Hi, I'm Natalie Crowley, aka Nature Natalie. I create emergent outdoor education curriculum for students and teachers in all educational environments. I also teach first grade full time and run the resource site/blog NatureNatalie.com, where you can find the latest research about nature education, tips and tricks for starting your own program, and real-life stories of my own experiences taking children outdoors.
When I started teaching 7+ years ago, I knew that I wanted to help my students connect with nature. They were spending 95% of their day cooped up inside, sitting at a desk and looking at screens, unaware of the amazing natural wonders sitting right outside the door. It wasn't right.
I was inspired by the Forest School programs in Europe, which take the traditional classroom and turn it on its head by educating young children outside in nature. The results? Increased attention spans. Greater collaboration, creativity and problem solving. Improved social skills, language development, motivation and concentration, and physical skills. Higher academic performance. I was sold.
Alas, the programs and resources I could find were mostly targeted at preschool age children, with just a few venturing into the Kindergarten age group. Furthermore, most of the programs were in the UK and Europe. There was virtually nothing for first graders or beyond.
So, I set out to develop my own program, one that could be adapted to work in a traditional American elementary school setting. I dubbed my program Forest Fridays and embarked on a grand experiment in taking 20+ six- and seven-year olds into nature within San Francisco's city limits for several hours each week.
I am happy to report that not only have my students not stopped learning how to read, write, and do math, but they have grown into happier, more confident, more resilient, and more caring, kind, and compassionate young people. Forest Fridays are the highlight of our weeks together, and not just because they happen right before the weekend.
The most common question I am asked is some variation of, "I have an extra 20 minutes with my students this afternoon. What can we do outside?" With this scenario in mind, I wrote my first book, Teaching Outside: 20 Quick & Easy Outdoor Education Activities for Children. This book is meant to be useful and fun, and I hope you will have as much fun using it as I did writing it.
