Nature and Learning
How Nature Supports Learning
Nature and environmental education give children meaningful subjects to read about, investigate and discuss. Plants, animals, habitats and environmental change introduce new vocabulary, make scientific ideas visible and help children understand their relationship with the places they share.
Learning Through Environmental Education
Environmental education connects knowledge across subjects. A child learning about a butterfly may encounter new vocabulary, study a life cycle, compare physical characteristics and consider the habitat the butterfly needs. These connections help children understand that reading, science and community life are not separate from the world around them.
A systematic review of 119 studies found that environmental education was associated with outcomes involving knowledge, academic achievement, critical thinking, systems thinking, science-process skills and civic engagement. The findings show the versatility of environmental education while also reflecting considerable differences among programs.
Literacy
Nature gives children substantial subjects to read, write and talk about. Articles about wildlife, habitats and seasonal change introduce descriptive language and scientific terms while building knowledge that supports comprehension.
Environmental education does not replace instruction in phonics, fluency or other foundational reading skills. Its role is to provide rich content. When children understand the subject of a text, they are better prepared to make connections, interpret new information and participate in meaningful discussion.
A systematic review of early childhood environmental education found positive outcomes across environmental literacy, cognitive development and social and emotional development. Language and literacy appeared in a smaller portion of the studies, which means the evidence is promising but less extensive than it is for other outcomes.
STEM Learning
Nature gives children observable examples of scientific ideas. Animals change as they grow. Plants respond to light, water and temperature. Weather follows patterns. Habitats reveal relationships among living things and their surroundings.
These subjects introduce scientific practices such as observation, classification, comparison, measurement and prediction. Environmental questions also encourage children to consider evidence, recognize systems and think about cause and effect.
The evidence connecting environmental education with science learning is well established. Studies reviewed across K–12 settings have reported gains in environmental knowledge, science-process skills, critical thinking, systems thinking and problem-solving.
Community Care
Learning about local nature helps children understand that communities include people, wildlife and shared places. It introduces how everyday choices affect water, habitats, public spaces and the living things found close to home.
A systematic review of 56 environmental education programs found positive civic outcomes at both individual and community levels. Reported outcomes included civic knowledge, civic skills, community learning, partnership building, resilience and social capital.
The review found that community-oriented outcomes were most strongly associated with programs that focused on local places, included meaningful participation and provided opportunities for social interaction. Environmental information introduces the foundation, while discussion and participation help children understand how that knowledge relates to community life.
The Role of Nature in Learning
Nature and environmental education support academic learning rather than replacing foundational instruction. They provide relevant content that helps children build knowledge, encounter new vocabulary, explore scientific relationships and understand their connection with the community.
The results of individual programs vary according to their design, duration and audience. Research is strongest when environmental education is locally relevant, sustained over time and connected with opportunities for reflection or participation.
Studies Supporting These Findings
Environmental Education and K–12 Student Outcomes
Researchers reviewed 119 peer-reviewed studies of K–12 environmental education programs and identified 121 different outcomes. Most studies reported positive findings involving environmental knowledge as well as academic, cognitive and social outcomes.
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Early Childhood Environmental Education
This systematic review examined 66 studies of environmental education involving children from birth through age eight. The strongest bodies of evidence involved environmental literacy, cognitive development and social and emotional development. A smaller group of studies addressed language and literacy.
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Environmental Literacy as an Interdisciplinary Context
This scholarly article explains how environmental education connects children’s interests and experiences with content knowledge, higher-order thinking and learning across academic subjects.
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Civic Engagement Outcomes in Environmental Education
This systematic review examined 56 environmental education programs. All reported some positive findings, while 19 reported community-level outcomes such as community learning, resilience, partnership building and increased social capital.
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Environmental Education and Community Science
This systematic review found evidence of environmental stewardship, community connectedness, civic action and the sharing of environmental information through community and citizen science programs.
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Findings Across Environmental Education Research
This synthesis drew together findings from eight systematic reviews covering 546 international peer-reviewed studies. It found that effective environmental education frequently uses personally relevant information, local community settings, participatory approaches and collaboration with knowledgeable partners.
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