Nature-Based Early Learning • Education for Sustainability • ECE Pedagogy • Educational Consulting • Nature Playscapes
Nature as a Teacher
Regular time in nature is essential for healthy child development. Children often focus better, solve problems more creatively, and build stronger self‑regulation skills outdoors. Nature play also supports academic learning and nurtures empathy for the living world. When adults learn to invite children into nature, everyday moments become rich opportunities for play and learning.
Earthkinders Consulting collaborates with programs to build child-centric, nature-based, and sustainability-focused programming and learning environments that foster children’s curiosity, intellect, and agency.
Dr. Victoria Carr
Victoria Carr, Ed.D. is an educational consultant and Professor of Early Childhood Education and Developmental and Learning Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. She is also an affiliate faculty member in UC's School of Environment and Sustainability.
For 30 years, she led the Arlitt Center, which houses one of the oldest laboratory preschools in the USA. With sustainability as a framework for practice, she worked with teachers and child development programs, including Head Start, to create learning environments where children feel safe, curious, and connected to nature.
Her research focuses on nature-based learning, playscapes, and early childhood education for sustainability. She led projects funded by the National Science Foundation and has helped design and study nature-focused playgrounds in schools, childcare centers, and community settings.
Her specialty lies in the intersection of environment, play, and pedagogy. She partners with programs to design outdoor spaces and experiences that support children’s development, nurture their sense of wonder, and make nature a meaningful part of everyday learning.
Expert Consulting
We specialize in guiding programs toward transformative learning where children and educators are co-constructing positive futures. Book a conversation with Dr. Carr to determine your specific project needs, scope, and applicable fees.
01
Nature Playscape Design
Visioning and goal setting for nature play spaces based on playscape principles, design elements, and environmental affordances.
02
Curriculum Integration
Aligning developmentally responsive practices with nature-based interdisciplinary curricula to support children's learning and development.
03
Program Strategy
Strategic planning to support programs as they embrace a sustainability ethic and blend indoor and outdoor learning.
Nature Playscapes
Nature playgrounds, or playscapes, are intentionally designed, dynamic, vegetation-rich play environments that nurture young children's affinity for nature.
Our playscape visioning process draws on years of NSF-supported research on STEM learning in playscapes, exploratory university laboratory preschool practices, and mentorship from experienced landscape architects.
Early Childhood Education for Sustainability
Children are inheriting a planet in crisis, putting their health and existence at risk. ECEfS is a meaning-focused, relational approach to care and education that can mitigate these effects while bolstering hope and resilience. It focuses on practices that align with the social, economic, and environmental pillars of sustainability.
Empowering educators and families to co-construct sustainable futures with young children is vital to ECEfS. Our approach integrates sustainability ethics with developmentally responsive practices to nurture the next generation of planetary stewards.
Get in Touch
If you represent an educational program seeking to adopt a sustainability worldview, enhance your pedagogical practices, or integrate nature play spaces into your curriculum, let's start a conversation about your next adventure.
earthkindersprofessor@gmail.com