salzburg Global Fellows, with the aim to support a global action agenda to ensure that all children and communities have access to green school grounds and outdoor learning.
This summer, sign on to #VitaminNChallenge — a fun way to make sure you and your family get your regular dose of nature, the most essential vitamin!
Have you wondered what an urban outdoor preschool program looks like? Check out this photo tour of SAND Preschool's outdoor classrooms and community garden. SAND (The School At North Decatur UMC) is located 5 miles from downtown Atlanta in North Decatur, Georgia. The school has creatively turned a shared church/school campus into an urban oasis with native perennials, fruit-bearing trees and shrubs, and of course, vegetables galore! SAND is a 100% outdoor, half-day preschool. It is a wonderful place for children to "Learn, Be Loved and Play Outdoors!"
Australia’s Nurture in Nature expert Tania Moloney invited attendees of the 2022 Inside-Out International Conference to create a virtual Nature Quilt in celebration of the global children and nature movement. Not only will you find a beautiful piece of crowd-sourced art, you’ll learn about each quilter’s inspiration, natural materials used, and about the Indigenous land from where each square came. You can create your own Nature Quilt; find instructions here!
The tools and resources compiled help cities and partners achieve these goals with a particular focus on equity so all children regardless of race or income have access to nature’s benefits.
Time in nature can be a powerful antidote to the negative impacts of trauma and stress in children’s lives. When family service providers incorporate nature into their therapeutic work, children and families experience a wide range of benefits, including improved mental and physical health, stronger relationships, better communication, reduced stress, and healing from trauma.
The evidence-based resources in this toolkit were developed in partnership with Casey Family Programs, a national leader in social work practice.
Research studies included in this annotated bibliography support the understanding that connecting children with nature promotes their mental health and well-being and that this can be especially helpful for children who need to cope with stressful adverse conditions and the emotional responses that their life situations evoke.
The Children & Nature Network invites young leaders in the U.S., Mexico and Canada between the ages of 16 and 30 to request up to $500 to grow professionally as a leader in the movement or to implement projects that create change in equitable access to nature, community health and well being, and justice.
This infographic depicts the many benefits of nature during the foundational years of early childhood, ages 0 – 5.
Bring nature’s benefits to young children, ages 0 - 5, in your city and support other city priorities, such as school readiness, health and wellness, and equity in child development.
Discover recommentations from The City of Paris and their vision for an urban “oasis” that will improve the citizens’ life quality in the neighbourhood scale, considering that every Parisian resides in close proximity to a public school. The booklet describes the schoolyard transformation of Parisian preschools, elementary and middle schools into «cool islands», by integrating nature-based solutions for shading and storm-water management.
This resource document supports cities in how to make the case to their city or district leaders to use funding to support green schoolyards. It is a communications and messaging focused toolkit with links to templates, press releases and case study examples.
Research studies included in this annotated bibliography support the understanding that connecting children with nature promotes their mental health and well-being and that this can be especially helpful for children who need to cope with stressful adverse conditions and the emotional responses that their life situations evoke.
The Children & Nature Network worked closely with educators and parents to develop a meaningful, practical and immersive outdoor curriculum designed for families, called Nature Quest.
Children and teens from around the world share art and creative writing that expresses their love of nature along with their thoughts, dreams, questions and concerns about the future. This exhibition is organized by the Children & Nature Network.
Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) invites organizations to build networks of three to five cities to work together to increase equitable access to high quality outdoor experiences and nature-based learning for children.
The Children & Nature Network and the National Recreation Foundation invite youth-serving organizations to participate in a Youth Development & Nature Cohort to build community capacity for integrating nature and youth development.
Green schoolyards can include outdoor classrooms, native & pollinator gardens, stormwater capture, traditional play equipment, nature play areas, edible gardens, trails, and/or trees & shrubs.
Below is a slideshow of different green schoolyards from across the country. These are just a handful of examples of what a green schoolyard can be.
The tools and resources compiled below will help cities, school districts, and partners work together to envision and implement district-wide, equity-based, open-access green schoolyards. While many of these tools were created with school district staff in mind, they can be adapted to support communities of all sizes, schools, or local community groups.
Finding the words to talk to kids about social and environmental justice can be challenging. This toolkit provides curated lists of age-appropriate resources to help you support children and teens in understanding how long-standing systems of inequity impact access to natural places and what we can do to increase access so that all children can enjoy the benefits of nature.
Environmental Racism is the intention racial discrimination in infrustructural and environmental policy making. This resource dives into how Environmental Racism affects communities, public health, and our environment.
