Partner Spotlight: Four Winds Nature Institute 🌿

Helping educators and families connect with the natural world—one wonder-filled moment at a time.

If you’re an early childhood educator—or any educator who wants to weave more nature into your curriculum—our friends at Four Winds Nature Institute are a must-follow. Their blog posts often follow the seasons and are full of hands-on, joy-filled ideas you could implement tomorrow. Recent favorites include “Orb Weave Artistry,” “Acorns as Loose Parts,” and “Nature Journaling.” You’ll also find thoughtful reflections on the why behind outdoor learning, like in their post “Language Development Outdoors.”

As Four Winds describes,

“Four Winds Nature Institute is a non-profit organization advancing the understanding, appreciation, and protection of the environment through community-based natural science education and research.”

They believe that “people long for a healthy connection to the environment and to each other.” Their programs “bring people of all ages together to explore the natural world in their community,” offering hands-on experiences that help learners “gain the knowledge and science skills needed to understand the world around them and the creative problem-solving and citizenship skills needed to protect it.”

Through programs like The Nature Program, Nearby Nature, and their BLOG, Four Winds supports educators, volunteers, and families across Vermont and neighboring states. Their workshops and professional learning opportunities—such as Knee High Nature for early childhood educators and Linkages for Environmental Literacy for K–12 teachers—offer practical tools and inspiration for outdoor learning in every season.

Their Nearby Nature online publication is another gem—“a treasure trove of natural science lessons and explorations designed to get children and adults outside learning together in every season.” It’s full of ready-to-use activities, Time in Nature ideas for preschool families, and Nature Journal Prompts to spark curiosity and observation.

🍂 As a proud UVTPC partner, Four Winds Nature Institute continues to help educators and communities across the region build strong connections to nearby nature—connections that nurture not just knowledge, but belonging and care for the places we call home.

👉 Explore more at www.fwni.org