Educators
Every teacher can be a Natural Teacher!
Make a Donation
Join the Movement
This site provides information for teachers to access valuable resources and share ideas with other teachers. Becoming a member of the Natural Teachers Network will allow you to join a growing movement of thousands of existing members of the Children & Nature Network and gain access to regularly updated research, tools, activities, and resources.
As a teacher, your ability to creatively engage your students with the natural world in their everyday lives can make a huge difference in their health, well-being, and capacity to learn.
Our Coalition
NCCAN! is made up of partners and members of the community engaged in connecting children with the natural world – health professionals, teachers, parents, environmentalists, architects, built environment professionals, farmers, businesses, local and state government agencies, community organizations and nonprofits, parks and recreation specialists, civic partners and community activists. As a regional movement, the Collaborative encourages broad leadership, mutual support, partnerships, openness, and flexibility with a clear focus toward a cultural shift and world in which all children play, learn, and grow with nature in their everyday lives.
Our Goals
This site provides information for teachers to access valuable resources and share ideas with other teachers. Becoming a member of the Natural Teachers Network will allow you to join a growing movement of thousands of existing members of the Children & Nature Network and gain access to regularly updated research, tools, activities, and resources.
What We Do
Professional Development
- Annual Conference
- Promote Partner Conferences
- Best Practice
- Training: Webinar Series
- Conferences
- Academic through higher education partnerships
Research
- Website: announcements, resources, national research
- Partnership with North Carolina University System to promote applicable research
Advocacy
- NC Children’s Declaration for Children and Nature (Outdoor Bill of Rights)
- NC Environmental Literacy Plan
- No Child Left Inside
- Healthy Child Act
Communication & Support
- Website as a resource for parents and professionals with events, announcements, resources, local affiliate news, toolkits to national efforts.
- Parent Resources and events through Nature Rocks.
- Full-color e-newsletter delivered 4 times per year to members and policymakers
- Facilitate collaborations and networking between partner organizations
- Facilitate efforts to involve high school teens in the children and nature movement through supporting partner efforts that reach out to high school youth and engage them in activities in nature and connect them to Natural Leaders.
Regional Chapters
When you join NCCAN! you also become a member of your regional affiliate chapter. Local Affiliate Chapters are members from specific counties that have come together and determined priorities and action plans for their local communities. All regional affiliate chapters have a Regional Coordinator liaison that is a member of the NCCAN! Leadership Team and serve as a communications liaison between the State and regional efforts.