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Designing School Grounds to Integrate Nature, Learning, and Health

Children and youth have a legal obligation to attend school. School environments, especially public schools, should be designed and managed for this special population as high-quality environmental equalizers for students from a range of socio-economic backgrounds, including the growing population of pre-K children. As this ideal is far from being realized, it begs the question: is a school just the buildings? Outdoors is fundamentally different to indoors, in the way it is perceived and used by students. Outdoors can be designed to offer a broader range of attractive behavioral affordances than indoors. A rapidly growing body of research sheds light on those differences. This April 16th session demonstrated how to translate research findings into actionable design and management approaches that could radically change ways in which student, parents, and teachers perceive and use schools. Varied approaches to new construction and renovation will be discussed. Whole school policies and practices will be discussed to promote school grounds as healthy, educational places for enjoyment, positive social relations, and learning about ecosystems and human dependency on nature.

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2019 Nordic Symposium

Nilda Cosco, PhD, Director of Programs at the Natural Learning Initiative participated in the 2019 Nordic Symposium that took place at the Sarah Lawrence College from April 5-6.

Ensuring the “Good Childhood” in a World of Cultural and Technological Change: Expanding the Nordic-American Dialogue on Early Education
Scandinavia House, New York City

Panel presentationEducation for Sustainable Development and Play

• Ingrid Pramling Samuelsson, PhD, Professor of Early Childhood Education, University of Gothenburg; UNESCO Chair in ECE & Sustainable Development.
• Nilda Cosco, PhD, Director of Programs, The Natural Learning Initiative; Research Associate Professor, College of Design, NC State University

Moderator: Judith Wagner, PhD, Emerita Professor of Child Development and Education; Director of Broadoaks Children’s School; Professor of Education and Child Development, Whittier College, CA

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What Nature Teaches Children

For TEDxRaleigh 2016 Dr. Nilda Cosco talks about the opportunities the childcare setting offers to provide children with the many benefits of a daily connection with nature.

Dr. Cosco was pleased to join a dynamic group of twelve speakers at the TEDx Raleigh event, held March 19, 2016 before a sold out audience in Raleigh, NC. This presentation was a welcome opportunity to share her expertise on childhood development and the effect of environmental quality on children’s health and builds on NLI’s Preventing Obesity by Design projects.

Healthy Starts: Infants/Toddlers

(Guilford Co.) UNCG – Brent Woodson Carter Center

UNC-G Child Care Education Program – Carter Center serves children on UNC-G’s campus.  The site has a large concrete area, which the center is planning to convert into a poured-in-place surface with raised beds around the perimeter.  They would also like to add a poured-in-place loop for wheeled toys, with a multipurpose lawn in the center.

In addition to these changes, the center would like to add shade and plantings to their outdoor learning environment.  They are planning to add a shade sail over the future poured-in-place area, which will transform this space into a comfortable outdoor classroom.  They are also planning to plant trees and naturalize the site, with plantings to help absorb water in the low-lying areas.

Play and learning settings will form the perimeter of the space.  Their immediate plans are to install an earth play area and add natural loose parts.

Address: 117 McIver Street, Greensboro, NC 27412

Phone Number: (336) 334-5376

County: Guilford
Local Partnership: Guildford County Partnership for Children

NC Star Rating: 5

Capacity: 13

Schematic Master Plan (2020)

Before Renovation (2019)

Healthy Starts: Infants/Toddlers

(Guilford Co.) UNCG – North Drive Childcare Center

The UNC-G Child Care Education Program North Drive location would like to naturalize the area around their existing primary pathway and add settings for gathering and outdoor play and learning.  North Drive’s first priorities are to install a low deck, a gathering circle with boulders, balance logs, and a porch swing and bench. 

This site has a large tree, which shades a good portion of the outdoor learning environment already, but shade is still an issue around the perimeter of the site.  North Drive is planning to plant 9 small trees to provide shade to the settings and components above and naturalize the space.

Address: 310 McIver Street, Greensboro, NC 27412

Phone Number: (336) 334-5810

County: Guilford
Local Partnership: Guildford County Partnership for Children

NC Star Rating: 5

Capacity: 50

Schematic Master Plan (2020)

Before Renovation (2019)

Earth Day 2021

Join us in celebrating Earth Day! It is a great opportunity to pause and enjoy nature as we ponder new ways to take care of our planet. Create a space to socialize outdoors or find new and inventive ways to upcycle items. Both the inspiring New York Times article: “Plant a Love of Nature in Your Kids” and today’s Google Doodle underscore how lifelong pro-nature values can take root across generations starting in childhood through engagement with nature—NLI says every day!

Image by: Enzo Pérès-Labourdette – NY Times

Healthy Starts: Infants/Toddlers

(Guilford Co.) UNCG – Curry Childcare Center

UNC-G Child Care Education Program – Curry Building provides childcare on UNC-G’s campus.  The existing infant space at this location is not connected to the building.  In order to make it easier for teachers to spend time outdoors with infants, the new infant space is located immediately off of the infant door.  The door opens up onto a low deck with a shade sail for sun protection.  Two other shade sails cover the rest of the area.

This new infant area is located entirely on existing concrete.  Raised beds provide opportunities to naturalize the space and one is large enough for a small tree, for more shade.  Two benches are built into the raised beds, making the most of limited space.  Artificial turf will be used as a more infant-friendly alternative to the existing concrete.

Address: 1000 Spring Garden, Greensboro, NC 27412

Phone Number: (336) 334-5587

County: Guilford
Local Partnership: Guildford County Partnership for Children

NC Star Rating: 5

Capacity: 78

Schematic Master Plan (2020)

Before Renovation (2019)

NLI Exhibition

Click on the image to hear a Holiday Greeting from NLI!