Over 2,000 Early Childhood Educators Shared How They Integrate the Natural World into Their Teaching. Here’s What They Revealed About What’s Working and What’s Missing

The Smithsonian surveyed early childhood educators from across the nation to uncover their mindsets for finding educational resources. The results will inform how organizations can play a part in helping to incorporate nature-based learning into classrooms.

Worms were really popular in our exploration table. We did experiments with the worms. They touched the worms. We took the worms to the actual dirt outside. They had so much fun that they didn’t want to go to dramatic play. They didn’t want to do anything else because they just loved that outside learning. We read the books outside and just made it a whole nature time. I had parents like, “What are you doing because they’re loving it?” – Early Childhood Educator 

Every educator wants their students to want to learn, this is no surprise. In early childhood, there are a variety of approaches that can help capture this love of learning from an early age. Anything from play-based learning, object-based learning, or purposeful play. Well-known teaching philosophies like Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, all have a wide following. A recent survey conducted by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conversation Biology Institute (NZCBI) in 2025 focused specifically on nature-based learning, which is an educational approach that uses natural environments and materials to center student learning across subjects.  

So, why was the Smithsonian interested in understanding the landscape of nature-based learning in early childhood? For over 175 years, the Smithsonian has transformed curiosity into discovery. They do this by advancing science that informs, inspires, and delivers solutions for Earth (and beyond). Studies show that children who had positive experiences in and with nature with a trusted adult were more likely to be environmental stewards later in life (Chawla and Derr, 2012). Specifically, experiences like “family outings to a park… permission to play in a wooded area during school recess… suggest to children that adults around them value nature.” (Chawla and Derr, 2012). Young children spend a majority of their day in schools, making school settings and early childhood educators an important vehicle to increase children’s opportunities to have positive experiences in and with nature.  

SERC and NZCBI, who curate and facilitate nature-based learning experiences for schools and families, sought to understand more about nature-based learning in early childhood school settings. The results will equip the Smithsonian to provide early childhood educators with the tools they need to increase positive experiences for young children. During the recent summer months, SERC and NZCBI partnered with Smithsonian Gardens to close the nature access gap informed by this research! 

In 2025, SERC and NZCBI worked with Inform, an outcomes-based evaluation firm, to carry out “Nature Needs: Assessing Nature-Based Learning Needs for Early Childhood Educators” (Nature Needs Assessment). This assessment included a nationally distributed survey instrument and focus group protocol. The Nature Needs Assessment received 2,560 survey responses and Inform completed seven Educator Focus Groups with 48 educators. 

Understanding Early Childhood Educators as an Audience

A critical part of the Nature Needs Assessment was to understand the mindset of an early childhood educator. What teaching philosophies do they follow? How do they find resources to use in their classrooms? What are their priorities when searching for content to use in their classrooms? What type of resources are they even looking for? This will help the Smithsonian better understand how to provide more relevant resources for early childhood educators. So, what did we learn about early childhood educators? 

Educators sought out resources from a variety of sources, but prioritized resources recommended by other teachers and organizations they trust. One goal was to better understand how teachers look for resources to supplement their curriculum. Most teachers said they look online and mentioned social media in a quarter of open-ended responses. Pinterest was the most popular social media site at 10%, with Facebook and Instagram also ranking at 4% and 2% respectively. Educators look for resources in a variety of places but are more likely to use the ones they find from organizations they trust. They also trust resources made by other teachers. This suggests the name and reputation of the organization behind educational content matters. 

Play-based learning was the most widely used curriculum approach among early childhood educators. Most educators who work with children ages zero to five know the importance of play-based learning. They understand that their students learn through play and know how to build play into their classroom activities. 

Educators largely valued the benefits of nature-based learning but wanted to integrate it into their classrooms. The survey says that early childhood educators also understand the importance of nature-based learning. Educators rated themselves as confident in implementing nature-based learning in their practice. They largely valued the educational benefits of spending time outdoors with students, valued these experiences personally, and wanted to integrate nature-based learning more fully into their classrooms. 

If early childhood educators valued the benefits of nature-based learning and want to integrate it into their classrooms, the bigger question becomes what is keeping them from doing so? What barriers are keeping them from integrating nature-based learning in the classrooms, schools, and communities?

Areas of Concern Related to Nature-Based Learning in Early Childhood 

Early childhood educators reported a moderate level of nature-based learning integration, with statistically significant differences across school settings, age levels, and regions. What are the differences across demographic groups that the Smithsonian should consider when developing materials or resources for early childhood educators? 

• Ages 3-5: Educators with students under the age of three and over the age of five were more likely to incorporate nature-based learning. To close this gap, the Smithsonian should focus on creating resources for educators who work with children between the ages of three and five. This could look like incorporating nature-based learning into kindergarten readiness resources that are easy to implement in the structure of a preschool or pre-K classroom. 
• Types of settings: private school educators were more likely to incorporate nature-based learning into their classrooms and public-school educators were the least likely to do so. With this information in mind, the Smithsonian should focus on providing opportunities and resources for early childhood educators who work in public-school settings. 
• Regional differences: The Southeast US, South Central US, and West Coast and Pacific Islands had the lowest average ratings related to current integration of nature-based learning while the Mid-Atlantic region had the highest overall average. This information highlights differences across regions that could be based on a variety of reasons (weather, values, access, etc.) but the Smithsonian can prioritize educators from regions with lower levels of integration for opportunities in professional development workshops, sessions, training, and more to help level the playing field across regions. 

Inadequate funding or materials and limited preparation or training were the biggest barriers to implementing nature-based learning. This can be anything from paying out of pocket for supplies like refilling the school’s sandbox or it could even be a lack of funding to provide proper clothing for students who do not bring weather-appropriate clothing to school. 

What's Next for the Smithsonian and Nature-Based Learning

To address the areas of concern from the Nature Needs Assessment, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute and Smithsonian Environmental Research Center invited Smithsonian Gardens to partner for a Together We Thrive grant-funded project. Together, these three Smithsonian units developed a year-long teacher professional development opportunity called The Smithsonian’s Growing Together Cohort.  

Addressing inadequate preparation: This opportunity consists of a week-long workshop in the summer and quarterly check-ins throughout the following school year. Smithsonian educators immerse the early childhood educators in nature-based learning pedagogy, philosophies, and practical insight- the preparation and training that the Nature Needs survey indicated was a barrier for implementing nature-based learning in classrooms.  

Addressing inadequate funding: Not only do educators receive a $1,500 stipend for attending the workshop, but they also develop and present a Seed Project and receive $1,000 to fund this project in their classroom. The Seed Project attempts to address the lack of funding barrier as much as possible.  

Co-developing resources teachers can trust: Throughout the school year, teachers also engage with Smithsonian educators and each other to co-create nature-based educational resources. These classroom resources will be available online for other educators to download and use in their classrooms. These resources will not only come from organizations trusted by teachers, but will be developed by real teachers and address real classroom challenges. 

Smithsonian educators from NZCBI, SERC, and SG will work closely with the Smithsonian Growing Together Cohort (currently funded through the 2027) over at least the next two years to attempt to reduce the barriers indicated in the Nature Needs Assessment. To close the access to nature gap, they will provide more professional development opportunities in nature-based learning and classroom resources for teachers nationwide available online to implement in their classrooms, schools, or communities. 

Silvana Oderisi | Read More

Silvana Oderisi is the Nature Play Specialist at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, where she develops nature-based early childhood programming and teacher workshops. She draws from over 15 years of experience working in formal and informal education to provide accessible and developmentally appropriate learning opportunities for young children and their adults.