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...
Trying & Tasting New Flavors – NLI Short
Trying & Tasting New Flavors – NLI Short By: Natural Learning Initiative This micro-documentary YouTube “short” (2:23) features Abe Shaw from A Safe Place Child Enrichment Center in Raleigh, NC. In this video, Abe leads a lesson called...
Weeding, Planting, & Watering – NLI Short
Weeding, Planting, & Watering – NLI Short By: Natural Learning Initiative This micro-documentary YouTube “short” (1:59) shows preschoolers preparing raised beds and planting warm season annual veggies with “companion” marigolds....
Examining & Sprouting Seeds – NLI Short
Examining & Sprouting Seeds – NLI Short By: Natural Learning Initiative “Examining & Sprouting Seeds” is part of a series of 2-3-min YouTube videos illustrating children’s interactions with early childhood outdoor play and learning...
Broccoli-Trees You Can Eat! – NLI Short
Broccoli-Trees You Can Eat! – NLI Short By: Natural Learning Initiative “Broccoli-Trees You Can Eat!” is part of a series of 2-3-min YouTube videos illustrating children’s interactions with early childhood outdoor play and learning spaces...
Harvesting Collards – NLI Short
Harvesting Collards – NLI Short By: Natural Learning Initiative “Harvesting Collards” is the first in a series of 3-min videos on YouTube illustrating children’s interactions with early childhood outdoor play and learning spaces (ECOPALS™) – in...
The NLI Website Becomes Multilingual
NLI The NLI Website Becomes Multilingual We’re thrilled to expand our global reach and make our resources more accessible than ever with the new GTranslate plugin on our website! As part of our mission to connect children and families with nature through outdoor...
From Teepee to Conical
From Teepee to Conical “Conical” is the new name adopted by NLI because of cultural appropriation issues, for conical structures installed in children’s outdoor play and learning areas, previously called teepees (tepees or tipis). The latter are loanwords from...
Shepherd’s Way Infant Parklet
Shepherd’s Way Infant Parklet By: Natural Learning Initiative In this video, we see how two parking spaces at Shepherd’s Way Day School were transformed into a baby parklet, providing a safe and engaging outdoor environment for young children. The timber...
Infants & Toddlers Outdoors: Best Practice Toolkit (partial)
Gathering & Tour: DCDEE North Central Region
NLI Gathering & Tour: DCDEE North Central Region As part of the two-year project, Supporting Naturalized Outdoor Play and Learning Environments in North Carolina Child Care Facilities, the Growing Place Child Care Center, Asheboro, NC, hosted a regional Gathering...
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NC Solar Farm: Agrivoltaic Visioning Workshop
NLI NC Solar Farm: Agrivoltaic Visioning Workshop Agrivoltaics Background With the adoption of a recent Climate Action Plan, Orange County, North Carolina, intends to deploy strategies and actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase renewable energy capacity,...
The NLI Resource Hub: A New Tool for Educational Resources
NLI The NLI Resource Hub: A New Tool for Educational Resources In an ongoing effort to enhance the accessibility and impact of our educational materials, the Natural Learning Initiative (NLI) has launched the NLI Resource Hub, a user-friendly, filterable search engine...
Kids Together Playground Interactive Virtual Tour
NLI Kids Together Playground Interactive Virtual Tour Kids Together Playground, a universally-designed, family recreation space in Cary, NC, opened in 2000, designed by NLI’s Robin Moore in collaboration with Little and Little and staff landscape architect, Robb...
Making a Terrarium
Making a Terrarium By: Natural Learning Initiative Terrariums are a fun and attractive way to bring nature indoors. Using easily found and inexpensive materials, you can create a small world of wonder for children and adults alike. With figurines, plants, and found...
Creating a Fairy Garden
Creating a Fairy Garden By: Natural Learning Initiative Fairy gardens are homes for elves, fairies, and other beings of children’s imagination. They provide enchanted places that stimulate creative, dramatic play in make believe settings. Creating a fairy village...