This strategy tool describes what a Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights is, what the key benefits are, and how cities can create one for their community. It also links to best practices from other cities.
The #NatureForAll Forest Bathing Approach explains why it is so important to experience nature in cities for our own health.
C&NN strives to support and increase the leadership and diversity of young people benefiting from and contributing to meaningful connections to nature, outdoor activities, and outdoor-related careers. As part of this effort, we identify and implement strategies for engaging youth and their perspectives in the planning and facilitation of events. This event guide will help you do the same.
Many cities are searching for ways to bring nature’s benefits to all children, but longstanding conditions, such as policies, power dynamics and perceptions, can make change difficult. Achieving real and lasting change requires a community-based approach to dismantling systems of inequity, or in other words, a systems change approach.
This infographic provides a visual framework to understand how intentionally integrating youth development and nature connection programs can help youth reach their fullest potential.
This tool is designed for nature-based and youth-serving organizations to assess where their programs situate on the continuum of integration of youth development and nature engagement practices.
This focused literature review explores studies of programs at the intersection of youth development and nature. This literature review is intended for programs that focus on nature and/or youth development so they can explore “what works” to support young people’s growth and to consider what might be useful to enhance programs and practices to allow youth to reach their fullest potential.
This toolkit helps cities measure their progress towards increasing equitable access to nature. It offers two resources to help your city understand and advance systems change, including the Systems Change Outcomes Tracking Tool and the Systems Change Internal Assessment Tool.
Equity serves as a central goal of the Cities Connecting Children to Nature initiative (CCCN). In this new equity resource, CCCN provides a snapshot into the current consensus within CCCN on definitions and principles for advancing equity, as well as a few illustrative examples of city progress and additional ideas.
The Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) initiative increased its focus on systems-level change and adopted a systems change framework. This brief discussion paper describes examples of structural change observed from 2015 to 2020 with CCCN cities. The paper was used to lead internal discussions among CCCN cities at a gathering in 2020.
The primary goal of this guide is to help you center Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) as fundamental values of event planning so that all feel welcome, valued and inspired.
We partnered with the Outdoor Foundation, Search Institute, and Fresh Tracks to better understand the intersection of youth development and nature-based programming. This work, made possible with funding from the S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation, resulted in the development of tools and resources that unite youth development and nature-based programs around a common goal of helping youth reach their full potential as people--and as nature advocates.
A roadmap to overcoming nature play barriers.
Nature Connection: Research shows that spending regular time in nature makes children healthier, happier and smarter.
Key strategies and policy tools to advance racial inclusion and equitable growth in cities.
Advocacy and planning resources for improving walkability can increase community access to green schoolyards.
These tools and resources will help you and your allies confidently “make the case” for green schoolyards, whether the audience is your school board, superintendent, principal, teachers, parents or community members.
This set of guides (U.S. and international) outlines 99 activities designed to help pre-K through high school students explore living school grounds.
The City of Madison’s inventory of green schoolyard features and outdoor educational infrastructure within the Madison Metropolitan School District guides use of existing infrastructure and priorities for improvements.
A collection of inspiring images and guidance for creating nature play spaces.
This lecture series highlights school districts innovating outdoor education spaces with a focus on storm water management.
Lessons learned, templates, and agreements for joint-use of school grounds in your community.
Roanoke school district’s innovative equity rating system to improve achievement for all students, including measures for consideration in selecting schools for green schoolyard programs.
Minneapolis Parks & Recreation Board uses equity-driven metrics for selecting projects in neighborhood parks.
This Placemaking Assessment Tool can help a community turn underused places into ones that attract people and activity, and support economic development in alignment with a community’s goals.
Resources, tips and ideas to prepare a class for the outdoors, manage students and transition back indoors, including a sample station rotation schedule, photo gallery, webinars, and more.
This toolkit shares lessons learned from California schools with successful joint use agreements, offering guidelines and templates for other communities seeking to increase access to school recreational facilities.
This agreement from Austin, TX is an example of how a school district and a city park department can specifies maintenance responsibilities for shared properties.
Comprehensive design intervention focused on promoting healthy outdoor environments at child care centers.
This simple one-page how-to guide provides fill-in charts to assess how many children and how much physical activity can be accommodated in an existing playground design.
This booklet is designed to be the starting point for anyone getting ready to take the next step toward doing more Placed-Based Education (PBE).
