NLI Newsletter – July 2023
NLI Shorts! Broccoli–Trees You Can Eat!
Part of a series of 2-3-min YouTube videos on children’s outdoor play.
Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments Certificate Course
Washington Post Article: The future is a playground
Washington Terrace
Design interventions at Washington Terrace (WT)
NLI Design interventions at Washington Terrace (WT) Design interventions at Washington Terrace (WT), a 23-acre, rebuilt neighborhood in East Raleigh’s historic African American community, aimed at creating an active, healthy neighborhood, began in 2016 when NLI...
The future is a playground – Washington Post Article
NLI The future is a playground – Washington Post Article NLI’s Robin Moore was recently cited in a Washington Post article on the future of playgrounds. The article highlights several play spaces Moore was involved with including The Nature Playscape at the...
NLI Newsletter – June 2023
NLI Shorts! Examining & Sprouting Seeds
Part of a 2-3-min YouTube series on children’s outdoor play.
Nemours Children’s Health Convening 2023
Kids Together Playground
Schott Nature PlayScape
Nemours Children’s Health Healthy Kids, Healthy Future Technical Assistance Program Convening 2023
NLI Nemours Children’s Health Healthy Kids, Healthy Future Technical Assistance Program Convening 2023 NLI attended a virtual convening hosted from June 6-7 by the Nemours Children’s Health National Office of Policy and Prevention. This event brought together...
The Nature PlayScape at Cincinnati Nature Center
Project NLI The Nature PlayScape at Cincinnati Nature Center The Schott Nature PlayScape resulted from a NLI professional development course for regional landscape architects on designing for childhood and nature, delivered through collaboration with the Niehoff Urban...
Kids Together Playground
Project NLI Kids Together Playground Kids Together Playground (KTP), designed by Robin Moore with Little and Little Landscape Architects, opened coincident with NLI in 2000. The Town of Cary Parks Commission envisioned a family playscape based on universal and...
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Texas Tech Colleague Wins Poster Competition
NLI Texas Tech Colleague Wins Poster Competition Nazia Afrin Trina wins first place in the Graduate Student Poster Competition organized by the Texas Tech University Obesity Research Institute. Nazia Afrin Trina, an international student at Texas Tech...
NLI Newsletter – May 2023
The Importance of Hands-on Gardening
Results show preschool gardening increases activity, reduces sedentary time.
Acknowledging Ancestral Lands Statement Released
Introducing the Green Desk Tabbing System
Texas Tech Colleague Wins Poster Competition
NLI Newsletter – April 2023
Earth Day 2023
An 11-year-old’s message on nature’s importance in 1979.
Conestee Nature Playscape
Anne Springs Close Greenway
Free Woodchips
Acknowledging Ancestral Lands
Early childhood outdoor play and learning resources.
Earth Day 2023
NLI Earth Day 2023 “EVERYTHING SHOULD HAVE NATURE” was a World Environment Day message from an 11-year-old for the International Year of the Child (1979), participating in CHILDREN CAN TOO! – a project of the U.S. branch of IPA (International Play Association)* – an...
Anne Springs Close Greenway (ASCG)
Project NLI Anne Springs Close Greenway (ASCG) Anne Springs Close Greenway, Fort Mill, SC, Announces $125k Pledge to Support Children’s Nature Playscape Drive into the Anne Springs Close Greenway’s busiest entrance on any warm spring day and you are immediately met...
Soolyeon Cho, PhD
Soolyeon Cho, PhD, is Interim Director of NLI; Associate Dean of Research, Doctoral Programs, and Global Engagement; Professor of Architecture; Director of Building Energy Technology Lab (BETlab). Dr. Cho’s research is interdisciplinary, dealing with both architectural, environmental, and engineering subjects for the design and development of sustainable built environment.
Greenspring Montessori School
Project NLI Greenspring Montessori School Greenspring Montessori School (GMS), with five decades of growth serving the greater Baltimore region, decided it was time to assess the value of their outdoor environment and create a schematic design to guide future...
Free Wood Chips!
NLI Free Wood Chips! Local arborist companies often provide free wood chips from trees they trim to anyone in the area who requests them. Chips may include tiny sticks, leaves, etc., but they work well as mulch on pathways and as a ground cover in heavily...
NLI Newsletter – March 2023
NLI Welcomes Dr. Soolyeon Cho as Interim Director
Dr. Soolyeon Cho is the Interim Director of the Natural Learning Initiative.
Greenspring Montessori
Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments Certificate
Gardening With Young Children Course
Verner Central (VC) at Emma Elementary
Project NLI Verner Central (VC) at Emma Elementary Verner Central (VC) at Emma Elementary, the new Center for Early Learning in West Asheville, NC, grew from “Danny” Verner’s 2001 vision for early care and education for mountain area children and families. As NLI had...
