The Butterfly Buddies Explore Outdoors
The Butterfly Buddies Explore Outdoors Join the Butterfly Buddies as they discover the magic of naturalized play! A new children’s book is helping South Carolina early childhood educators and families see why. The resource was developed by the Natural Learning...
Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Parks and Recreation Division (PRD)
Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Parks and Recreation Division (PRD) NATURAL PLAY AND LEARNING SPACES (NPALS) DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM The Michigan Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Division, through this project seeks to fulfill Objective...
NLI Newsletter – September / October 2025
Rooting Childhood in Nature – NLI hosted its 18th Design Institute
25th Anniversary Retrospective Exhibition
DCDEE Statewide Gathering at the NC Zoo
Trolls Take Root at Dix Park
NLI Newsletter – July / August 2025
Join NLI for a Virtual Field Trip at Verner Central!
Grow Outdoors South Carolina Website Launched!
Declining Children’s Health & Nature Connectedness
NLI 25th Anniversary Exhibition
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NLI 25th Anniversary Exhibition – Rooting Childhood in Nature
NLI 25th Anniversary Exhibition – Rooting Childhood in Nature The NLI 25th Anniversary Exhibition, held October 21-31, 2025, in the Brooks Hall Gallery at NC State University’s College of Design, beautifully showcased 25 years of impact advancing children’s health,...
Trolls Take Root at Dix Park
Trolls Take Root at Dix Park A family of giant trolls has made Dix Park their new home—and they’re here to spark imagination and inspire care for the earth. Hidden among the trees and trails, these five towering sculptures are the work of Danish artist and...
DCDEE Annual Statewide Gathering at the NC Zoo
DCDEE Annual Statewide Gathering at the NC Zoo On September 24, 2025, early childhood leaders and partners gathered at the NC Zoo in Asheboro for the Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) Statewide Gathering: Advancing Naturalized Outdoor Play and...
Outdoor Learning in Head Start Programs – Gallery
Outdoor Learning in Head Start Programs – Gallery AllHead Start GalleryCADA Head Start @ Scotland Neck CADA Head Start @ Halifax Community College White Oak Head Start Head Start Station Connie Redding Head Start Brentwood Head Start Pine Street Head Start...
Children’s Health & Nature Connectedness
Children’s Health & Nature Connectedness New research articles about the declining health of U.S. children and the loss of “nature connectedness” in the U.K., simultaneously give cause for alarm but also validate growth of the children and nature movement,...
18th NLI Design Institute and 25th Anniversary Celebration!
The 18th NLI Design Institute lives on! Rooting Childhood in Nature Webinar Series. Rooting Childhood in Nature was the 18th Design Institute & Exhibition theme, celebrating NLI’s 25th Anniversary, now reprocessed, with support from our sponsors, as a...
NLI Newsletter – May / June 2025
NLI receives the NC State 2025 Opal Mann Green Engagement and Scholarship Award!
Celebrate Earth Day
NLI Sponsors a Creative Studio Experience
Conestee Park Opening
NLI at EDRA 56: Communicating Interdisciplinary Research-Based Design
NLI at EDRA 56: Communicating Interdisciplinary Research-Based Design The Natural Learning Initiative (NLI) participated in EDRA 56 with a substantial group of College of Design colleagues. NLI showcased five distinct but interconnected presentations at the 56th...
Children & Nature Network 2025 – Nature Everywhere Conference
Children & Nature Network 2025 – Nature Everywhere Conference “Nature Everywhere” 2025 Conference Organizing Committee The 2025 Nature Everywhere Conference, held from May 13–16 at the RiverCentre in St. Paul, Minnesota, brought together over 600 global...
Gipson Play Plaza – Dix Park – Grand Opening
Gipson Play Plaza – Dix Park – Grand Opening Gipson Play Plaza (GPP) On June 6, GPP opened as the first major investment and iconic, welcoming entrance to Raleigh’s 308-acre Dix Park, as specified in the 2019 park master plan created by Michael Van...
NLI Newsletter – March / April 2025
NLI receives the NC State 2025 Opal Mann Green Engagement and Scholarship Award!
Celebrate Earth Day
NLI Sponsors a Creative Studio Experience
Conestee Park Opening
NLI Newsletter – January / February 2025
Harvesting the Sun Twice – Agrivoltaics
In this video short, explore Breeze Farm!
Sterling Montessori NLI Design Program
NLI Webinar hosted by Michigan DNR-Parks and Recreation Division (PRD)
NLI EDRA Poster Bibliography
Early childhood outdoor play and learning resources.
NLI Sponsors a Creative Studio Experience
NLI Sponsors a Creative Studio Experience Group photo in the Hunt Library visualization lab after successful proposal presentations This semester, Victoria Chi’s freshman studio course (GD210 Image & Tech Tinkering) partnered with the Natural Learning Initiative...
NLI receives the NC State 2025 Opal Mann Green Engagement and Scholarship Award!