NLI Community-Based Design Process
NLI Community-Based Design Process By: Natural Learning Initiative The NLI design team engages teachers, caregivers, and stakeholders in a community-centered design process that is grounded in innovative, accessible, and low-cost strategies to create high-quality play...
POD Design Implementation
POD Design Implementation By: Natural Learning Initiative Robin C. Moore, Dipl.Arch, MCP, Hon.ASLA, Hon.IPA is a Professor of Landscape Architecture and Director of the Natural Learning Initiative, College of Design, NC State University. Watch Next! Free the Kids...
Looping Primary Pathway
Looping Primary Pathway By: Natural Learning Initiative Primary pathways promote physical activity by facilitating running, chase games, and wheeled toy use. They provide circulation throughout the outdoor learning environment and connect play settings for children...
Play and Learning Settings
Play and Learning Settings By: Natural Learning Initiative A diversity of play and learning settings is key to high-quality outdoor learning environments. A variety of settings encourages children to be more physically active, play cooperatively, and engage in outdoor...
Outdoor Classrooms
Outdoor Classrooms By: Natural Learning Initiative Outdoor classrooms facilitate unique learning experiences that connect children to the natural world. Indoor-outdoor curriculum connections allow children to reflect on their outdoor experiences and share their...
Farm to Child Care
Farm to Child Care By: Natural Learning Initiative Farm to Child Care brings North Carolina grown fruits and vegetables into child care facilities for meals and snacks. Centers that grow their own fresh foods strengthen experiential learning opportunities for children...
Garden Planning and Caring
Garden Planning and Caring By: Natural Learning Initiative Gardening allows children to experience every stage of growth from planting to harvest. Raised beds, container gardens, and edible shrubs are critical components for designing high-quality edible landscapes...
Connecting Natural Learning Environments to Farm to Child Care
Connecting Natural Learning Environments to Farm to Child Care By: Natural Learning Initiative Childcare Network #61 (Wanda Davis, Director) is one of 16 Wake County, NC centers implementing the Preventing Obesity by Design (POD) strategy developed by the Natural...
We Change the Culture Here
We Change the Culture Here By: Natural Learning Initiative “A Safe Place” is one of 16 Wake County, NC centers implementing the Preventing Obesity by Design (POD) strategy developed by the Natural Learning Initiative, College of Design, North Carolina State...
Garden Harvesting, Preparing, Snacking
Garden Harvesting, Preparing, Snacking By: Natural Learning Initiative Children who grow their own fruits and vegetables are more likely to try and enjoy new foods. Harvesting, snacking on, and preparing fresh foods help children build healthy eating habits that can...
Incremental Development
Incremental Development By: Natural Learning Initiative The creation of a high-quality outdoor learning environment doesn’t happen overnight. Projects develop in phases as funding, volunteers, and resources become available. A masterplan guides the phasing of projects...
Elements of Urban Form
Elements of Urban Form By: Natural Learning Initiative There are 5 urban form elements that influence design practice and policy. They are pathways, nodes, landmarks, districts, and edges. Watch Next! OMO dirt is good Wolfpack Wellness Research Web Series:...
Affordance and Behavior Setting
Affordance and Behavior Setting By: Natural Learning Initiative Affordance is a perceptional relationship between functional properties of environments and skills of individual users. Watch Next! Wolfpack Wellness Research Web Series: “Preventing Obesity by...
Playgrounds to Outdoor Learning Environments
Playgrounds to Outdoor Learning Environments By: Natural Learning Initiative Childcare outdoor learning environment to support young children’s physical activity, healthy eating, and outdoor learning. Watch Next! Garden Harvesting, Preparing, Snacking Garden...
This is why play is so important
This is why play is so important By: Playful Childhoods ‘This is why play is so important’ captures why play is vital to children’s development, mental health, wellbeing, and happiness. From street play to playgrounds, living rooms to back gardens, the film captures...
