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Flourishing in Nature Research Briefs and Flourishing in Winter Cold-Weather Play Guidance

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Join Rusty Keeler as he dives into the beauty of outdoor play, the power of nature, and how we can create epic, joy-filled spaces where kids truly thrive. Let’s re-wild childhood—one playful episode at a time!

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Opt-in Page for Loose Parts Guide - Rusty Keeler

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Adding Loose Parts is one of the simplest and least expensive ways to boost the play possibilities in your outdoor space! Loose Parts are known to spark children's Creativity, Problem-solving, STEM Activities, Pre-literacy Skills, Social Skills, Connections to Nature, Fun, and so much more!

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This has a great section on infants and toddlers

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A How To Guide: Outdoor play with infants and toddlers

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Alexis Burroughs, Young Children's Yoga and Movement method teacher at Funky Monkey Yoga , and Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) certified guide

Jessica Carrillo Alatorre, Executive Director of (formerly Hike it Baby)

Gabriel Pickus, Founder and Director of : Inward Discovery Grows Outdoors

Check out the resources shared during the event including Alexis's handout, Building the Young Child's Relationship with Nature.

For more resources for Parents & Caregivers and Program & Service Providers visit our Families webpage. And join the Families Together in Nature group on The Trailhead, our free online community. It's the place to share resources, ideas, questions, insights - and to cheer each other on!

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Webinar Recording: Babies, Toddlers & Preschoolers in Nature | Children & Nature Network

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Alexis Burroughs, Young Children's Yoga and Movement method teacher at Funky Monkey Yoga , and Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) certified guide Jessica Carrillo Alatorre, Executive Director of (formerly Hike it Baby) Gabriel Pickus, Founder and Director of : Inward Discovery Grows Outdoors Check out the resources shared during the event including Alexis's handout, Building the Young Child's Relationship with Nature.

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This list of books and practical guides offers expert perspectives and real-world solutions for creating inclusive play spaces and programs for children with disabilities and their families. Direct links to publishers are included when available; publications can also be found through online booksellers such as Bookshop.org , IndieBound.org and Amazon.

Research Digest: Children with special needs

This Children & Nature Network Research Digest focuses on the benefits children with special needs receive from engagement with nature, various types of nature-based interventions, as well as barriers to nature engagement for children with special needs.

Seattle PlayGarden Inclusion Toolkit

This inclusion toolkit was developed by the Seattle Children's PlayGarden to help other programs feel empowered to include children with disabilities into their programs. It can be downloaded for free or purchased as a hard copy. The toolkit offers specific suggestions on how to make environments and activities not only accessible, but also inclusive in such venues as parks and playgrounds, after-school sports and extracurricular activities, and museums and zoos.

Green Schoolyards America Inclusive Design for Outdoor Spaces

This online article highlights specific suggestions on how to make outdoor school environments more accessible for children with disabilities. Included in the article are discussions on (1) what to consider during the planning process, (2) how to engage parents, caregivers, and special education and related service professionals, and (3) specific adaptations for different types of disabilities.

How To Create A Backyard Sanctuary For Kids With Disabilities

This online article, developed by Childmags.com.au, offers do-it-yourself options for creating a backyard sanctuary for children with special needs, including children with autism, low vision, mobility challenges and hearing impairments. Related discussion highlights the many benefits of outdoor and nature-based activities for children of all abilities and their families.

PlayCore Inclusion Resources

Whole communities start with inclusively designed whole environments which carefully meet the needs of the whole child . PlayCore's Center for Outreach, Research, and Education (CORE) offers evidence-based design, programming and product considerations for creating outdoor play environments and experiences that nurture children and families of all ages and abilities.

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Connecting Children of All Abilities to Nature Play & Therapeutic Gardens | Children & Nature Network

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This list of books and practical guides offers expert perspectives and real-world solutions for creating inclusive play spaces and programs for children with disabilities and their families. Direct links to publishers are included when available; publications can also be found through online booksellers such as Bookshop.org , IndieBound.org and Amazon.

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Out to Play - creating outdoor play experiences for children: practical guidance

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Scottish Government guidance and advice for early learning and childcare settings and practitioners on how to access outdoor spaces to create safe, nurturing and inspiring outdoor learning experiences.

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Creative STAR Learning | I'm a teacher, get me OUTSIDE here!

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This section contains suggestions for experiences based around playing outside in natural spaces where children can enjoy playing and developing a love of the outdoors and nature that lasts a life time.

It is worth exploring other pages of the blog posts such as Developing Outdoor Spaces and Gardening. These contain posts that have strong connections to nature play and vice versa.

Outdoor Early Learning and Childcare

Plants

Leaves

Sticks

Animals

Birds

Snow, frost and ice

Other weather explorations

Water

Beach and sand

The urban beach visits - one nursery's experience of getting this going. Much of this was around building confidence of staff and children to explore.

Beach play - 10 ideas. In the unlikely event that your children need some inspiration. Good for linking to a relevant text.

Shells - 10 ideas. A few short, simple ideas for playing with shells on a beach.

