The Growing Up Wild and Starting Out Wild Programs are designed to foster a love of nature and the outdoors in young children. 

Research has shown that children who spend time outdoors are happier, healthier, and smarter. Being outdoors also reduces stress and boosts immune systems, something we could all benefit from.

These guides were made from the lesson plans designed by the Master Naturalists. Their lesson plans can be found online here.

Created With You In Mind

These lessons are designed with you in mind. They have instructions for you to guide your little ones outside on an exploration of a specific topic. 

Throughout the lesson plans, there will be suggested questions you can ask your child to get them thinking. Even if they are not speaking yet, these questions are important to help direct their attention and guide your activities. Plus, conversations — even one-sided ones — boost language learning in children. 

We hope you enjoy these lessons and are able to spend some quality time outside with your child.

The lesson plans are designed to either be printed out (and use the least amount of ink) or downloaded to a phone or tablet. Once downloaded to your device, you will be able to use it without having to access the internet or cell service (great for putting on old devices and taking outside!)

Click to download lesson plan:

Tip 1: Keep it short

Although toddlers have a lot of energy, they tire easily. Don’t plan on a long walk, instead, plan on exploring one or two specific locations and see what you can find. 

Tip 2: Keep it Moving

Toddlers learn through movement and their senses. So let them run, touch, see and smell what they are looking at. (Make sure you are letting them handle only safe things. Avoid poisonous plants. When in doubt, don’t touch!)

Tip 3: Preschoolers have short attention spans

There are several phases, or sections, to this activity. Plan for each phase to last 5 to 10 minutes, and set aside 45 minutes to an hour for the whole activity. 

This is just a suggestion, progress through the phases naturally. Just understand that the phases are not intended to last a very long time. When these classes are held in the park, the whole lesson takes about an hour.

Tip 4: Foster Engagement

If your child becomes interested in something that is off-topic, follow their lead! Their engagement is what you are trying to foster, not facts or a specific plan. The most important thing is to teach them is that the outdoors is a fun place to be.

Tip 5: Explore Together

Don’t worry if you don’t know the answer to a question. Finding out together is more important than knowing the answers. 

Tip 6: Review Before You Do

It helps if you set up what you are going to do before you engage your child in the activity. This can be as simple as visualizing what you will do before you do it, or you could gather the materials you want to use and pick a preferred location. It helps if you have a plan before you get your child involved, but leave flexibility in the plan to allow your child to explore as their interests dart about.

Tip 7: Follow the Format

Every Starting Out Wild class begins with the Hello Song and ends with the Goodbye song to give children a sense of structure. Below is an example of the Hello and Goodbye songs, sung by Wendy Drezek.