Sign up to receive this free Fall Playbook, full of ideas for play breaks, parenting tips, and expert advice designed to help your family thrive.
The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published updated guidelines for Operating Schools During COVID-19. The new version of their guidance includes recommendations for protecting K-12 school staff using the outdoors as one of the strategies, for some types of classes and programs.
In mid-May the Children & Nature Network, in collaboration with dozens of partners, disseminated a non-scientific survey to better understand how COVID-19, and resulting restrictions, have influenced the value their constituents place on nature as well as how their constituents view changes in the value society places on nature.
Latinx* organizations across the United States have invited the National Park Service – Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance (NPS-RTCA) program to partner with communities in making their conservation and outdoor recreation visions a reality. Together, we have worked to create and restore parks and trails, and conserve lands and rivers. The National Park Service (NPS) has helped strategize solutions and develop diverse outdoor recreation opportunities in Latinx communities.
The North American Association for Environmental Educators presents these guidelines and promising tools for schools and districts throughout the United States. They believe community-based environmental and outdoor education programs are essential partners in creating a more just and sustainable future for all and can offer some solutions to challenges schools face now and in the future.
This project is an evolving work. So far, it includes the views and opinions of more than 100 contributors, which do not necessarily reflect the official position of any individual or organization. It is now ready to evolve with your input.
Playgrounds are vital to the health and resilience of kids and communities. However, due to necessary COVID-19 public health measures, playgrounds across the United States closed this spring. KABOOM! has developed guidelines on how to reopen and promote safe usage of playgrounds
Tinkergarten has created a downloadable and easy to follow Camp Tinkergarten set up guide. These are simple steps plus resources to help turn your home into camp this summer.
The Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge connects leading outdoor brands with inclusion advocates to advance representation for people of color across the industry. We’re focused on enhancing representation across staff and executive teams, media and marketing, and athletes/ambassadors. By building a relationship of support, empathy and understanding, versus external skepticism and internal stress, we’re moving the outdoor industry towards authentic inclusion.
The Audubon Society is promoting Black Birders Week from May 31st to June 5th. Follow and post on social media.
Outdoor spaces are essential assets for school districts’ COVID-19 response across the USA. Green Schoolyards America recommends engaging school grounds and parks as strategic, cost-effective tools for improving academic, mental, and physical wellbeing as school reopen.
The Recreate Responsibly guidelines offer a starting point for getting outside to keep yourself healthy and to maintain access to our parks, trails, and beaches. #RecreateResponsibly to Protect Yourself, Others, and the Outdoors.
Keith Desrosiers, Thorne’s executive director, came up with the Outside Every Day Challenge and partnered with about 20 area nonprofits and government agencies as sponsors to promote ways to stay active during the coronavirus closures.
This beautiful downloadable guide is filled with information, strategies and practical ideas to help children and families adapt to social distancing and self-isolation measures.
The National Parks Service created graphics related to NPS COVID-19 response and social distancing that anyone can use on webpages, social media, and physical locations to promote best practices for health and safety related to COVID-19.
Together Bay Area is offering an ongoing series called 30 Minutes Together where they have virtual conversations with experts on nature and non-profits.
Tune into this video recording of a webinar hosted by the Avarna Group with over 300 members of the outdoor recreation, conservation, and environmental community as they explore how COVID-19 has impacted staff, constituents, communities, program participants, park visitors, and exposed structural inequities and injustices that predated the pandemic.
Latino Outdoors writes, “While sheltering-in-place, we can still practice radical self-love, expand our capacity to foster social inclusion, exercise personal power, and enjoy the growth that comes from stepping outside of our comfort zone, all by engaging in the varied practice of lifelong learning.”
Indigenous Climate Action has gathered these resources for Indigenous folks north of the medicine line, specifically. Included among the resources are links to webinars on Covid19 and Indigenous communities.
The #NatureForAll Discovery Zone. Curated from #NatureForAll partner resources, and ranging from videos to lesson plans, comic books to coloring books, this collection will help you connect people with nature, instill a love of nature and learn about nature wherever you are.
Virtual Expedition! Short, online videos of various naturalists exploring places and animals around the world. From temperate and tropical rainforests to the polar ice and all the remarkable places in between, these naturalists guide you to see & learn.
The World Urban Parks compiled a page of media resources, infographics and resources for physical and mental wellbeing.
The CitySprouts mission is to cultivate wonder for all children with hands-on learning through urban gardens. During the pandemic, our goal is to provide structure and support for children at home. Materials are appropriate for middle school-aged children.
