Presented by Rachel Larimore, Ph.D., Chief Visionary, Samara Early Learning; Patti Bailie, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education, University of Maine at Farmington; and Arianna Pikus, M.S., Doctoral Candidate, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Michigan State University
Moderated by Jennifer Lewis, President, Gryphon House, Inc.

Sponsored by Gryphon House

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Nature-based education is a rapidly growing approach in early childhood. The Nature-Based Education Rating Scale (NABERS) is a tool developed to help identify the quality and level of “natureness” for those PreK and K-3 programs adding nature to their curricula. This edWebinar first identifies the core principles of Nature-based Early Childhood Education (NbECE) and then discusses tangible measures of quality. Viewers leave the session able to identify nature-based practices in the program structure, staffing, physical environment, community partnerships, and family engagement.

While other measures of quality exist in early childhood education (e.g., ECERS, CLASS) this is the first tool to specifically address the features of nature-based education. NbECE is considered the blending of early childhood and environmental education and the NABERS tool focuses specifically on the overlap between these two disciplines. That is, NABERS does not address measures of quality related to early childhood in general, but rather those practices specific to the nature-based approach. For example, family engagement is important whether a program is nature based or not. Thus, NABERS only addresses aspects specific to family engagement such as family education related to the benefits of nature-based learning.

View this edWebinar to learn how to:

• Identify the core principles of a nature-based early childhood approach
• Describe quality nature-based practices related to program structure, staffing, physical environment setup, and family engagement

This recorded edWebinar is of interest to PreK-3 teachers and school and district leaders.

About the Presenters

Rachel A. Larimore, Ph.D. is an educator, consultant, speaker, researcher, and author. Her work focuses on the intentional integration of nature to support young children’s holistic development by learning with nature to expand their worlds and live rich, full lives. She has written multiple books including Establishing a Nature-Based Preschool; Preschool Beyond Walls: Blending Early Childhood Education and Nature-Based Learning; and the forthcoming Evaluating Natureness: Measuring the Quality of Nature-Based Classrooms in Pre-K Through 3rd Grade. Dr. Larimore is the founder and Chief Visionary of Samara Early Learning, an organization focused on helping early childhood educators start nature-based schools or add nature-based approaches into their existing programs. Prior to founding Samara, she spent more than a decade starting and directing one of the first nature-based preschools in the United States.

Patti Bailie, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Maine at Farmington. She has worked in the field of early childhood environmental education for 30 years at three different nature centers: as founding Director of the Schlitz Audubon Nature Preschool in Milwaukee, WI, Co-Director of the Early Childhood Outdoors Institute at the Fontenelle Nature Association in Omaha, NE, and an early childhood environmental educator at the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes in Cleveland, OH. She is co-author of Partnering with Nature in Early Childhood: A Guide to Outdoor Experiences and the forthcoming Evaluating Natureness: Measuring the Quality of Nature-Based Classrooms in Pre-K Through 3rd Grade. She was also a contributor to David Sobel’s book, Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens: The Handbook of Outdoor Learning. Dr. Bailie serves on several advisory boards including the Maine Early Childhood Outdoors Network and the Natural Start Alliance.

Arianna E. Pikus, M.A. is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Michigan State University. Her work focuses on enhancing science instruction in early childhood classrooms through nature-based education. She is a former outdoor educator and preschool teacher.

About the Moderator

Jennifer Lewis is the president at Gryphon House, Inc., the leading publisher of educational resources for teachers and parents.

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Gryphon House, Inc. is an award-winning publisher of early childhood resources for teachers and parents.