Learning Begins with the Earth

​At Growing Green, nature isn’t just a backdrop ... it’s the foundation. We believe the most meaningful learning begins outside, where children are free to wonder, observe, move, and grow. Before we plan lessons or set up classrooms, we start with the land beneath our feet. Here’s how a nature-first approach shapes everything we do.

Learning Rooted in Nature

NATURE IS OUR FIRST TEACHER + THE WORLD IS OUR CURRICULUM ​

Starting in nature helps children grow with purpose, play, and possibility. Every outdoor moment invites exploration, encourages problem-solving, and inspires joy.  At Growing Green, we embrace the natural world as an essential partner in learning, where sticks become tools, mud becomes art, and every puddle holds a new discovery.

What is Nature-Based Learning?

Nature-based learning is learning that occurs through exposure to nature and nature-based activities. Learning activities occur in natural settings and where elements of nature have been brought into built environments, such as plants, animals, and water. The goal is to support children's acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, behaviors, and attitudes in academics, personal/social emotional development, and age-appropriate caring for the environment and world around them. It includes learning about the natural world, but extends to engagement in any subject, skill or interest while in natural surroundings.​

Our approach is simple: nurture the child, honor the Earth + let learning unfold like the seasons.

​​Why Nature-Based Learning?

Nature isn’t a subject ... it’s the ultimate classroom.

We believe children thrive when they’re free to explore, observe, and interact with the natural world. From the rhythm of the seasons to the magic of a worm under a log, nature builds focus, curiosity, and resilience ... naturally.

Outdoor learning sparks questions, invites movement, and supports every area of development. It nurtures empathy, deepens environmental awareness, and fosters a sense of belonging in the world.

When children grow up in nature, they grow up for nature and are ready to protect what they’ve come to love.

Let them get muddy. Let them get curious. Let nature lead the way.

We don't Teach about Nature ... We Teach with It

WHEN CHILDREN CONNECT WITH NATURE, THEY BEGIN TO CARE + CARING LEADS TO ACTION

At Growing Green, nature isn’t a subject, it’s a partner in learning. Our approach weaves sustainability into the everyday experiences of childhood, nurturing curiosity, compassion, and a deep sense of connection to the Earth.

​​It’s Not Just What We Teach ... It’s How

We model the world we want children to inherit.
Our goal isn’t perfection. It’s progress. We do our best to walk gently, listen deeply, and build a community where care for people and the planet go hand in hand. We invite you to do the same, in whatever ways make sense for your family or classroom.

This means honoring mistakes as part of learning, making mindful choices (even small ones) and creating spaces where sustainability, equity, and empathy are lived values, not just lessons. Teaching with intention helps children see that how we live matters as much as what we know.

​Learning with the Earth in Mind

​We rely and appreciate nature and all the wonders Mother Earth gives us and use it to intentionally teach young children the curiosities of the natural world.  It is at the core of our science/inquiry based curriculum, so teaching our youngest learners to love and protect it is crucial.  We need to ensure they become ecologically literate citizens who have a sense of ownership and stewardship of our planet Earth.

We are always excited to embark on a journey of environmental exploration and discovery with young scientists. Through meaningful learning, we hope to nurture a deep respect for our planet and inspire lifelong habits of sustainability.
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Let's stay connected to the land!

What is Sustainablity?

​The concept of sustainability, rooted in the idea that our survival depends on the natural environment, gained prominence with the 1987 UN report defining sustainable development as meeting current needs without compromising future generations. In early childhood education, this translates to helping teachers, children, and families learn to coexist with nature in ways that support both present and future well-being.
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This involves focusing on:

Health + Wellness

​Emphasizing the physical and mental benefits of spending time in nature, understanding healthy eating, and knowing where food comes from.

Children's Development 

​Utilizing the environment as a “third teacher” to foster language, literacy, and critical thinking, while addressing barriers like family perceptions of outdoor play and maintenance of outdoor spaces.

Overcoming Barriers

​Addressing concerns about safety, cleanliness, and resources for outdoor play, and finding ways to integrate nature into learning to support both gross motor skills and investigative learning/serve and return interactions.

If you care about children, you should ultimately care about the environment.
​Protecting it means protecting future generations

​Sustainability Isn’t Just a Buzzword

We teach children to care for the Earth, by showing that it cares for them. 

​From the food they eat to the air they breathe, nature gives freely. When children experience this connection firsthand, sustainability becomes personal.

Our curriculum is rooted in daily eco-conscious habits: reducing waste, reusing materials, and respecting living systems. We show children that sustainability isn’t about perfection, it’s about mindful choices, made consistently and with heart.

