Section outline

  • Description
    In this module you will be introduced to environmental education for young learners, focusing on ages three through six. You will also learn about the Early Childhood Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for Excellence. These Guidelines comprise a set of recommendations for developing and administering high-quality, early childhood environmental education programs. These recommendations provide a tool that can be used to ensure a firm foundation for new programs or to trigger improvements in existing ones. We’ve split learning about these six Key Characteristics into Module 2, which focuses on program infrastructure, and Module 3, which focuses on fostering learning.

    Objectives
    After completing this module, you should be able to:
    • Identify and understand key characteristics of high-quality, early childhood environmental education program infrastructure. 
    • Identify ways to apply these key characteristics to your programs. 

    Benchmark Assessment

    Estimated Time for Completion
    2 hours 30 minutes


    Module 2 Tasks


    • Getting to Know the Guidelines for Early Childhood Environmental Education Programs

      The Early Childhood Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for Excellence comprises a set of recommendations for developing comprehensive early childhood environmental education programs or informing improvements in existing ones.

      TASK 1: Before looking at the Guidelines for Excellence, we want to know what you think! Record in your Course Journal your responses to the following questions:
      1. What are some of the key characteristics of a high-quality early childhood environmental educator? 
      2. What does early childhood environmental education look like? 
      3. What are some things we should keep in mind when we teach young children about their environment? 

      TASK 2: Download a free pdf of NAAEE's Early Childhood Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for Excellence by clicking here. Read the Introduction and Summary sections pp. 2-9. Answer the questions below in your Course Journal.
      1. What is the purpose of these Guidelines? 
      2. What are some ways that early childhood environmental education differs from environmental education for older students and adults? 
      3. Does every early childhood environmental education program need to follow all of the guidelines? 
      4. What are examples of how some of your work already aligns to the Guidelines? 
      5. How else could you use the Guidelines? 

      TASK 3: Using the summary of the Guidelines on pages 8-9, compare the lists you generated in questions 1-2 of Task 1 to each of the Key Characteristics. In your Course Journal, group your ideas into each of the six Characteristics. How did the concepts you listed overlap with the Key Characteristics in the Early Childhood EE Guidelines? Were there any gaps in the concepts and ideas you listed?

      In the following tasks you will dig deeper into Guidelines 1, 5 and 6 which focus on program infrastructure.
    • Key Characteristic #1 - Program Philosophy, Purpose, and Development

      Overview: High quality early childhood environmental education programs articulate an overarching philosophy that guides all program activities. Goals and objectives state how the program meets the needs of young children and their community. This includes the following Guidelines: (1.1) Focus on Nature and the Environment, (1.2) Focus on Education of Young Children, (1.3) Culturally Appropriate Goals, Objectives, and Practices, (1.4) Environmental Literacy, Board, Staff and Providers, (1.5) Health and Safety, (1.6) Ongoing Evaluation and Assessment, (1.7) Partnerships, and (1.8) Interpersonal and Intergenerational Relationships.

      TASK 4: Read through Key Characteristic #1 (pages 10-17).

      TASK 5: In this task, we will take a closer look at Guideline 1.3 - Culturally Appropriate Goals, Objectives and Practices. Read “The Role of Culture in Early Childhood Environmental Education'' on Page 13 of the Guidelines document. Then, answer the following questions in your Course Journal:
      • What are some nature-oriented cultural traditions you might encounter in your early childhood programs? How are these similar or dissimilar to your own nature-oriented cultural traditions? 
      • How have these cultural traditions been honored? What are some other ways these cultural traditions or similar cultural traditions can be honored? 
      • How might you learn more about the cultural traditions of the children you serve? 
      • How are families seen and represented in your program? How are families invited into the learning process?

    • Key Characteristic #5 - Places and Spaces

      Overview: High quality early childhood environmental education programs provide places and spaces, both indoors and out, that are safe, enticing, comfortable, and enhance learning and development across all learning domains. This Key Characteristic includes the following Guidelines: (5.1) Spaces and Places to Enhance Development, (5.2) Natural Components, (5.3) Comfortable for both children and adults, (5.4) Maintenance and Usability, (5.5) Health, Safety, and Risk, (5.6) Environmental Sustainability.

