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group of preschools wearing rain jackets in the field

Nature Preschools

The purpose of Mass Audubon's innovative, licensed Nature Preschools is to provide a high quality environment for young children that helps them grow as learners, curious thinkers, community members, and life-long stewards of the natural world. 

Through hands-on activities, exploration, movement, and play, we support children's curiosity and wonder using our wildlife sanctuaries as outdoor classrooms.

A group of preschoolers at Drumlin Farm Community Preschool walk away along a forest trail with their teachers leading the way
Drumlin Farm Community Preschool © Emily Haranas

Licensed Nature Preschools

What could be more magical than a preschool where each child's innate connection to nature is celebrated? Each nature preschool provides opportunities for young children to learn through hands-on, nature-based experiences that address their developmental needs as they explore the varied habitats at our wildlife sanctuaries.

A preschool-age child holds up a woody mushroom she found to the camera, at Drumlin Farm Nature Preschool
© Patrick Rogers

Public Preschool Programs

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In addition to our licensed nature preschools, many of our wildlife sanctuaries around the state also offer weekly public programs for preschool-age children. These programs give preschoolers a chance to explore the outdoors with enthusiastic classmates and educators, discovering nature close to home in the fall, winter, and spring.

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Three children at Drumlin Farm Community Preschool blowing seeds from dandelion flowers with their arms around each other
Drumlin Farm Community Preschool © Emily Haranas

Teacher Professional Development

Natural Connections for Early Educators 

Mass Audubon educators will teach you how to make the outdoors into a relaxed and safe classroom. When you shift teaching your curriculum outside, you and your students can take advantage of the calming effects of nature, better air flow, and increased spacing for social distancing.

Our series of professional development workshops, available in-person or online, cover:

  • Resiliency Building: Children, Nature, & Social-Emotional Development  
  • Calming Sensory Stimuli: Art & Music Found Outside  
  • Expressing Yourself: Nature-inspired Language & Literacy  
  • Adapting to Change: Building Early Science Literacy  
  • Going the Distance: Socially-distancing Math Lessons in the Natural World   
  • Spreading Your Wings: Fine & Gross Motor Development  

Learn More

Resources for Early Educators

Mass Audubon is committed to early childhood education. Our preschool programs encourage curiosity and wonder through hands-on nature exploration, movement, and play—a tradition we've upheld for nearly 100 years.

Explore Resources