As communities around the world are exploring new ways of teaching and learning at home, National Geographic invites you to join them for live broadcasts of Explorer Classroom.
The Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood is developing resources, tools and tips to help families adjust to the changes and anxiety of COVID-19. They are publishing resources from webinars with health experts to tips for managing social distancing for different age groups.
Wilderness Inquiry is offering online learning resources that will take you on adventures into Outdoor History and Culture, Environmental Science and Natural Resources, and more. New activities are released each week. Resources and opportunities available for older children and teens.
Sharing Nature Worldwide is offering free weekly nature awareness tips every Tues at 10 am PST via a Facebool live series. They will share stories, tips and activities for being with your child in nature during this social distancing time.
The Mighty Mississippi offers educators and students an electronic field trip down the Mississippi River. The curriculum is appropriate for students ages 5th – 8th grades and algins with NGSS standards. The experience offers interactive maps, short place-based videos, immersive 360 panoramas and multimedia activities.
Even if you have to stick close to home, there are still many activity guides and citizen science projects available for children of all ages to learn about environmental education. NEEF published the following list of resources which includes selected NEEF toolkits and activity guides that require minimal outdoor time.
Looking for nature-based activities to do at home? The Ecology School, an environmental school on the coast of Maine, is creating weekly short videos to help families connect with nature – indoors or outside. The videos are about 5 minutes long so they are easy and simple to watch.
The National Park Service and the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks, joined forces to offer ways to celebrate National Park week virtually, including a website focused on games and challenges.
Nature Play WA put together new resources to support families spending time together during the COVID-19 pandemic, and will be sharing some great resources for other like-minded organizations!
Experiential Consulting, LLC provides online, free resources for outdoor programs and schools to help navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
Schools may be closed – but that doesn’t mean learning has to stop. We pulled together Captain Planet Foundation-created resources that can be enjoyed by home learners and curated a guide of other free resources for K-12 students to continue learning and exploring their environment.
During this time of global health crisis, Families in Nature is offering families resources and ideas to get out into nature in your own backyard, to encourage siblings to play and learn together at home and to support or supplement a family’s science education. These resources are suitable for older school-aged children.
This page brings together activities from across Audubon’s national network of environmental educators, including classroom curriculum and related DIY activities and content from Audubon’s editors. These activities can be done at home or in a yard or park, sometimes with the help of a computer.
Julián Ruiz Sáez is a nature and forest therapy guide living in Uruguay. He created this indoor nature connection guided practice, a very simple, 20 minutes practice that you can do from your home, which only requires you to have “something natural” in your hands.
Green Schoolyards America is offering several resources to help bring outdoor learning home. Current resources explore “Math in Your Backyard” and “Bringing Outdoor Learning Home!”
In this time of extra stress and upheaval, getting outside every day is especially valuable. At the same time, there are many new challenges to making it happen — from the need for social distancing, to accommodating new remote learning and working schedules, and beyond.
The Child Mind Institute presents “Coping during COVID-19: Resources for Parents” with links to video chats, daily tips for parents, blog posts and other clinical and supportive resources to support families during this stressful time.
A resource from the National Parks and Recreation Association (NRPA) with tools such as blogs, webinars, infographics, podcasts, official statements and more related to access to parks and the outdoors during the global coronavirus pandemic.
In Tinkergarten® classes, trained leaders deliver our expert-designed curriculum of activities that help kids build the skills that matter most. Try them on your own and begin to see the power in outdoor, play-based learning. To a kid, these are just plain fun! Search for a new nature-based activity for your child here.
The coronavirus outbreak is officially a pandemic, according to the World Health Organization. Because of the racial and economic inequities embedded in our country’s systems, the effects of the coronavirus could be compounded for Black, Brown, Asian, and indigenous communities, as well as other population groups. The NAACP has released a resource to guide officials responsible for addressing health, economic, and other impacts, in remediating some of the issues that are disproportionately affecting communities of color.
The National League of Cities and Bloomberg Philanthropies have teamed up to collect and share actions taken by local leaders in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. They ask that local leaders collect and share the steps that local governments are taking to flatten the curve of COVID-19 transmission and respond to community impact.
From the Austin Parks Foundation, this downloadable resource shares tips for using parks during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The visual and easy to read tool is presented in English and Spanish.
The Children & Nature Network resource, Together in Nature, shares dozens of ideas for experiencing nearby nature with children of all ages. It also provides background on the benefits of the outdoors for families as well as FAQ.
