The Nature Year
Hands-on learning outdoors that teaches children to look closely and ask why.
The Nature Year takes our preschool classes, ages three to five, outside to study the natural world up close. Each unit pairs time outdoors with hands-on projects, so children practice observing carefully, describing what they notice and asking questions, the habits at the heart of early science.
How children learn outdoors
Each unit follows the same path. Children go outside to look, touch and collect. Back in the classroom, they sort, compare and name what they found, adding new words to their vocabulary. Then they turn their discoveries into art and projects, and they share their work with their families at the end of the unit.
This year began with All About Trees, a ten-week unit where children study leaves, bark and tree rings, and make art from what they collect. One project connects tree rings to each child’s own family, and children bring it home to finish together. The unit closes with a gallery walk, where families see all ten weeks of their child’s work.
What children gain
Time outdoors builds focus, patience and a sense of wonder. Children learn to notice small details, explain what they see and connect what they learn to their own lives and families.
