Presentation for the NC Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts regarding environmental education for young children (ages 2-7)

1. Reaching the Youngest Learners
EE for Early Childhood
Renee Strnad
Environmental Educator, Extension Forestry
Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources
College of Natural Resources
North Carolina State University
renee_strnad@ncsu.edu
919-515-5518
www.plt.ces.ncsu.edu
www.plt.org

2. What is environmental education?
The goal of environmental education (EE) is to “develop a
world population that is aware of, and concerned about, the
environment and its associated problems, and which has
the knowledge, skills, attitude, motivations, and
commitment to work individually and collectively toward
solutions of current problems and the prevention of new
ones”.
BASICALLY - - develop an environmentally literate citizenry
that understands environmental issues and how human
decisions affect environmental quality.

3. What is environmental education?
• Systems: Children live in and learn about systems.
• Interdependence: People are connected to each other and to
nature.
• The importance of where one lives: Nature is local, whether
it is a backyard, vacant lot, park, or nature center.
• Integration and Infusion: Environmental education does not
have to be a separate activity or “subject,” and is best
integrated with experiences in a variety of curricular areas.
• Roots in the real world: Direct experience with authentic
materials is a hallmark of environmental education.
• Lifelong learning: Inspiring curiosity about the world,
creative thinking and problem solving, and collaborative
learning build strong foundation for lifelong learning.

4. What is EE for early childhood?
• Helps develop a sense of wonder
• Appreciate beauty and mystery of the natural world
• Experience a closeness to nature
• Respect for the environment and other creatures
Also….
• Develops problem-solving skills
• Develops an interest and appreciation in the world
around us

5. What is EE for early childhood?
• Less about organization and graduated achievements
• More about free discovery
– Personal Perceptions
– Attitudes
– Connections
Some might also call this p-l-a-y!

6. Need for EE
• In 2004, American children spent less than half as
much time outdoors as their parents
• Kids are reported to spend 7 ½ hours per day on
electronic equipment during their free time
This is up from 6 ½ hours in Kaiser’s 2005 report
• Another longitudinal study
found that children under
13 living in the United
States spend on average
only about half an hour
of unstructured time
outdoors each week
(Hofferth & Sadberg, 2001)

7. Need for EE
• Reduced contact with nature
leading to increases in
ADHD
• Correlation with rises in
childhood obesity
• Negative impacts on
cognitive and conceptual
development
• Makes compelling case for
children to spend more time
outdoors in structured and
unstructured settings

8. Need for EE
“Within just one generation, the definition of ‘play’ has changed
dramatically among children in industrialized countries.”
Dr. Ruth A. Etzel, 2010
The sedentary lifestyle of our nation’s children is linked to:
• Childhood obesity
• Diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease
• Increased childhood asthma
• Sleep apnea
• Vitamin D deficiency
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Depression
(McCurdy, et al, 2010)

9. Benefits of EE
• Physical activity is shown to improve children’s health,
and a growing body of evidence suggests that exposure
to natural environments can improve attention &
decrease stress in children.
• Advising outdoor play in nature is a
practical method for pediatric health
care providers to address chronic
conditions such as childhood
obesity, as well as mental health;
and one that is cost-effective &
easily sustainable.
(McCurdy et. al, 2010)

10. Other Benefits: Cognitive
• Increased Focus/Improved Cognition:
Proximity to nature, access to views
of nature, and daily exposure to
natural settings increases the ability
of children to focus and improves
cognitive abilities. (Wells, 2000)
• After play in a green/natural setting,
students that suffer from ADD
• Are more able to concentrate
• Complete tasks
• Follow directions
(Taylor, A.F., Kuo, F.E., Sullivan, W.C. 2001)

11. Other Benefits: Emotional & Social
• Taylor and her colleagues found that children with
attention-deficit disorder (ADD) benefited from more
exposure to nature –the greener a child’s everyday
environment, the more manageable are the symptoms
of ADD. (Taylor, 2001)
• Taylor also observed that access to green spaces for
learning and play, and even having views of green
settings, enhances peace, self-control, and self-
discipline among inner-city youth, especially among
girls.

12. Other Benefits: Health & Nutrition
• At the school environment level, researchers observed
that children who experience school grounds or play
areas with diverse natural settings are more physically
active, more aware of good nutrition, more creative,
and more civil to one another. (Bell & Dyment, 2006)

13. Other Benefits: Health & Nutrition
• Physical benefits of
children being active in
nature
• Large/small muscle
development
• Lower weight
• Healthier numbers for
blood pressure,
cholesterol, and insulin
• Increase in serotonins
(“good mood” chemicals)

14. Other Benefits: Attitudes
• EE experiences in the early years play a critical role in
shaping life-long attitudes, values, and patterns of
behavior toward natural environments
• Time spent indoors (at home and school) as well as
traveling in vehicles versus walking are high risk factors
for young children never developing positive feelings and
attitudes towards the natural environment
– Therefore, decreased environmental literacy competency
• As natural resource professionals, we seek attitude
change, which lead to behavior change

15. What are the characteristics of good EE
for early childhood education (ECE)?
• Developmentally
appropriate
• Cultivate problem-solving
skills
• Builds early literacy,
artistic expressions, and
aesthetic appreciation
• Foster authentic
experiences to explore,
investigate and appreciate.
• Planned with the whole
child and every child
• Addresses a variety of
learning styles,
capabilities, and culture

16. What are the characteristics of
good EE for ECE?
• Guidelines for Excellence
from the North American
Association for
Environmental Education
(NAAEE)
• Early Childhood EE
Programs
• Six Key Characteristics
• For birth to 8 year olds, with
focus on ages 3-6

17. Guidelines acknowledge that…
• Learning is more than a cognitive process
• Emotions play a particularly important role
• Environmental education often begins close to home,
encouraging learners to understand and forge
connections with their immediate surroundings.

18. Guidelines acknowledge that…
Therefore….
• Early childhood educators should provide opportunities
for children to experience peace, joy, and fascination
with nature because these emotions undergird the
developing knowledge, skills, and dispositions.
• The environmental awareness, knowledge, and skills
needed for localized learning provide a foundation for
moving out into larger systems, broader issues, and a
more sophisticated comprehension of causes,
connections, and consequences.
(Harlan & Rivkin, 2008)

19. How to read the guidelines
Key Characteristic
Guideline (1.1, 1.2, ect)
What to look for
Indicators

20. Guidelines Exploration

21. Other things I have learned…
• Not activities, but learning experiences
– Group Experiences
- Music and Movement
- Branching Out with Books
- Snacks
- Neighborhood Nature Walks
– Learning Centers
- Art
- Outdoor Explorers
- Discovery Table
- Math and Manipulatives
- Dramatic Play
• Take homes to continue learning
• Literacy connections are essential (reading, building vocabulary)
• Young children can begin writing skills
• Early childhood classrooms are very different from the typical k-12
classroom

22. Philosophy and Methods
• Go Outside Often!
• Involve the use of all senses
• Begin with simple
experiences
• Let students use their
imagination
• Provide choices whenever
possible
• Emphasize the experience not
the facts
• Integrate music and
movement, art, and literature
• Keep children actively
involved; they learn from play
• Engage parents to continue
learning activities at home