      TASK 6: Outdoor spaces come in a variety shapes and sizes. Some are well developed for outdoor learning and play and some are not. The Natural Learning Initiative has developed best practice indicators for preschool outdoor play and learning environments. Read through the best practice indicators below:

      13 Best Practice Indicators from the Natural Learning Initiative 2021. Preschool Outdoor Play and Learning Environments Best Practice Toolkit. Natural Learning Initiative.
      1. There are 10 or more play and learning settings. 
      2. There is a looping, curvy, primary pathway for circulation and wheeled-toy use. 
      3. There is a grassy lawn for games, activities, and events for many children. 
      4. There are sufficient shady settings in addition to trees. 
      5. There is a variety of loose materials, accessible for children to play with. 
      6. There is sufficient portable play equipment, including different types of wheeled toys, accessible for children to play with. 
      7. There are sufficient gross motor activities supported by the outdoor play and learning environment. 
      8. There are sufficient trees. 
      9. There is a proportion of trees that are edible fruiting species. 
      10. There are sufficient shrubs and vines (including fruiting species), ornamental grasses, and perennial flowering plants. 
      11. There is a designated vegetable garden with sufficient produce for snacking and/or meals. 
      12. There is a covered outdoor classroom/gathering place large enough for all children in a class to use together. 
      13. There is sufficient storage for wheeled toys, portable play equipment, loose parts, and other play and learning materials. 

      Reimagining your outdoor play and learning space doesn't have to be a huge financial investment. Explore Creative Play Settings on a Budget to learn about affordable options for designing and activating your outdoor space for nature play and learning.

      OPTIONAL RESOURCES:
      • How-To Guides (ECHO Website) Winter Play 
      • Playing By the Rules Colorado - guidebook that goes through settings and looks at them through the licensing requirements, etc. 

      TASK 7: In your Course Journal, reflect on the following questions:
      • What are your reactions to the guideline’s best practice indicators? 
      • Which best practices are most important to you? 
      •  What challenges do you foresee in applying the best practices? What are potential solutions to these challenges? 
      • What creative play materials could you add?

      TASK 8: Look at the two pictures below. Each illustrates an undeveloped outdoor space that could benefit from improvements. Select one and in your Course Journal, discuss how it could be improved to provide opportunities for outdoor learning and play. (Bonus Fun: If you like, print out one of the photos and sketch the improvements you would make and annotate it towards one or more of the ten principles above. Then take a photo and insert it into your Course Journal)

      Undeveloped outdoor space

       Undeveloped outdoor space


             TASK 9: Look at the photos below of re-designed early childhood spaces for outdoor learning from the National Wildlife Federation - Early Childhood Health Outdoors.

      Before and after photo

      Before and after photo


      In your Course Journal reflect on the following questions:
      • What do you like about these spaces? 
      • What elements would you like to incorporate into your own space? 
    • Key Characteristic #6 - Educator Preparation

      Overview: Effective early childhood environmental educators are able to plan and implement high-quality, developmentally appropriate programs for young children. This includes the following Guidelines: (6.1) Foundations of Early Childhood Environmental Education, (6.2) Professional Responsibilities of the Educator, (5.3) Environmental Literacy, (5.4) Planning and Implementing Environmental Education, (6.5) Fostering Learning and (6.6) Assessment and Evaluation.

      TASK 10: In this task, you will reflect on your own understanding, skills, and practices as an early childhood environmental educator.

      Complete the Early Childhood Self-Assessment then answer the following questions in your Course Journal:
      • Were you surprised by any of your responses? 
      •  What do you see as personal strengths? What understandings, skills or practices would you like to develop more? 
      • What qualities—understandings, skills, and practices of an early childhood environmental educator—would you add to this self-assessment?
    • Submit Module 2 Course Journal Assignment
      Opened: Monday, 22 January 2024, 2:00 AM

      Submit your completed Module 2 Course Journal.

      • View Scoring Guide >>
      • You may upload a Word document or submit a link to a Google Doc. If you submit a link to a Google Doc, adjust the sharing settings so that it can be viewed by anyone with the link. Click the blue Share button in the top right. A new box will open, under Get Link, select 'Anyone with the link'.