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....
Gardening With Young Children Course
Gardening With Young Children Course The Gardening with Young Children Course is a 5-week self-paced distance learning course hosted on the NCSU online platform, Moodle. This course is worth 1.0 Continuing Education Units (CEUs). CEU is awarded by the McKimmon Center...
Start Small–With A Vision
NLI Start Small–With A Vision Kim Shaw will be giving a Keynote at Antioch University during the In Bloom Conference Educators observe children’s affinity to be outside. Once you learn the importance of that relationship, you want to commit to what it takes to make...
NLI Newsletter – February 2023
NLI Shorts! New Video Series Launched
“Harvesting Collards” is the first in a series of 3-min YouTube videos on gardening.
Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments Certificate
Verner Central (VC) at Emma Elementary
Start Small-With A Vision
Ross Park Playful Learning Forest
Project NLI Ross Park Playful Learning Forest The Ross Park Playful Learning Forest Master Plan (Design Program + Site Plan) was initiated with a community survey and a two- day site visit, including a stakeholder workshop facilitated by NLI. The vision projected by...
NLI’s Early Childhood Professional Development Program on a roll!
NLI NLI’s Early Childhood Professional Development Program on a roll! In 2022, NLI offered five Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments courses to designers and educators. The 170+ participants left energized and ready to share what they learned as both seasoned...
Buenos Aires Ecological Reserve
NLI Buenos Aires Ecological Reserve The regenerative power of nature continues to inspire NLI’s passion for restoring biodiversity to hundreds of patches of dirt to support the thriving of human life. A dramatic example is the Buenos Aires Ecological Reserve, worked...
Need and Interest in Nature Prescriptions to Protect Cardiovascular and Mental Health
NLI Need and Interest in Nature Prescriptions to Protect Cardiovascular and Mental Health A Nationally-Representative Study With Insights for Future Randomised Trials NLI Director, Dr. Deepti Adlakha worked alongside Australian researchers to release their latest...
NLI Newsletter – December 2022
Wishing You a Peaceful and Productive Year Ahead!
View NLI’s end-of-year greeting card here
Hands-on Childcare Garden Intervention
Where are the Bacon Seeds?
Winter Play and Learning Outdoors
Happy Holidays 2022
Happy Holidays from the Natural Learning Initiative! Join us as we celebrate nature play and learning with our holiday postcard.
Where are the Bacon Seeds?
NLI Where are the Bacon Seeds? This preschooler quote introduced Dr. Nilda Cosco’s closing keynote to the Association of State Public Health Nutritionists (ASPHN). Subtitled, “Outcomes of the Randomized Control Trial on Childcare Outdoor Learning Environments as...
Hands-on Childcare Garden Intervention
Research NLI Hands-on childcare garden intervention: A randomized controlled trial to assess effects on fruit and vegetable identification, liking, and consumption among children aged 3–5 years in North Carolina Authors: Nilda G. Cosco, Nancy M. Wells, Daowen Zhang,...
NLI Newsletter – November 2022
Extending the Growing Season
Building a cold frame is a great way to extend the growing season.
NLI session at the 2022 Extension State Conference
Rash Field Park Recognized
Micromobility Research with SPIN
NLI session at the 2022 NC Extension State Conference
NLI NLI session at the 2022 NC Extension State Conference NLI presented a session led by Laura Lloyd and Bria Sledge at the 2022 Extension State Conference, Greensboro, NC, in October 2022. Aimed at demonstrating the impact of diverse, naturalized environments in...
Micromobility Research with SPIN
NLI Micromobility Research with SPIN NLI Director Deepti Adlakha has been awarded a research contract to study micromobility across the NCSU campus alongside fellow colleagues Aaron Hipp in CNR, Eleni Bardaka in engineering, and Waugh (John) Wright in ITRE. This study...
NLI Newsletter – October 2022
Register today for the upcoming POEMS and COLEQT online courses!
Registration is currently open for POEMS and COLEQT courses.
NLI at the NEAFCS Annual Session
Restorative Cities + Urban Mental Health Roundtable
Using Pumpkins to Support Learning
NLI Newsletter – September 2022
Registration closing soon! Join us on Sept. 7th for the 12th Annual Growing IN Place Symposium!
The 12th Annual Growing In Place Symposium: Urban Outdoor Play and Learning
Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments
Designing Early Childhood Outdoor Environments Certificate
Hoffler Creek
NLI at the NEAFCS Annual Session
NLI NLI at the NEAFCS Annual Session Mid-September, enthusiastic cooperative extension professionals, interested in early childhood gardening and healthy eating toured the gardens and play and learning settings at A Safe Place Child Enrichment Center, Raleigh, NC....
