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Grass

Asbury Preschool

Asbury Preschool

A New Beginning

A New Beginning

LET’S GET OUTSIDE! Providers

LET’S GET OUTSIDE! Providers

(Wake Co.) Discovery Point Heritage

(Wake Co.) Discovery Point Heritage

(Orange Co.) The University Child Care Center

(Orange Co.) The University Child Care Center

(Guilford Co.) Wishview Children’s Center

(Guilford Co.) Wishview Children’s Center

(Guilford Co.) Willow Oaks Child Development Center

(Guilford Co.) Willow Oaks Child Development Center

(Guilford Co.) Shepherd’s Way Day School

(Guilford Co.) Shepherd’s Way Day School

Extending Seasons

Extending Seasons

Oakland Declaration

Oakland Declaration

Research Brief: Impact of Naturalized Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments

Research Brief: Impact of Naturalized Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments

A Safe Place Child Enrichment Center, Inc.

A Safe Place Child Enrichment Center, Inc.

Johnson Pond Learning Center

Johnson Pond Learning Center

Landscape Plants for Play and Learning

Landscape Plants for Play and Learning

Montessori Community School, Durham, NC

Montessori Community School, Durham, NC

Thompson Child Development Center

Thompson Child Development Center

Care-O-World Enrichment Center

Care-O-World Enrichment Center

Summer Play: Beat the Heat

Summer Play: Beat the Heat

Embankment Slides

Embankment Slides

Wildflower Patch

Wildflower Patch

Raising Funds and Resources for Outdoor Learning Environments

Raising Funds and Resources for Outdoor Learning Environments

Autumn Children’s Books and Outdoor Play

Autumn Children’s Books and Outdoor Play

Draining Wet, Muddy Areas

Draining Wet, Muddy Areas

Sensory Gardens

Sensory Gardens

Grass Mazes

Grass Mazes

Creating a Butterfly Garden

Creating a Butterfly Garden

Children’s Vegetable Gardens: Introduction

Children’s Vegetable Gardens: Introduction

Early Spring in the Garden

Early Spring in the Garden

Plant of the Month: March – Spring Starflower

Plant of the Month: March – Spring Starflower

Plant of the Month: September – American Sweetgum

Plant of the Month: September – American Sweetgum

Plant of the Month: November – Indian Grass

Plant of the Month: November – Indian Grass

The Growing Place Child Care Center

The Growing Place Child Care Center

Mountain Area Child and Family Center

Mountain Area Child and Family Center

Kids & Company

Kids & Company

Excel Christian Academy

Excel Christian Academy

14th Annual NLI Design Institute

14th 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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CONTACT

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Campus Box 7701
Raleigh, NC 27695-7701


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naturalearning@ncsu.edu

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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.