It’s in composting snack scraps, choosing natural materials, and creating beauty from found objects. It’s in planting seeds, watching them grow, and understanding their role in something bigger.

Sustainability is woven into every leaf, lesson, and little moment, so children grow up knowing they have the power to protect what they love.

We model a low-waste, child-centered approach that nurtures empathy, agency, and awe..leaving a light footprint and a legacy of care.

Small hands, big impact.

​​Seasonal + Rhythmic Design

Learning that follows the flow of the Earth.

When we honor the seasons, we help children feel more grounded, present, and attuned to the natural world. Just as plants grow in cycles, children thrive in rhythms, of repetition, reflection, and renewal.

Our curriculum mirrors the Earth’s patterns: planting in spring, exploring abundance in summer, harvesting in fall, and resting in winter. These transitions naturally support children’s development, offering moments of action, stillness, wonder, and restoration.

Each season invites unique learning:

• Spring sparks curiosity and new beginnings.
• Summer encourages exploration and joy.
• Fall nurtures gratitude and reflection.
• Winter deepens calm, rest, and inner growth.

By syncing with nature’s rhythm, we slow down and make space for awe, mindfulness, and meaning, nurturing not just what children know, but how they feel, observe, and belong.

We are Raising the Next Generation of Naturalists, Environmentalists, Advocates + Changemakers 

​​Practical Sustainability in Action

Sustainability isn’t a separate subject, rather it’s a way of being. In our classrooms, it shows up in everyday choices: what we use, how we use it, and what we value. These simple, practical strategies bring sustainability to life for children and families in tangible, meaningful ways.

• Reuse + Repurpose: Encourage families and educators to rethink what they already have. Cardboard boxes become forts, fabric scraps become sensory tools, and old containers find new life in dramatic play or science exploration. Creativity is the most sustainable resource we have.
• Natural Materials: Minimize plastic and lean into the beauty of the natural world. Use wood, stone, fabric, leaves, and earth-based items that stimulate the senses and connect children to real-world textures, weights, and smells.
• Outdoor First: Design your environment with the outdoors in mind...rain or shine. Equip children with weather-appropriate gear and embrace nature as the default classroom, not the backup plan. The more time outside, the more regulated, curious, and resilient they become.
• Low-Waste Kits: We create and encourage materials that are thoughtful from start to finish, recyclable packaging, printables designed to be reused, and products with lasting purpose. Every item should spark joy, not landfill waste.
• Community Collaboration: Partner with families and local organizations to gather materials, share resources, and model low-waste lifestyles together. Sustainability grows stronger when it's a shared effort.
• Intentional Teaching: Sustainability isn’t just about stuff—it’s a mindset. Use everyday routines as teachable moments: compost snack scraps, reuse art supplies, sort recyclables together. Small, consistent actions build lifelong habits of care.

Beautiful learning doesn’t require fancy supplies ... just intention + imagination.

Start with Purpose: Core Practices for Growing Green Classrooms

​Any early childhood program can implement sustainability practices and nature-based learning. A few guiding principles that help provide educators with the background and philosophical beliefs that enhance interactions and inform environments include:

​Overcoming Barriers

NAEYC defines ‘developmentally appropriate practice’ as “methods that promote each child’s optimal development and learning through a strengths-based, play-based approach to joyful, engaged learning.”  Teachers implementing Developmentally Appropriate Practice provide individualized, responsive care for the children in their classrooms by considering the child's age, developmental level, and the social and cultural contexts in which they live. Visit NAEYC.org to learn more and read the full statement.

Inquiry-Based Learning

This is an approach to education that focuses on investigation and problem-solving. Teachers plan investigations based on children’s interests. These investigations include experiences that provide children with opportunities to ask an initial question and engage in the scientific process to find the answers. Teachers engage with children by asking questions that further encourage them to make predictions, test their hypotheses, talk about their findings, and apply what they’ve learned to future experiences. This process encourages the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Children who love nature will grow up into adults who will protect it.

Authentic Materials 

​These are real-life materials that children can use and explore in the classroom as they engage in play. Research tells us that the type and placement of materials in the environment influences how children use them. Providing children with real materials rather than plastic, toy versions can capture their attention, help them engage more deeply, and encourage conversations and explorations about how these materials can be used in their play. Click on our “Nature Museum” link below for an easy way to include natural materials in your classroom, too!  

Want to Grow Greener With Us? 

TOGETHER, WE CAN RAISE A GENERATION WHO SEES NATURE NOT AS A PLACE TO VISIT ... BUT AS HOME​