Curriculum Development for Nature Based Early Childhood Educators, Zajko, Spring 2025

Course Description

Early childhood educators who support a nature-based approach in their classroom often discover that they need to embrace a unique design to curriculum development. This curriculum work often differs from conventional approaches included in college or previous internship experiences. In the context of examining indoor and outdoor environments, teachers will discuss how to utilize nature to foster skill development in young children and how to meaningfully embed early learning standards in a nature-based program.  We will discuss how we can incorporate authentic observations to assess and monitor our student’s growth and to continually enrich our programs.  Participants will feel empowered to incorporate developmentally appropriate teaching practices including: interactions, learning environment (indoors and outdoors), daily schedules, routines, and implement a dynamic nature-based approach in their classrooms.  Participants will design a nature-based integrated curriculum unit that includes language and literacy, mathematical thinking, nature and sciences, social studies and creative expression for early education. Due to the small class size and course format, participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their current practices as they begin to consider and solidify new concepts presented.

 Audience: Early Childhood Educators - birth - grade 3

Course Goals & Objectives

Course Goals:

1. Develop a thorough understanding of how nature-based early childhood programs foster whole-child development.
2. Enhance written communication skills to effectively articulate developmental benefits associated with a nature-based approach in early childhood education.
3. Apply developmentally appropriate teaching practices in real-world classroom settings, demonstrated through reflective analysis covering adult/child interactions, creation of nature-rich environments, evaluation of daily routines, and formulation of strategies fostering student ownership of learning.
4. Develop a nature-based integrated curriculum unit for early education that incorporates authentic observations into teaching practices to assess and monitor student growth, as well as scaffolding learning, presented through a well-structured and written proposal.

Course Objectives: At the completion of this class, the student will be able to:

1. Define how nature-based early childhood programs promote whole-child development with nature as the organizing concept, demonstrated through a written assessment identifying key components of such programs.
2. Articulate, in writing, at least four developmental benefits associated with a nature-based approach in early childhood education.
3. Implement developmentally appropriate teaching practices into their classrooms, as observed through a classroom reflection, considering adult/child interactions, offering nature-rich environments, analysis of daily routines, and outline of strategies for empowering student ownership of their learning.
4. Develop and present a plan for incorporating authentic observations to assess and monitor student growth, as well as scaffolding student learning, demonstrated through a written proposal.
5. With peer support reflect on one cycle of objective observation, documentation, reflection, and response in creating meaningful learning experiences for children, demonstrated through short portfolio submission.
6. Align nature-based teaching practices with the Vermont Early Learning Standards (VELS) to build early learning skills, demonstrated through the creation of lesson plans.
7. Reflect on their professional role as a teacher and articulate, in writing, how to apply new concepts for nature-based teaching practices in their specific context.
8. Design a nature-based integrated curriculum unit for early education, including language and literacy, mathematical thinking, nature and sciences, social studies, and creative expression, as evidenced by a comprehensive curriculum unit submission.

Instructor

April Zajko, M.Ed.

Required Texts

“Nature-Based Preschool Professional Practice Guidebook” by the North American Association for Environmental Education’s Natural Start Alliance. ISBN: 0578545659 You can download the first introduction to our textbook at this link. Please order a copy of it for our course but this link can help you get started! https://naturalstart.org/nature-based-preschool-professional-practice-guidebook

“Vermont Early Learning Standards” - having a paper copy for this course is encouraged and can be printed from this link: https://education.vermont.gov/sites/aoe/files/documents/edu-early-education-early-learning-standards.pdf

For additional course information

April Zajko

(802) 424-1046

For additional registration information

Center for Schools Team
(802) 468-1325

Register now!