Free nature education resources for all
It’s important to us that nature is for EVERYONE. That means nature education resources should be for everyone too! Here you’ll find all of our nature ed games, activities, video lessons, and downloadable activities, all available for free. These lessons are shared with the intent of spreading the joy of nature education (they are not intended to be used for profit).
Please use these lessons in your own classrooms, homes, and community centers. Adapt them to fit the needs of your students, and share them with other educators. We’ll be adding to this as we create new content, so it will always be growing!
Questions about how to run or adjust these lessons to meet your needs? Email our educators at education@swibirds.org.
Our Handbook
The Forces of Nature Outdoor Education Handbook is ready for you! This is a great launch pad for anyone new to nature education. It contains lots of ideas to help build routines outside with kids. And all of our short, concise, easy-to-explain lessons are now in one PDF: games, activities, relay races, and hikes.
Download our handbook and find lessons sorted by topic with all of the details you’ll need to teach them. Most activities require minimal supplies, or they are things that classrooms or camps typically have on hand.
Kindergartners enjoy spring at a local park (photo by Carolyn Byers/SoWBA).
Kids play “Otter Steals Fish” during a winter lesson (photo by Carolyn Byers/SoWBA).
Lesson Library
This is a collection of our more involved lessons. Things that we just couldn’t fit into our Handbook. The good stuff! We’re working hard to get all of our lessons online, but it takes time. Please check back regularly for new content.
Downloadable resources
We have lots of free resources for you to use with your kiddos. Some of them we created, like our Bird Guide and Field Guide for Kids (available in English and Spanish). Some were created by other amazing educators, and we use them regularly. Enjoy!
Our Field Guide for Kids, available in English and Spanish (SoWBA photo).
More media for kids
During the first few waves of COVID-19 our educators created a lot of virtual content. We have preserved it here for you to use at home, in classrooms, or at community centers. Some of these lessons are indoor-only explores, but most of them start by giving you some nature knowledge and then encouraging you to get outside and adventure!
Lessons: complete lessons (30–60 minutes) that focus on a variety of topics and typically end with a guided nature journaling session. View our full-length Video Lessons on YouTube.
Lessonettes: short videos (5–10 minutes) that teachers can use to build a complete lesson around. You might share them with kids during a snack break or before outdoor learning time, and then discuss together. You could pair them with a scavenger hunt or nature journal prompt. Click here for Lessonettes.
Nature Mentor videos: Our Nature Mentors are Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC); folks from the LBGTQ+ community; or people with disabilities. We want kids to know that no matter who you are, nature is for YOU! Watch our Nature Mentor videos.
QuACK, our new podcast for kids (and curious folks of all ages), debuted in Fall of 2024. Join our educator Mickenzee as she gathers kids’ questions about nature and explores the answers with a local expert in short, classroom-friendly episodes! Learn more and listen here.
Cover image: students explore nature in the woods during a lesson (SoWBA photo).
