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Edible Plants

Safely Installing Planters on Asphalt

Safely Installing Planters on Asphalt

Naturalizing Chain link Fences

Naturalizing Chain link Fences

Harvesting and Eating Sunflower Seeds

Harvesting and Eating Sunflower Seeds

Sensory Gardens

Sensory Gardens

Engaging Community Resources

Engaging Community Resources

Farm to Preschool

Farm to Preschool

Theme Gardens

Theme Gardens

Children’s Vegetable Gardens: Introduction

Children’s Vegetable Gardens: Introduction

Early Spring in the Garden

Early Spring in the Garden

Pressure Treated Wood

Pressure Treated Wood

Plant of the Month: March – Spring Starflower

Plant of the Month: March – Spring Starflower

Having a Picnic

Having a Picnic

Growing Tomatoes in Preschool Gardens

Growing Tomatoes in Preschool Gardens

Plant of the Month: July – Rabbiteye Blueberry

Plant of the Month: July – Rabbiteye Blueberry

Plant of the Month: August – Passionflower

Plant of the Month: August – Passionflower

Plant of the Month: April – Redbud

Plant of the Month: April – Redbud

Gardening with Children Resources

Gardening with Children Resources

11th Annual NLI Design Institute

11th Annual NLI Design Institute

7th Annual NLI Design Institute

7th Annual NLI Design Institute

Next Entries »

VIEW DISCLAIMER

The Natural Learning Initiative (NLI), its partners and supporting entities assume no responsibility for the installation of outdoor components and/or designs and their use. In no event will NLI be liable for any loss or damage, including without limitation, indirect or consequential, incurred during the construction or use of outdoor play and learning environments. NLI further suggests adherence to the guidelines set forth in the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Public Playground Safety Handbook and to follow local, state, and national code requirements concerning but not limited to land use, zoning, safety, accessibility, permitting, and approval of plans prior to construction.

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Campus Box 7701
Raleigh, NC 27695-7701


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naturalearning@ncsu.edu

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WAYFINDING

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children smelling herbs in garden with teacher

Growing Up with Nature

Creating environments for healthy human development and a healthy biosphere for generations to come.

- NLI Mission

For 25 years, the Natural Learning Initiative (NLI) has applied community-based, equity-driven design thinking to create healthy, natural play and learning environments. The NLI Resource Hub offers a collection of free public resources dedicated to supporting the development of biophilic play and learning environments where children can grow up caring for the planet and each other. These resources encompass landscape design, research, professional development, and information dissemination.

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What are NLI Resource Hub Categories?

Design Sites

Real-world places where NLI has provided professional landscape architecture design assistance.

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Infosheets

Two to four page documents about implementing and maintaining nature-based play settings.

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Interactive Apps

Web-based teaching tools and virtual experiences about exploring and designing nature-based play settings.

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Leaflets

Single-page documents about activities for children and caregivers in nature-based play settings.

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Natural Learning at Home

A month-by-month newsletter series about nature-based activities for children and families at home.

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Programs

Comprehensive projects that combine design assistance, research & evaluation, professional development, and dissemination & communications.

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Publications

Printed and published books and resources about nature-based design, education, childhood, and more.

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Research

Published scientific research about nature-based design, childhood, behavior mapping, and more.

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The Green Desk

A blog series responding to NLI’s most frequently-asked-questions.

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Videos

Videos created by NLI and our partners about nature-based design, education, childhood, and more.

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What are NLI Resource Hub Tags?

Affordable Settings

Elements of outdoor learning environments that can be built and deployed at a low cost, but with a great impact.

Community Engagement

Families, partners, neighborhoods and cities that help outdoor learning environments thrive and grow.

Fundraising

Information for raising resources to build and maintain outdoor learning environments.

Gardening

Resources about growing plants and all the different ways it benefits young children.

Healthy Eating

Fruits and vegetables, trying and tasting, growing and eating. Learn how young children can be excited to eat nutritious food.

Outdoor Installation

Building and constructing outdoor learning environments can be challenging. Find resources to guide your project.

Outdoor Management

Maintaining and sustaining outdoor learning environments is vital to their long-term success. Learn about managing environments.

Outdoor Safety

Risk management in play areas is critical for certification and regulation. Learn how to create safe spaces and address concerns.

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The Natural Learning Initiative (NLI), its partners and supporting entities as­sume no responsibility for the installation of outdoor components and/or designs and their use. In no event will NLI be liable for any loss or damage, including without lim­itation, indirect or consequential, incurred during the construction or use of outdoor play and learning environments. NLI further suggests adherence to the guidelines set forth in the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Public Playground Safety Handbook and to follow local, state, and national code requirements concerning but not limited to land use, zoning, safety, accessibility, permitting, and approval of plans prior to construction.