Influences on educators’ outdoor nature-related practices in an early childhood education centre

With increased awareness of the importance of children's early connections with nature, there are requirements for educators to create outdoor environments that encourage young children's respect and appreciation of the natural world. My interest in educators' outdoor nature-related practices with infants and toddlers emerged from professional observations of inequities between nature experiences educators offered to very young children and those offered to older children in early childhood settings. Experience suggests that while educators are committed to exploring natural outdoor experiences with infants and toddlers, they face multiple challenges influencing practices and teaching methods to make this happen.