Check materials before use
The guide has no safety notes. Look over collected items for sharp edges, mould and pieces small enough to be a choking risk for your age group.
Free templateChild Development & Programming
Wild & Wonder: Nature-Based Learning Quick Start Guide
A five-page educator guide titled “Wild & Wonder: Exploring, Creating and Building with Nature”. Eight numbered sections cover next-day set-up ideas for Nature Discovery Bins, Nature Mark Making and Loose Parts Nature Construction, an educator prompt guide, an observation guide, a documentation sentence structure, a parent communication template, and notes on regulation, extensions and director support.
- Format
- PDF guide · A4
- Pages
- 5
- Best for
- Educators · room leads · directors
- Updated
- Oct 2026
No sign-up required. Print it and share it with your team — it’s free for any child care program to use.
What’s inside
Eight short sections for starting nature-based play
- 1. Quick Start Educator Implementation SheetA “Next Day Setup Idea” and a “Keep It Simple Tip” for each activity: Explore – Nature Discovery Bins, Create – Nature Mark Making and Build – Loose Parts Nature Construction.
- 2. Educator Prompt Guide and 3. What to Look ForThree prompts each for Explore, Create and Build, followed by an observation guide under Motor, Cognitive, Language and Regulation.
- 4. Simple Documentation TemplateA sentence structure — child’s name + what they did + how they did it + skill observed — with three worked examples.
- 5. Parent Communication TemplateA subject line and a ready-to-send message describing what children did in Explore, Create and Build that week and the skills each supported.
- 6–8. Regulation, extensions and director supportHow nature-based activities support behaviour and regulation, four extension ideas such as adding water to make mud or a simple nature hunt, and four pointers for directors and operators.
How to use it
Four steps to put it to work this week
- 1Collect three natural materialsThe Explore tip is to start with three natural materials only — the guide uses leaves, rocks and sticks — and rotate them through the week.
- 2Set up one activity for tomorrowFollow the Next Day Setup Idea: a muffin tin or small trays for sorting, paper clipped to a fence, wall or table for mark making, or a mat or tray with 5–6 loose parts for building.
- 3Prompt and observeUse the three prompts for that activity and watch for the Motor, Cognitive, Language and Regulation behaviours in the observation guide.
- 4Document and shareWrite one sentence using the documentation structure, then adapt the parent communication template for your weekly message to families.
Tips from operators
What centers that use this well do differently
Learned the hard way across 3,000 child care spaces — and from the directors and educators who join our Lunch & Learns and Learning Labs.
One photo and one sentence
This is the guide’s own suggestion for directors to encourage. It keeps documentation short enough to do every day.
Rotate, don’t add
The director section says to rotate materials instead of adding more. Swap one material out when interest drops.
Do it digitally in ChildFriendly Pro
Plan the week in the app — tagged to your framework automatically
Build the same plan in ChildFriendly Pro and every observation you log is tagged to FLIGHT, ELECT, ELF or your own outcomes, added to each child’s portfolio and shared with families in their daily journal.
- Pre-loaded provincial frameworks and outcome tags
- AI learning stories from a photo and two lines of notes
- Portfolios and progress reports that build themselves
FAQ
Questions about the Wild & Wonder: Nature-Based Learning Quick Start Guide
Can’t find your answer? Chat with a real person who has run a child care center.
Read more FAQsAre the activities split by age group?
No. Unlike some other Learning Lab resources, this guide gives one set-up idea per activity with no age ranges. Adjust the number and size of materials for your room.
Is there a form to fill in?
No. The “Simple Documentation Template” and “Parent Communication Template” are wording to copy and adapt, not blank forms, and the PDF has no form fields.
Why do the page numbers say “of 11”?
The pages are numbered 1/11 to 5/11, but the file has five pages and all eight numbered sections are present, ending with Director / Operator Support. Nothing appears to be missing from the content.
Is it only for educators?
Mostly, but section 8 is written for directors and operators: ask educators what children discovered today, encourage simple documentation, rotate materials and support outdoor learning when possible.
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Related resources from the Academy
Educator (ECEs) Workshops · Recording
Wild & Wonder: Exploring, Creating & Building with Nature | Learning Lab
Watch our Learning Lab with Krystal Churcher for simple, nature-based activity ideas and practical classroom strategies for early childhood educators.
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