In ChildFriendly Pro's May 2026 ECE Learning Lab, Krystal Churcher of The Churcher Group showed educators how to run three low-cost nature invitations, nature discovery bins (Explore), nature mark making (Create) and loose parts nature construction (Build), adapted for 12 to 18 months, 19 to 36 months and 3 to 4 years.
What the session covered
Nature-based learning uses natural materials such as leaves, sticks, rocks, pine cones, bark and flowers as open-ended play resources. This session was the third in ChildFriendly Pro's free ECE Learning Lab series, which is built on an Explore, Create and Build framework. As Churcher described it, Explore supports investigation, curiosity, early science thinking and sensory regulation. Create supports expression, fine motor development, planning and creativity. Build supports strength, coordination, problem solving and prewriting skills. Churcher stated that meaningful early learning does not require elaborate setups or purchased materials, and that children learn through repetition, investigation, interaction and exploration. The session asked educators to act as facilitators rather than directors: prepare the environment, offer a few materials, step back, observe and extend thinking with open-ended questions. Churcher reminded participants that all natural materials must align with their provincial health regulations, licensing standards and individual safety requirements, including avoiding choking hazards for younger children. Attendees could request a certificate of attendance for professional development records.
How do you set up a nature discovery bin for infants, toddlers and preschoolers?
Churcher's four steps were: prepare a calm space, add natural materials, introduce simple tools, then step back and observe. Shallow trays, baskets or plastic storage containers work; purchased sensory bins are not needed. She recommended starting with three or four materials rather than twenty, because too many items overwhelm children, especially younger ones, and suggested children collect items themselves and that educators rotate a stash to keep interest. Tools such as magnifying glasses, scoops, small containers, tweezers or tongs can be added after initial play to extend it. For 12 to 18 months, the focus is sensory discovery with large leaves, sticks, pine cones and grass, avoiding choking hazards, and single words such as soft, rough and look. For 19 to 36 months, children compare, sort and collect in small groups with smaller containers, prompted by questions like "What is the same?" and "Can you find another one?" For 3 to 4 year olds, educators can add stronger magnifiers, sorting trays and mirrors, invite children to explain their theories, and document observations together.
How does nature mark making support fine motor development and prewriting skills?
Nature mark making is a process art activity: children use natural materials to make marks, and there is no model product to copy. Churcher suggested covering a table with butcher paper, using a wall or an outdoor easel, protecting the workspace and leaving plenty of room to move. Educators demonstrate one or two possibilities, not ten, so children do not copy adult ideas. Examples include pressing a leaf into paint, dragging a stick through mud, rolling a pine cone through paint and printing with natural objects. Feedback describes effort, such as "you pressed very hard" or "you used long movements." For 12 to 18 months, she recommended large paper with water or taste-safe paint, supporting gross motor movement, hand strength and cause and effect. For 19 to 36 months, children test pushing hard or going slowly, building grip strength and motor planning; Churcher noted that art lets toddlers express feelings before they can verbalize them. For preschoolers, multiple tools, clipboards and trays support planning and reflection. She linked the hand strength built here to later printing and writing.
What should educators observe and document during loose parts nature play?
Loose parts nature construction uses sticks, rocks, pine cones, small logs and wooden blocks that children stack, balance and arrange with no fixed outcome. Churcher said children build more successfully when materials are organized in trays and kept visible, rather than mixed with other items. Educators open with questions such as "What can you build?" and "How can we make it stand?", avoid showing children what to build, and resist fixing fallen structures, asking instead "What can make it stronger?" She said collapses teach persistence, resilience and adjustment. Infants stack large, safe materials with words like up, down and fell; toddlers explore balance, weight and stability; preschoolers plan in groups, predict and redesign. For documentation, she recommended recording what the child did, the skills observed, developmental connections and emerging interests, watching for persistence, language expansion, collaboration, planning and sequencing, and creative thinking. Her sample note read: Liam stacked pine cones and small blocks, then adjusted the base when the structure fell, demonstrating problem solving, persistence and early engineering thinking. She suggested using this vocabulary in daily family updates.
Nature-based Learning Lab setup steps from the session
| Time | Key point | What centers should do |
|---|---|---|
| 05:24 | Churcher: natural materials must align with provincial health regulations, licensing standards and safety requirements. | Check every natural item against your licensing and health rules before use. |
| 07:15 | Educators act as facilitators, not directors. | Observe and extend thinking with questions instead of demonstrating outcomes. |
| 13:06 | Churcher: basic containers work; she recommended starting with three or four materials and avoiding overcrowding. | Use shallow trays or baskets and rotate a small stash of natural items. |
| 14:33 | Add tools such as magnifying glasses, scoops, tweezers or tongs to extend play. | Introduce tools after children have explored the materials on their own. |
| 15:51 | 12 to 18 months: sensory discovery with large items; avoid choking hazards. | Offer large leaves, sticks and pine cones with single words like soft and rough. |
| 18:00 | 19 to 36 months: sorting and comparing in small groups. | Give small containers and ask what is the same and what is different. |
| 24:55 | In mark making, model one or two possibilities, not ten. | Demonstrate briefly, then let children choose their own tools and marks. |
| 32:54 | Loose parts work best when organized and visible. | Store loose parts in trays in a defined floor or table space. |
| 34:55 | When structures fall, ask what could make them stronger instead of fixing them. | Allow time and space for children to rebuild independently. |
| 43:04 | Document what the child did, skills observed and developmental connections. | Write observations naming skills such as persistence and problem solving. |
How ChildFriendly Pro automates this
The session described educators translating play into skill-based observations and sharing them with families at the end of the day. Churcher noted at 43:16 that apps such as ChildFriendly Pro let educators send photos with that developmental vocabulary to families; ChildFriendly Pro's classroom tools hold framework-linked portfolios and lesson plans, and its family app delivers the updates.
Next steps
- Register for free ECE Learning Lab workshops with certificates
- Free Learning Lab Educator Guide: Nature & Outdoor-Inspired Play
- Classroom portfolios, frameworks and lesson planning tools
- Book a ChildFriendly Pro demo
