Back to School with Nature
It is that time of year again – back to school time! As children are picking out new backpacks and sneakers teachers are preparing themselves and their classrooms for another year filled with growing and learning.

This year, as you are preparing your classroom for the new school year, try to incorporate nature into the overall design and layout of your room. There are many ways that you can create a nature-themed classroom.

Classroom Design
Choose a nature-theme for your classroom and incorporate in throughout. Your theme can change as the seasons change. Or your theme can simply be “nature” and incorporate nature in various forms throughout your classroom. Use it for bulletin boards, newsletters home, nametags for students, and cubby spaces. Base centers on nature, encourage students to share stories, objects and/or pictures based on nature. Display their contributions in your classroom.

Fill your classroom with living things such as plants, fish tanks, ant farms, worm farms etc… Set up bird feeders outside your classroom windows for children to observe daily. Plant seeds (bean, sunflowers or other easily grown plants) together as a class and watch them grow.

Centers
As you prepare centers for the new school year set up a center or table for nature objects. This can be a center that can change as the season’s change. At the beginning of the school year you can have objects such as flowers, and leaves. As the year progresses into autumn you could have pumpkins, apples, fall leaves, etc… Encourage children to bring in natural objects that they find as well, such bird nests that have fallen from trees, cool looking rocks or sticks that they find. Allow children to look at, touch, smell, etc…the objects.

Nature objects are great for sensory tables as well. Leaves crunch, moss is soft, rabbit fur is fluffy. Check with your local County Conservation Board for various natural items that they may be able to loan you.

Outside Play
Plan outside time for students into your day every day as weather allows. Think of your outside play area as an extension of your classroom. Have a place for children to play with dirt, sand, sticks and other natural objects. If you do not have an “outdoor classroom” you can still incorporate nature into your outdoor play area. Sandboxes can be filled with sand, dirt, or nature objects (or even mud!). Logs can be brought in for children to climb on, sit on, build a fort beside, or even to peel the bark off to look for insects.

You can plant flowers, seeds, even small trees in pots and create your own “natural” setting. Put our bird feeders for children to watch birds eat. Provide children with binoculars, magnifying glasses and other “explorer gear” during outside time. Remember that children are fascinated by even the smallest insect they find!

County Conservation Boards
As you are preparing your school year remember what a wonderful resource you have in your local County Conservation Board. CCB Naturalists are usually more than happy to come into your classroom and present programs on various subjects. They often also have access to wildlife that have been injured, rehabilitated and are used for education purposes, such as snakes, salamanders, and owls. They can also bring in animals furs, owl pellets, animal bones, and many other nature and wildlife items.