This article presents Family Nature Tours as a participatory method for exploring children's human and more-than-human-nature interactions within the context of the family. Through equipping children with wearable cameras during family-led outdoor activities, this qualitative study provides insight on what non-rural Alaskan families consider…

We explored factors affecting outdoor classroom design by assessing attitudes and drawings from 73 sixth graders from a single middle school. Females had more favorable attitudes about the value of outdoor classrooms, were more motivated to build an outdoor classroom, and had stronger attitudes about outdoor classrooms benefiting wildlife.…

This study explores how fieldwork can contribute to the development of ecological literacy and draws on actor-network theory and science studies which imply an understanding of agency as being distributed. The aim is to explore the consequences of the human-nonhuman encounters in fieldwork practice for the growth of ecological literacy. The…

The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore affordances for STEM-related skills in a nature preschool in central Texas. Observations were conducted along with the collection of videos and photographs of four preschool-aged participants. Informal interviews were also implemented during data collection and observations. Semi-formal…

Early childhood is an important time for building children's affinity with nature and the environment. Early childhood professionals play a crucial role in developing young children's understanding of the natural world. Over the past 50 years, there has been a movement in early childhood education and care contexts to provide young children with…

It is proposed that young children may develop a felt sense of God through an attachment to nature that parallels their attachment to significant people in their lives. Children learn through their senses and young children experience a sense of awe and wonder when immersed in nature. Research supports the argument that children who are exposed to…

Mobile devices, augmented reality (AR), and outdoor games can be mobilized to promote Education for Sustainable Development and, thus, to sensitize to nature conservation. The EduCITY project combines mobile learning, AR, and environmental sensors towards sustainability education and creates opportunities for citizens to contribute to their city's…

Introduction: The paper is a result of introducing environmental ecology awareness through an outdoor recreation activity as a Physical Education (PE) course dubbed as the "Nature Walk Program." It was grounded on the principle that the need for environmental protection may not only be the work of practitioners in the pure sciences but…

People's knowledge about nature, their interest in nature, their nature experiences, and their values and emotions regarding nature are factors that promote people's positive views on environmental issues and sustainability. Knowing the variation and patterns in teachers' and student teachers' views is an essential step in considering the ways in…

This article describes how a farm-based class in the Great Lakes region investigated how plants and animals prepare for winter. Two groups of children, ranging in ages from three to five years old, had a farm, pasture, gardens, forest, and a pond available for exploration. A low teacher-to-child ratio was maintained, with one teacher to…

Teaching and learning must be transformed in order to prepare learners to respond to escalating social, economic and environmental challenges. The primary purpose of this paper is to contribute to the process of wilding pedagogy. The lessons learned in this paper emerge mainly from a desktop study and educational excursions to a natural resources…

The National Wildlife Federation's Schoolyard Habitat (SYH) program was a partnership with AISD from 2010-2012. A total of 18 outdoor learning habitats were created on AISD elementary and middle school campuses, and a demonstration habitat was created at the AISD Science and Health Resource Center (SHRC). The purpose of the SYHs is to provide…

Even though students see plants all around them, they tend to ignore them. Animal studies usually get all the "press." As a naturalist, children's book author, and coordinator for an educational science website for teachers, the author knows from personal experience that observing and charting plant growth can be as intriguing as observing…

This article discusses the Beyond the Walls outdoor education program at The Franklin Schools in Rockville, Maryland. Under the expert guidance of Maryland outdoor education specialist Amy Beam, Franklin's staff has been guided to reconnect to the landscape, understand native plants and animals, and reclaim a sense of gratitude for the environment…

Students love learning outdoors, but how do you ensure they are absorbing the science and gaining skills as they do so? The authors found a way--a fourth-grade classroom teacher, a gifted/science resource teacher, and a group of fourth graders--embarked on a yearlong study of birds and the plants they depend on. They used their school yard as the…