Support you need for the results you want
…helping schools, government agencies, nonprofits and other community businesses to combat the youth mental health crisis, obesity crisis, and substandard academic achievement...
…in order to create communities full of happier, healthier, empowered young people.
Your students, your staff, your communities all need this.
A rising number of studies from fields such as medicine, psychology, public health, and education show positive correlations between regular, intentional outdoor education and a person’s physical, mental, emotional, social, and cognitive well-being. Furthermore, the social-emotional benefits that students and educators derive from spending just one hour per week on outdoor learning raise their abilities to think creatively, morally, analytically, and objectively.
Explore Nature By Nurture offers consulting, training, and coaching options to help your team feel confident in teaching effectively outside. Whether we’re working on outdoor group management, curricular correlations, interpretation, or supporting your adoption of a citizen science project, if you want help to get your teachers and students holistic help, then we’ve got you covered.
Get excited and inspired
Our workshops are designed to excite educators about the possibilities and give them immediately actionable strategies and tools. Our experience teaching in formal and nonformal settings allows us to choose among a variety of methods to fit an organization’s situation.
We have worked with staff who have a background in education and those with a background in environmental or ecological science. Depending on your situation, we’ll recommend a selection of one or multiple training sessions designed to meet your needs.
Methods-based workshops cover topics designed to help with safety outdoors, behavior management, systems mindsets, and more general engagement strategies. Content-based workshops focus on biological, ecological, environmental, or community science topics that help educators conduct, adapt, and develop curriculum.
See some examples
Not sure where to start? We recommend these three core knowledge and skill sets.
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Outdoor Safety & Behavior Management
Indoor classrooms are defined by a set of rules and a prevailing culture. Outdoor classrooms are the same way. Educators who can effectively manage and redirect behavior establish norms that encourage an environment of trust, curiosity, problem-solving, and teamwork.
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Curricular Integration
Outdoor education describes a place for learning, not an additional thing for teachers to teach. When done effectively, outdoor education can alleviate some time constraints as well as some of the mental, emotional, and physical strains on themselves and students.
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Citizen Science as a Framework
Citizen science can be used to support additional structure, focus, meaning, and creativity to curricular objectives. When done outdoors, students and educators receive the added benefits brought by the physical activities, fresh air, and connection with the natural world.
Make it yours
Get help designing something that moves you forward while taking advantage of your unique space.
Curriculum design
Programs that fit your space and goals.
We specialize in designing place-based curricula that incorporate science skills, nature interpretation, and citizen science into active, hands-on outdoor activities.
Customized workshops
Get exactly what you need.
Whether you want to enhance delivery of a current program, bring your staff up to speed with a new one, or help them create their own customizations, we can support deeper learning into a variety of topics.
Ensure a return on your investments
Your staff walk away from our workshops with new ideas, strategies, and enthusiasm. Yet, learning and implementing new skills is not always easy. Is your action plan in place?
Consulting about Assets and Programs
Don’t lose enthusiasm for outdoor education through a poor plan.
Whether you’d like a system-wide plan for maximizing the benefits of your campus features or your teams need help finding the right projects, our consulting services are about making sure your spaces and projects are maximally complementary.
Coaching and Mentoring Services
Overcome the challenges of implementing new structures and strategies.
The benefits of outdoor education make the prospect of implementation exciting. But, it’s not always easy and habit is…well…habit. We go beyond the one-and-done workshop model to help educators through the unexpected and tough moments that can arise as they practice their new skills.
“….Her wit and sense of humor make learning fun and her scientific content knowledge is impressive. Her passion for the out-of-doors and for inspiring others to make discoveries for themselves is unmatched. "
— Gretch Boeren, Virginia Science Teacher and Environmental Educator for Roanoke City Dept. of Parks & Recreation
