The Council for Environmental Education (CEE), with support from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has developed the Growing up WILD: Exploring Nature with Young Children program as part of its national initiative to help connect young children with nature.
The Growing Up WILD early childhood education program is correlated with both Head Start domains and NAEYC standards to help build on children’s innate sense of wonder about nature and help children explore wildlife and the world around them. The program is designed for use by educators of children ages 3-7. Through a wide range of activities and experiences, Growing Up WILD provides an early foundation for developing positive impressions about the natural world and lifelong social and academic skills.
The Growing Up WILD Activity Guide:
- Features 27 field-tested, hands-on, and nature-based activities.
- Includes crafts, art projects, music, conservation activities, reading and math connections, and more.
- Involves social, emotional, physical, language, and cognitive domains to help foster learning and development in all areas.
- Supports developmentally appropriate practice allowing children to learn at levels that are individually, socially, and culturally appropriate.
