Environmental education bringing the outdoors in

Summary Fostering an understanding and appreciation of the natural world should be one of the major goals of an early-childhood education program. This goal becomes increasingly important as the lives of young children tend to be more and more separate, or distant, from the world of nature. Most children spend relatively little time outdoors and have few opportunities to explore the world of nature. While children in early childhood programs should have quality time outdoors every day, they should also be given a wide variety of opportunities to learn about the natural world through the experiences they have while inside the classroom. Teachers can do many things to bring the outdoors in and, in the process, to make “learning about the natural environment” a more integral part of what children do and experience throughout the day.