Teaching Units & Resources for Early Educators

Preschoolers in a field © Emily Haranas
© Emily Haranas

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.

Professional Development

Natural Connections for Early Educators (Preschool & Pre-K)

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 >

STEM Preschool Teaching Units

Mass Audubon is pleased to share four free, activity-based teaching units aimed for students ages 2.9–5.

Young children learn about the world around them by using their five senses while being mentored by a caring adult. By observing and learning about the natural world in classroom learning stations, outside in the school yard setting, and in their local communities, children can acquire an increased understanding about natural science and the world. 

English Spanish
Birds: Our Feathered Friends 1.46 MB
Nuestros Amigos Emplumados 1.36 MB
Soil: Digging into Soil 1.37 MB
Vamos A Excavar El Suelo 1.49 MB
Trees: Tree-mendous Trees 2.45 MB
Los Árboles Formidables 2.56 MB
Weather: Wicked Cool Weather 1.56 MB
El Tiempo Es Fascinante 1.65 MB

The publication of this Innovative Preschool STEM Curriculum was made possible through a competitive grant awarded by the Department of Early Education and Care.

Young Explorer Activity Sheets

Try some of these fun, hands-on activities for children as you discover and explore outdoors. These are great learning experiences for school groups, scout troops, and of course, families.

Browse activity sheets >

Our Expertise

In addition to providing Pre-K through Grade 12 school programs to over 118,000 individual students from across the state, we have five licensed nature preschools in Massachusetts and provide weekly nature preschool programming at several of our wildlife sanctuaries. Our programs provide:

  • Nature Play & Discovery
  • Inquiry-Based Learning
  • Child-Centered Exploration
  • Shared Discoveries & Connection
  • Sensory-Rich Experiences
  • Early Science, Math, & Language Literacy