Education News
Research & Studies
No Child Left Behind in the Woods
By Richard Louv
A few weeks ago, Paul Zettel, a health education instructor at Riverside University High School, attended a conference held in California; the purpose of the meeting was to train teachers in the finer points of the No Child Left Behind version of education reform.
[+]
Local
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel – April 07, 2006
Milwaukee’s Audubon Preschool Sets the Standard
By Sarah Carr
At this unique preschool, a 3-year-old can identify a cedar tree and a maple. . . . And a 4-year-old can tell the difference between squirrel and rabbit tracks,”. The preschool has “attracted attention across the country as increasing numbers of nature centers consider adding preschool programs as a way to create outdoor enthusiasts at a young age and address the growing demand for early childhood education.
[+]
State | Legislation/Policy
Seattle Post-Intelligencer – March 19, 2006
Washington, New Mexico Boost Outdoor Education Efforts
Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire signed legislation on March 15, 2006, that will fund a study to measure how outdoor education affects academic achievement, career development and personal responsibility. Martin LeBlanc, the Sierra Club’s National Youth Education director, who helped support the legislation, is also working with Washington’s IslandWood School to make sure that every Seattle 5th-grader receives an outdoor-education experience. In 2005, the Albuquerque Tribune, citing Last Child in the Woods, threw its editorial support behind a legislative bill supported by the Sierra Club that proposes funds for a pilot program called New Mexico Outdoor Classroom. [+]
National | Event
Conservation Fund – June 12, 2007
The Conservation Fund Launches The National Forum On Children And Nature
By Kathryn Brown
Over 30 of the nation’s most influential public and private leaders—including governors, mayors, CEOs, educators, and clergy—will participate in the launch this week of an ambitious effort to reconnect kids with nature. This new initiative, the National Forum on Children and Nature, will find and fund 20 projects across the country that demonstrate how kids can rediscover nature, through education, health, the media and the built environment.
[+]
National | Event
Sierra Club Trains Natural Leaders
Building Bridges to the Outdoors will be holding its second year of weeklong Environmental Leadership trainings this week in conjunction with the Sierra Student Coalition (SSC). The leadership training program introduces, inspires and educates youth, especially under-represented minorities, about the significant and contemporary environmental issues facing their local communities.
National | Legislation/Policy
NWF CEO, Larry Schweiger, Makes the Case for comprehensive policies to get more kids outside
Presenting at the Pennsylvania Governor's Outdoor Conference, March 18-20, Schweiger addressed the gathering of policy-makers, educators, conservationists, and others. [PDF]
C&NN has designated April "Children & Nature Awareness Month." As part of this effort, we invited network members (like you) to list their April programs and share their strategies for building public awareness. Find out what's happening in your community on the C&NN Movement Map.
As part of our ongoing efforts to build the movement, the Children & Nature Network has published two new resources for leaders, organizers, and participants at the local, national, and international levels:
An annotated bibliography of 20 premier studies focusing on the children and nature connection.
