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Emily Porter

Emily Porter manages early childhood and family learning and onsite school programs for the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Emily earned a BA from Harvard University in English and American Literature and Language and an MAT from the George Washington University in Museum Education. Also a certified Nature Play professional, Emily is passionate about engaging children with nature to spark a lifelong love of wildlife and a desire to take action to save species.

Stories from this author

Activities that give young children the opportunity to build meaningful, personal connections with animals can be the spark for a lifelong love of wildlife and cultivate a lasting conservation ethic.

Using Empathy for Animals to Engage Young Children in Early Engineering Education

How do you introduce engineering practices and skills to young learners? Smithsonian educators suggest it starts with empathy.