The sand dog sculpture - small is beautiful. Sometimes a bag of sand is all a group needs.

Sandpits outside - challenging myths and misconceptions. The one stop shop for finding out about the ins and outs of having sand in a early years or school grounds. Also lots of examples of practice to give you ideas.

The Highway Farm sandpit. An illustration of a creative self-build approach: different levels, mirrors, use of platforms and pulleys. Good for settings wanting to stretch the play possibilities.

A tyre sandpit. *This was my first attempt at a pop-up sandpit. Whilst it looks good, there are lessons to be learned and one key one is active and ongoing management of the pit. Also I wouldn't put soil and plants around the edges anymore.

A recycled sandpit kitchen. *An example of a play space created through careful use and placement of unwanted home economics furniture - with due regard to checking and ensuring the safety of these to use in this context.

A seascape to whet the appetite. As a result of the grounds developments, Inverallochy School children were inspired to give the school dining room a sea theme makeover - a lovely example of indoor/outdoor connections that can be made that involve the community too.

Boggle Hole - Children need to have access to objects and ideas that spark the imagination and get the creative juices flowing. This Youth Hostel does just that!

Rocks, stones and pebbles

Mud

Generic nature play posts

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This section contains suggestions for experiences based around playing outside in natural spaces where children can enjoy playing and developing a love of the outdoors and nature that lasts a life ...

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Outdoor play is different from indoor play as it tends to involve children feeling more freedom, being more physically active, moving their bodies in different ways, and playing differently than they would inside. The outdoors can offer more variety of play environments and loose parts (e.g., sticks, rocks, buckets, sand, crates) to move around, allowing their imagination to shape their play. Children need daily outdoor play opportunities for their development, physical health, and well-being.

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Risk in play: how it helps child development

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Using Principles of Nature-Based Preschools to Transform Your Classroom on JSTOR

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Rachel A. Larimore, Using Principles of Nature-Based Preschools to Transform Your Classroom, YC Young Children, Vol. 73, No. 5 (November 2018), pp. 34-41

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Engaging Toddlers in Nature Play _ NAEYC

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Preschool: The Power of Nature: Developing Prosocial Behavior Toward Nature and Peers Through Nature-Based Activities

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Ibrahim Acar, Julia Torquati, Preschool, YC Young Children, Vol. 70, No. 5 (November 2015), pp. 62-71

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Nature-Based Education Outdoor Preschool Forest Kindergarten | Samara Early Learning Rachel Larimore

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Nature Activity Cards | Children & Nature Network

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Use these Nature Activity Cards as inspiration to get out into nature and have some fun with family and friends!

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so many great ideas and resources. Mostly geared to Pre-k ages and older.

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Creative STAR Learning | I'm a teacher, get me OUTSIDE here!

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Welcome to the Creative STAR website and blog - the digital gateway to outdoor learning and play

Inside these pages are lots of practical ideas about learning and playing outdoors that have been written and/or curated by myself, Juliet Robertson - a former education consultant who specialised in learning and play outside. Feel free to:

Read the 500+ blog posts - the tabs at the top will help guide you OR use the search button below my photo in the RH column

Explore the comprehensive collections of literacy and maths suggestions

Check out the grant info

Share the love - if you borrow an idea, backlink to the blog post, tell us and we'll celebrate too 🙂

Clink on the links on the RH column. The search button is handy too! Join millions of others who've browsed the site since 2008. All posts are dated so that you know if something is current or more historic.
Life has its ups and downs. I was diagnosed with having Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in late December 2020. If you want to know how I'm getting on, then have a look at my Caring Bridge website every now and then as that's where I post updates. The Cosy Foundation have now taken over this website and other aspects of Creative STAR Learning, for which I am very grateful. I am still curating this website and have editorial control.

If you would like to help me make a difference, then please consider making a donation to Flynne's Barn, a charity which enables young people living with cancer to come together and find connection in beautiful surroundings. For more information about why I'm supporting this charity, have a look at my Flynne's Barn page or visit their website. THANK YOU!

A positive approach to being outside

Within this website you will find lots of ideas and accompanying photos that contain elements of risk. It is important that you consider all the suggestions on a case-by-case basis to determine whether they are appropriate for the developmental age and learning needs of your children. You also need to ensure that you are suitably competent and confident to ensure the routines, resources and environment are as safe as necessary. Remember to undertake a risk-benefit assessment for anything you feel needs it be this using tools and ropes, experiencing fire, climbing trees and other experiences involving heights, moving heavy objects, working off-site, near water and so-on. Creative STAR Learning is all about enabling great outdoor practice but every educator and establishment needs to undertake this within a framework of safety.

Likewise it is important that wherever you are working you follow the land access laws of your country. Being respectful of others, leaving no trace of your presence and considering the impact of your practice on the environment are all part of your responsibilities as educators.

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Creative STAR Learning | I'm a teacher, get me OUTSIDE here!

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Creative STAR Learning Company works behind the scenes supporting and developing outdoor learning and play at a national, local and school level