The American Hiking Society has put together a resource for hiking, walking and running with your family during the Covid-19 pandemic. Please remember to follow the guidelines of your local government and the CDC.
How to plan, start and maintain native plant gardens in green schoolyards.
Sign up using your zip code for a free, downloadable list of plants that will attract pollinators and help you build beautiful pollinator habitat in your region. Canadian guidelines are also available.
The Providence Public School District distributes a request form to parents and guardians annually that, once signed, permits students to attend walking field trips to outdoor classrooms located nearby.
Park walk ability scores and green infrastructure are used as programmatic and funding strategies for schoolyard transformation.
All-inclusive resource for schoolyard habitat design, maintenance and programming.
With funding from the U.S. Forest Service, Milwaukee’s Green Schools program reduces storm water runoff, transforms asphalt surfaces, and provides valuable shade canopy where children play.
This guide offers five key strategies for reducing urban heat islands, including strategic vegetation and building practices.
The toolkit from Austin Public Schools and the Austin Area School Garden Collaborative connects educators with relevant research, project examples, how-to information, and local resources.
State trust fund supports projects enhancing play and outdoor learning on school grounds.
This toolkit from Denver includes how-to resources, videos and activity guides for shared maintenance responsibilities among the school, district facility management and community members.
Detailed descriptions and images for appropriate green tree planting and maintenance for green schoolyards.
New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection leads multiple agency partners in the design, construction and maintenance of sustainable green infrastructure on schoolyards and other spaces.
Omaha Public School’s guide for reducing storm water on school grounds, including lesson plans for teachers and maintenance resources for administrators
A comprehensive self-study to assess physical environment, interactions, programming, materials and teacher’s roles at early education sites.
A collection of surveys to delineate community needs and roles in schoolyard transformation.
Downloadable and customize these sample resources for joint use agreements between schools and city government.
A data collection tool to track how students travel to and from school and understand parents’ perceptions of safety.
Voters continuously approve a ballot initiative for bond funding to green schoolyards in San Francisco.
This Grounds for Change project helps schools develop outdoor curriculum and shares seven key steps for successful experiential learning programs in urban settings.
A conservation loans program that offers flexible financing with sustained technical assistance. Take the eligibility survey and apply for funding to support your schoolyard conservation project.
A guide with real-life examples, best practices and practical steps to help agencies implement a wellness policy and create sustainable site changes.
Join thousands of parents and educators who are weaving outdoor play into the fabric of their family’s lives; share photos, successes, struggles, and ideas for playing outdoors in all four seasons.
An example of how Arkansas tobacco excise tax helps fund shared use programs that benefit health and education.
This tool explores how libraries as nature connectors provide materials, programming, and leadership opportunities for youth to connect with nature in their neighborhoods.
National inventory of state farm to school legislation that can support green schoolyards.
This tool explores how service and conservation corps partnerships engage young people in outdoor, hands-on service while also accomplishing projects for cities.
The Nature Connection in Early Childhood Sites tool describes best practices in creating outdoor learning environments and supporting nature preschools to connect young children to nature in their daily life.
The Youth Leadership Development tool describes best practices in developing youth voice, connection to nature, and engagement in city planning processes.
Tips, tools and resources to help you grow green schoolyards in your community.
This thorough guide helps make the case that green infrastructure supports human health.
Use this guide to gain a better understanding of how to advocate about school sustainability with school boards.
Federal funds support the development of community learning centers for academic enrichment during non-school hours.
Guide to integrating community input into green infrastructure projects, featuring eight key steps.
A tool to support planning for long-term success of partnerships, policies and programs that promote equity in nature access for children
This survey was created to measure whether and how children have access to nature on early San Francisco education sites serving ages five and under.
Tools and a process for identifying indicators and measures of success in connecting children to nature.
This action-oriented guide supports local, state, and federal officials in planning for health at all levels to address determinants of chronic disease.
Insights from the Cities Connecting Children to Nature initiative guiding city leaders on strategies for equitable access to nature for children.
Planning tools to map city systems for asset/gap assessments and to identify strategies for equitable nature access.
This declaration from the International School Grounds Alliance (ISGA) shows how beneficial risk is an important component of schoolyard design and use.
Resources for school-driven environmental projects on schoolyards.
This policy outlines Providence Public School District’s goals and expectations relative to wellness for the entire school community.
Minneapolis Parks & Recreation Board uses equity-driven metrics to evaluate regional parks and trails, and ensure that investments are equitably targeted and support the MPRB’s Comprehensive Plan.
