Laurie Ewert-Krocker emphasizes the teacher's role in nature's prepared environment. Without directing or controlling the child's work, learning spaces can be maximized for concentration by connecting the adolescent's intrinsic learning to the beauty and order of the natural world. The most artful balance is the global understanding of the interdependent natural systems that can be integrated with the local array of daily detail and responsibilities to allow for the formation of comprehensive community values in the context of purposeful work. [This article is based on the talk presented at the NAMTA adolescent workshop titled "Adolescent Creativity, Collaboration, and Discovery," at the AMI/USA Refresher Course, Atlanta, GA, Feb 13-16, 2015.]