News
Nature Play and Learning Areas Guidelines Registry
Call for Participation
Nature Play and Learning Areas Guidelines is a joint project between NLI and the National Wildlife Federation, with the support of national partners. The aim is to develop national design and management guidelines for nature areas in children’s outdoor play and learning environments.
The Guidelines Project is currently soliciting and compiling a registry of Nature Play and Learning Areas to support and potentially illustrate the best practice criteria specified in the Guidelines.
NC Children and Nature (NCCAN!) Conference - Thursday, March 7
The 6th Annual North Carolina Children and Nature (NCCAN!) Conference will be held in Gastonia, NC at the Schiele Museum of Natural History on March 7, 2013. This year's conference will be connected with the NC Environmental Education Centers Conference. This event will provide an opportunity for networking with professionals from across the state and country and to learn more about the children and nature movement through a new Open Space Technology conference format, and also hiking in the outdoors.
Inter-Institutional Design Charrette - Preventing Obesity by Design (POD-3)
The Natural Learning Initiative hosted the first ever Inter-Institutional Outdoor Learning Environment (OLE) Design Charrette on January 30, 2013. This historic event included 29 landscape architecture and horticulture students from three institutions of higher education—NC State University (8 students), NC A&T (10 students) and Alamance Community College (11 students). A studio instructor also represented each program—Anna Reaves (NC A&T), Carol Kawula (Alamance CC), and Andy Fox (NC State). Read more.
Preventing Obesity by Design in Wake County (POD-Wake) 2012 Workshop
December 12th and 13th, 2012 marked the first POD-Wake design workshop as part of the three-year initiative launched August, 2012, Preventing Obesity by Design in Wake County (POD-Wake).
Nature Play at Home Released
Nature Play At Home: A Guide for Boosting Children's Healthy Development and Creativity
Playing Out: Space for Play
N.C. Zoo’s Playful Pedagogy in partnership with the Natural Learning Initiative is offering a professional development opportunity for individuals working in children’s outdoor learning and play environments. Playing Out: Space for Play is a two day training course, November 1 and 2, 2012, at the NC Zoo, Asheboro, NC.
Opening of the Arlitt PlayScape at the Arlitt Child and Family Education and Research Center.
Video footage opens with Robin Moore, Director of NLI, and Rachel Robinson, Landscape Architect for Arlitt PlayScape, cutting the ribbon with Arlitt kids.
Robin Moore Elected for Honorary ASLA Membership
The Amerian Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Elected Robin Moore, NLI Director, along with 4 other recipeints, as Honorary Members.
Since 1899, 158 Honorary members have been named. The recipients are chosen based on their commitment to education, activism, and the landscape architecture profession. On October 1st, 2012, an award ceremony will be held in Pheonix at the ASLA Annual Meeting and Expo.
John Rex Endowmnet Awards Three Healthy Weight Grants
The Natural Learning Initiative launches a new, three-year initiative in August, 2012, Preventing Obesity by Design in Wake County (POD-Wake), funded by the John Rex Endowment.
NLI and Randolph County Partnership for Children Offer OLE Workshop
Shape NC: Next Steps in Your Community, a full day, hands-on training event held, included more than 50 participants from across the region, visits to four childcare centers in Randolph County that have recently developed their outdoor learning environments, and a workshop presented by the Natural Learning Initiative, Adding Value to Early Childhood Outdoor Play and Learning Environments: Top Ten Activity Settings. This workshop looked at how activity settings add value to the outdoor play and learning environments by supporting specific play and learning activities.
