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“The stars, acorns, kites,
a magnifying glass, bugs, birds,
and even ice can teach us the
way the world works.”
Learning to Play.
- Barbara Brenner, author
Playing to Learn.
T he Chicago Zoological Society’s NatureStartTM program—a child-centered,
nature-play inspired approach to early-childhood education—is revolutionizing
the way children learn and experience the world around them.
At the heart of it, the NatureStart TM Wanting to extend our reach, in 2010, we created the
principles are: NatureStartTM Professional Development program. We began with
informal educators at zoos, aquariums, nature centers, and other
1. Play is a powerful teacher. conservation organizations, using our success with the Play Zoo
2. Children learn best when they are agents of their own exploration. to demonstrate how to deliver effective nature-play-inspired,
3. Time spent in and with nature is essential for children’s early-childhood programs.
development. Nature Play Powered by Partnership
These ideas are simple, but their implications can be profound:
We take care of the things we love. Children who connect with Once we conducted several of these trainings, we had a group
nature and wildlife at an early age want to protect it. of individuals who were now passionate about nature play. It
was only natural to make sure these individuals had a way to
The Start of NatureStart TM connect and share ideas with each other. This led to the creation
of the NatureStartTM Network. Like its name implies, this is a
In 2001, we opened Hamill Family Play Zoo, a groundbreaking network of early childhood and environmental educators working
exhibit rooted in early-childhood development and conservation to support family nature play, exploration, and learning within
psychology (the study of relationships between human and nature). homes, schools, and recreational spaces in urban neighborhoods.
The Play Zoo is a real-world, learn-through-play laboratory.
(Photo above) Head Start teachers participating in an activity that helps adults see
nature from a child's perspective during NatureStartTM training, and Mark Freedlund, Play
Program supervisor, working with educators from the Latin American Zoo and Aquarium
Association during the first NatureStartTM professional development program (right).
36 GATEWAYS | ANNUAL IMPACT REVIEW
