Creating environments for healthy human development and
a healthy biosphere for generations to come.

The purpose of the Natural Learning Initiative is to promote the importance of the natural environment in the daily experience of all children, through environmental design, action research, education, and dissemination of information. 

Why?
Increasing numbers of children are losing contact with the natural world. Reasons include childcare centers with outdoor spaces that do not support children's developmental needs; the rapid growth of domestic air-conditioning since the 1950s; apprehensive parents who keep their children close to home; state-mandated curricula that do not allow time for study outdoors; and the overly-structured, harried lifestyle of many children today.

Our Mission
The mission of the Natural Learning Initiative is to help communities create stimulating places for play, learning, and environmental education - environments that recognize human dependence on the natural world. We collaborate with educators, play leaders, environmental educators, planners, politicians, and all professionals working for and with children.

A Research and Design Assistance Program of the College of Design,
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA