It is crucial that future generations have the knowledge about nature and the willingness to make right decisions for sustainable development, including the halt of global biodiversity loss. Perception of species and the ability to identify wild species (i.e. animals, plants and fungi) are fundamental for the understanding of biodiversity.…

Might interacting with relatively wild forms of nature help move our world away from its largely domination-oriented and destructive sensibilities? Toward broaching this question, this study used an Interaction Pattern Approach to model child-nature interaction in a Hong Kong nature program. Observational video data were collected of 54 children…

Museum-based settings such as zoos provide a unique opportunity to engage educators in professional development opportunities. For instance, zoo settings can provide professional development opportunities focused on facilitating learning through a lens of conservation action to promote sustained action by teachers and their students. In this…

The research presented in this article contributes to our understanding of wild pedagogies, put into practice through the exploration of a space where culture/Nature binaries are blurred and contrasted. The observations and findings challenge the way we "see," come to know, and position ourselves as part of or separate from the natural…

The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore affordances for STEM-related skills in a nature preschool in central Texas. Observations were conducted along with the collection of videos and photographs of four preschool-aged participants. Informal interviews were also implemented during data collection and observations. Semi-formal…

This article introduces the notion of "enchanted animism," contending that an enchanted re-animation of the world may be necessary for learning to live on a damaged planet. The paper draws on a project with young children which invited them to share what they thought was 'good' in the outdoor spaces at their early learning centre. These…

Early childhood is an important time for building children's affinity with nature and the environment. Early childhood professionals play a crucial role in developing young children's understanding of the natural world. Over the past 50 years, there has been a movement in early childhood education and care contexts to provide young children with…

Jenn Hooven, Mark Kissling, and Misty Woods show how children between the ages of 3 and 5 learn to be ecological citizens at the Child Care Center at Hort Woods on Penn State's University Park campus. The authors demonstrate how the curriculum provides a learning focus on animals, insects, plants, weather, and nature-at-large and includes both…

Ecocriticism analyzes the symbolic meanings attributed to nature and the mindsets created by these meanings through interpreting literature and cultural texts from an environmental perspective. The individuals who have gained ecocriticism skills are expected to create an awareness concerning possession of a distinctive value and to direct towards…

Mankind could not exist without the earth to which it owes its life and could not have continued to exist to this day. This earth we call our world is an ecosystem. Mankind could not survive alone in this ecosystem. Mankind was able to continue its existence to the present day forming a whole with the other elements of this ecosystem. Aware of…

We evaluated environmental values of primary school children during a one-day program at a wildlife park and compared the outcomes concerning two different forms of instruction (teacher-centered, student-centered) as well as two different surroundings of learning settings (wildlife park, school) while observing state emotions. A total of 441…

This article describes an unit that was created for first-grade students using both the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in a student-centered, problem-based approach. The multifaceted classroom unit combined with a take-home field study provides students…

Popular demand for school-based outdoor learning is growing throughout the world, but there is relatively little use of international comparisons to inform the development and support of this growth. Motivations for providing outdoor learning may vary within and across countries/areas. Through understanding how different purposes are being…

A total of 268 primary school children (age 8.75 ± 0.65) spent one day at a wildlife park attending environmental education aiming at high cognitive achievement and motivation alongside maintained discipline. To accomplish this at an out-of-school learning setting, we compared our preferred 'guided learning at workstations' (G) combining the…

The lack of environmental education in many primary and secondary school systems is likely due to overloaded school curricula, lack of funds, large classroom sizes, and other contributing factors. Through the integration of hands-on activities following the training of teachers, we can improve the impact of environmental education. Our goals in…