Time to get children outside!

Spring has arrived and it is the perfect time to explore nature with Growing Up WILD: Exploring Nature with Young Children, the first nationally distributed early childhood activity guide and training program for building school readiness skills through nature exploration! Developed by the Council for Environmental Education, a multi-award winning, environmental education organization, Growing Up WILD  is the recipient of the Family Choice Award!

Through a host of nature-themed activities, Growing Up WILD is a valuable tool for meeting educational goals. Growing Up WILD recognizes that:

• Young children are naturally curious and inquisitive. Growing Up WILD includes a strong science inquiry component. Field investigations encourage children to collect in-depth information about a particular environment, animal species, or natural event; look for patterns; and report what they find. Like scientists, they actively engage in the world around them and work to make sense of their observations and experiences.
    
• Children benefit from time outdoors and time connecting to nature. Growing Up WILD activities were designed to help address the health and psychological challenges many children experience as the result of spending little time outdoors.
   
• Educators and parents can help build on a child’s natural predisposition to learn simple math.  Growing Up WILD’s “Mighty Math” components integrate mathematical concepts, reasoning and skill development into each activity.
   
• Healthy habits begin at a young age. Growing Up WILD provides a “Healthy Me” component, offering ideas for healthy activity and health awareness. A “Take Me Outside” section in each activity features fun physical activities and outdoor adventures such as running games and nature walks. Numerous recipes offer ideas for healthy, fun snacks that children can prepare while learning about the connection of food to nature. 
   
• A key element of a child’s cognitive development is the formation of literacy skills. Growing Up WILD prepares young learners for academic success by emphasizing literacy. The guide includes a literacy component to provide word-rich experiences for young children that will aid in reading readiness.
   
• Parental involvement is important. Growing Up WILD provides “Home Connections” cards, available in English and Spanish, to help parents and caregivers extend and participate in learning activities with their child.
   
• Early childhood development is more than academics. Growing Up WILD embraces a holistic approach to learning, including activities geared for young children’s cognitive, affective, social and physical development.  Themes involving the exploration of nature and the outdoors tie together learning and play through music, arts, movement, inquiry and problem solving.

How to Get Growing Up WILD:

Growing Up WILD is available with training, through a national network of state sponsoring organizations. Best of all, training is often FREE whereby participants get FREE copies of the Growing Up WILD guide!  Formal and nonformal educators can receive Growing Up WILD materials by participating in interactive, hands-on professional development workshops that are coordinated by representatives from sponsoring wildlife, natural resource, and education organizations. Information is available through your Project WILD State Coordinator/ Growing Up WILD Training Partner at http://www.projectwild.org/GrowingUpWILD/partners.htm.

Growing Up WILD is also available for purchase directly from the Council for Environmental Education for $24.95. (Order at http://www.projectwild.org/Order.htm)