NLI receives the NC State 2025 Opal Mann Green Engagement and Scholarship Award! Pictured from left to right are: Robin Moore; David Monks, PhD, Vice Provost for Extension and Engagement; Nilda Cosco, PhD; Matt Babb; Soolyeon Cho, PhD; Adam Noel; Adrienne Murrell. As...
Celebrate Earth Day 2025
Celebrate Earth Day 2025 On NLI’s 25th Earth Day, we invite you to celebrate nature’s lowly childhood friends: buttercups, daisies, dandelions, and – violets! Children explore and discover the wonders of nature within an intimate sensory envelope as they move around,...
NLI Student Summer Internship
Early childhood outdoor play and learning resources.
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DCDEE Naturalizing NC Childcare
DCDEE Naturalizing NC Childcare Supporting Naturalized Outdoor Play and Learning Environments in North Carolina Child Care Facilities The Natural Learning Initiative (NLI) and the Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) have relaunched the Creating a...
Robin Moore, NLI Director, is honored by NC State University and the U.S. Play Coalition
Robin Moore, NLI Director, is honored by NC State University and the U.S. Play Coalition Robin is a recipient of the 2020-2021 Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal for Excellence, the highest academic honor bestowed by the NC State Board of Trustees for outstanding and...
Nilda Cosco Honored with Multiple Awards
Nilda Cosco Honored with Multiple Awards Dr. Nilda Cosco, Research Associate Professor, Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, Director of Programs, Natural Learning Initiative, College of Design, receives multiple honors as an Extension and Engagement...
EDRA Awards 2023
EDRA Awards 2023 The 2023 Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) Career and Organization Awards go to Robin Moore and the Natural Learning Initiative (NLI, co-founded by Robin Moore and Nilda Cosco, PhD, in 2000), College of Design, NC State University. EDRA...
Sterling Montessori Academy and Charter School
Project Sterling Montessori Academy and Charter School Sterling Montessori Academy and Charter School (SMACS) in Morrisville, NC, partnered with the Natural Learning Initiative (NLI) to redesign its outdoor play and learning spaces (OPALS), aligning them with...
NLI Delivers Webinar with Michigan DNR
NLI Delivers Webinar with Michigan DNR Quick Links: Michigan DNR Website Nature Awaits Youth Program Support MDNR Programs Broadcast Date:December 16th 2024 6:30pm EST NLI Webinar hosted by Michigan DNR-Parks and Recreation Division (PRD) “Creating Natural Play and...
05 Gathering Settings Created with Logs
NLI (Natural Learning Initiative) Infosheets are printable how-to guides for installing affordable do-it-yourself outdoor design interventions for creating early childhood naturalized outdoor play and learning environments! For informational 1-page printable hand-outs...
NLI Newsletter – November / December 2024
NLI 2024 WRAPPED!
It’s time to take a look back on the incredible year we’ve had!
Ross Park Zoo: Creekside Play and Learning Center Award
Gathering & Tour: DCDEE North Central Region
NLI Newsletter – September / October 2024
Trying & Tasting New Flavors
In this video, Abe leads a conversation about flavors.
From Teepee to Conical
The NLI Website Becomes Multilingual!
Conestee Nature Preserve Recovery
NLI Newsletter – July / August 2024
The NLI Resource Hub: A New Tool for Educational Resources
A user-friendly, filterable NLI search engine.
NC Solar Farm: Agrivoltaic Visioning Workshop
Kids Together Playground Interactive Virtual Tour Kids Together Playground, a universally
Gardening With Young Children Certificate Course (GWYC)
Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments Certificate (ECOLE)
Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments Certificate
Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments Certificate EARLY CHILDHOOD OUTDOOR LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS CERTIFICATE COURSE is targeted towards early childhood professionals and others interested in improving early childhood outdoor play and learning environments....
Ross Park Zoo: Creekside Play and Learning Center update
Ross Park Zoo: Creekside Play and Learning Center update We are excited to announce that NLI’s Ross Park Zoo partners, Bingamton NY, have been awarded $300,000 from a local foundation to support construction of the Creekside Play and Learning Center. This first phase...
Kids Together Playground Virtual Environment
The Kids Together Playground Virtual Environment is a simulated 3D recreation of the young children area of Kids Together Playground in Cary, NC. Developed by DELTA (Digital Education and Learning Technology Applications) at NCSU as part of an exploratory grant with...
Eating and Learning with Apples – NLI Short
Eating and Learning with Apples – NLI Short By: Natural Learning Initiative (Eating and Learning with Apples Video) NC Crunch this Fall celebrated NC Farm to School and Early Care and Education Month by hosting events at more than a dozen Wake County Childcare...
Building a Children’s Garden – NLI Short
Building a Children’s Garden – NLI Short By: Natural Learning Initiative In November of 2023, NLI collaborated with the NC State University Department of Horticultural Science to deploy nature-based design interventions in two North Carolina child care...
