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 Center for Early Learning
Project Verner Center for Early Learning Welcome to the outdoor learning environment Virtual Field Trip to the new Verner Center for Early Learning (“Verner Central”), in West Asheville, NC, adjacent to the new Emma Elementary School. Verner Central grew from “Danny”...
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....
Deepti Adlakha at Restorative Cities + Urban Mental Health Roundtable
NLI Deepti Adlakha at Restorative Cities + Urban Mental Health Roundtable NLI Director, Dr. Deepti Adlakha, was a panelist at the University of Virginia, School of Architecture’s Restorative Cities + Urban Mental Health Roundtable held on Sept. 9th, with Dr. Aaron...
Children Who Play in Forests and Parklands Rather Than Gravel Yards Have Stronger Immune Systems
NLI Children Who Play in Forests and Parklands Rather Than Gravel Yards Have Stronger Immune Systems Finnish researchers added greenery and soil to daycare outdoor play areas. Findings Children got an immune boost and more diverse microbiota in the skin and gut. The...
Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments Certificate (Nemours)
NLI Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments Certificate (Nemours) EARLY CHILDHOOD OUTDOOR LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS CERTIFICATE COURSE is targeted towards early childhood professionals and others interested in improving early childhood outdoor play and learning...
Kids in the Woods at Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preserve
Project NLI Kids in the Woods at Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preserve The mission of Kids in the Woods is to foster the physical, mental, and spiritual health of children through interaction with nature in a safe and stimulating outdoor environment. To help create a fun...
NLI Newsletter – August 2022
12th Annual Growing IN Place Symposium: Urban Outdoor Play and Learning: Post-Pandemic Lessons for Policy and Practice
Register today for the 12th Annual Growing In Place Symposium: Urban Outdoor Play and Learning
Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments
Designing Early Childhood Outdoor Environments Certificate
Conestee Nature Preserve Nature Playscape
Conestee Nature Preserve: Nature Playscape
Project Conestee Nature Preserve: Nature Playscape Photo Credit: Brandon Dupree The new Nature Playscape at Conestee Nature Preserve, Greenville, SC, opened to swarms of excited kids and accompanying family members, April 12, 2025! After overcoming severe setbacks...
NLI Newsletter – July 2022
Social Media Mining to Inform Park Use and Public Health Decision-Making
Study on social media’s role in park use and public health.
12th Annual Growing IN Place Symposium
Integrating Gardening Resources Into EFNEP Curriculum
POEMS and COLEQT Online Courses
Healthy Childhoods via Childcare Outdoor Design
Healthy Childhoods via Childcare Outdoor Design NLI and SC partners presented at Health in All Design, the 53rd Environmental Design Research Association Conference (EDRA), Greenville, SC. L-R: Misty Pearson, Early Care and Education Consultant, DHEC; Robin Moore,...
Social Media Mining to Inform Park Use and Public Health Decision-Making
NLI Social Media Mining to Inform Park Use and Public Health Decision-Making Research Question: Are tweets about parks and public health a valid source of data to inform practitioner decision-making about related programs, policies, and design? NLI’s Director, Deepti...
Aurelian Springs Institute of Global Learning
Healthy Habits, Healthy Kids NLI Aurelian Springs Institute of Global Learning Aurelian Springs Institute of Global Learning planted thirteen trees and constructed an arbor to offer more shading for the children. A primary pathway was installed, among other settings...
A-Z Children’s Enrichment Academy
Shape NC NLI A-Z Children’s Enrichment Academy A to Z Children’s Enrichment Academy is located in Roanoke Rapid, NC. The center has several existing trees that provide natural shade and play value. The area, freestanding swing, and raise deck are a welcome...
CADA Head Start @ Scotland Neck
Healthy Habits, Healthy Kids CADA Head Start @ Scotland Neck CADA @ Scotland Neck added an arbor and a wheeled toy bridge that was constructed and installed attached to an existing primary pathway. The center added dramatic play, sand and water play, an outdoor...