Eight actions for leaders to take to ensure that children in cities have access to play in nature.
This guide is intended to encourage partnerships between park agencies and stormwater agencies aimed at promoting the use of green infrastructure on park lands.
Muddy Hands presents the evidence for outdoor learning and play. It draws on data from the Outdoor Classroom Day 2017 survey, as well as findings from a wide range of literature that highlights the benefits, barriers and solutions to getting children outdoors. Features a foreword from C&NN co-founder, Richard Louv.
Tips to help schools and school communities design and host monarch butterfly habitat to learn about wildlife conservation and support cross-curricular learning.
National guidance, considerations and advocacy strategies for green schoolyards as a place for essential recess time that promotes children’s physical fitness, healthy growth and development.
This guide, created through a public review process, marries professional standards with environmental educators’ best practices in community engagement, including case studies and a 25-item toolkit.
The Urban Biodiversity Inventory Framework (UBIF) is a tool tthat help cities make appropriate management decisions to protect and enhance urban biodiversity.
This guidebook outlines benefits, planning process and types of green storm water infrastructure on school grounds.
This framework describes a set of potential outcomes with which green schoolyards can be evaluated across a city, county or school district. The short- and long-term outcomes may be considered at any stage of the development of green schoolyard programs, while also providing potential evaluative options for longitudinal, multi-city research.
An interactive tool and index that ranks America’s 100 largest cities and their park systems.
Austin’s Nature Equity Score is a data-based decision-making tool that helps city and community leaders determine where to pilot green schoolyard projects.
Why do children need green school grounds? This short, compelling video can help you make your case.
Based on a decade of data, this website documents the benefits associated with participation in and public support for afterschool programs.
The FWS Schoolyard Habitat program allows teachers and students learn about the outdoors in a broad, interdisciplinary context. through building habitat for wildlife.
This tool was created to conduct an audit of attendance and amenities usage at a park and green schoolyard to help decision-makers plan for redevelopment.
The City of Austin prioritizes schoolyard parks as a strategy to equitably connect children to nature and developed a bilingual photo-based online survey to collect community input.
Green schoolyards selection criteria prioritizes stormwater capture and equitable access.
Information about how to start a school garden and green schoolyard projects as vital learning tools for students.
This fact sheet introduces shared use as a strategy for reducing health disparities by creating equitable opportunities for recreation in parks and schoolyards.
Growing food on your green schoolyard? Follow these protocols for safe and healthy harvest and food service.
This report highlights environmental literacy plans in nine U.S. states and offers recommendations for successful plan development.
An Arkansas state tax on tobacco funds partnerships that promote physical activity in schools.
A roadmap for the City and its residents to make Chicago a healthier, more vibrant place to live and work, including green schoolyards as a strategy.
Analysis and examples of state liability laws provide guidance for designing shared use policies.
The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model coordinates policy, process and practice to improve learning and health.
The NAP Outdoor Play and Learning Assessment employs the latest research on how early care and education programs can help children age five and under develop healthy habits.
This brief document shares strategies and critical considerations for authentically engaging community in planning a green schoolyard.
This schoolyard design photo survey models a simple way to engage school staff, teachers, parents, students and local community members in the early steps of a participatory design process.
This guide outlines successful components used in years of Boston-based schoolyard design.
This guide provides information, examples and considerations for working with public agencies and developing partnerships with public schools to develop school gardens.
This guide outlines concepts and components refined by the Boston Schoolyard Initiative over several years, including community-based planning and design.
How-to guide for using the Bridging the Gap Park Observation Form for Understanding Community Obesity Measures.
The Bridging the Gap Community Obesity Measures Project aims to improve understanding of policies and environmental factors that likely determine healthy diet, physical activity, and obesity in youth.
Advocacy tips for local policy change from the Wisconsin Association of School Boards.
Assessment helps community members work with school districts and municipal officials to promote policies that encourage schoolyard improvements, shared use and ongoing maintenance.
This compendium of surveys helps organizations delivering nutrition education in California measure changes in fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, food security and other related factors.
A guide for transforming ordinary asphalt and turf grass schoolyards into vibrant ecosystems
Ten reasons schools should consider green schoolyards for furthering educational goals and objectives.
The D.C. Healthy Schools Act supports healthy school meals, locally-grown food, local wellness policies, healthy vending, physical activity, health education and more.
Prevent vandalism on your schoolyard with Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), used by architects, city planners, landscape and interior designers, and law enforcement to create a safer community.
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