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A New Beginning III

A New Beginning III

Brentwood Head Start

Brentwood Head Start

Building Blocks for Tots, Inc.

Building Blocks for Tots, Inc.

Cynthia’s Garden of Knowledge, Inc.

Cynthia’s Garden of Knowledge, Inc.

20. Indoor Plants for Homes and Classrooms

20. Indoor Plants for Homes and Classrooms

21. Creating Terrariums

21. Creating Terrariums

25. Harvesting Water with Rain Barrels

25. Harvesting Water with Rain Barrels

34. Mud Kitchens

34. Mud Kitchens

Happy Holidays! 2020

Happy Holidays! 2020

Land of Learning Child Care

Land of Learning Child Care

Foundations Academy

Foundations Academy

Early Preschool and Learning Center

Early Preschool and Learning Center

A Safe Place Early Learning Center

A Safe Place Early Learning Center

ABC Academy

ABC Academy

Early Childhood Outdoor Play and Learning Space (ECOPALS): Achieving Design Quality

Early Childhood Outdoor Play and Learning Space (ECOPALS): Achieving Design Quality

Creating Inclusive Naturalized Outdoor Play Environments

Creating Inclusive Naturalized Outdoor Play Environments

Kid’s Country of Clayton

Kid’s Country of Clayton

Imagination Learning Center, Inc.

Imagination Learning Center, Inc.

Johnston Community College Child Development Center

Johnston Community College Child Development Center

Kidsworld Learning Center

Kidsworld Learning Center

Kidstown Child Care and Learning Center

Kidstown Child Care and Learning Center

Creative Learning

Creative Learning

Little Hands N Feet

Little Hands N Feet

Preston Children’s Academy

Preston Children’s Academy

Precious Promises Academy

Precious Promises Academy

ABC Land Inc II

ABC Land Inc II

Kings Kids CDC

Kings Kids CDC

Sunshine Smiles Academy

Sunshine Smiles Academy

Primary Colors Early Learning Center

Primary Colors Early Learning Center

Hattie Daniels Day Care Center

Hattie Daniels Day Care Center

Busy Bees

Busy Bees

The Growing Tree

The Growing Tree

Kinder Kastle INC

Kinder Kastle INC

Pine Street Head Start

Pine Street Head Start

Priceless Child Care

Priceless Child Care

Tammy Lynn Center

Tammy Lynn Center

King’s Kids Early Education and Learning Center

King’s Kids Early Education and Learning Center

Gingerbread Littleversity

Gingerbread Littleversity

Fairview Children’s Center

Fairview Children’s Center

Creative Schools at Davis Park

Creative Schools at Davis Park

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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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College of Design
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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.