Volume 31 Issue 2, Spring 2026
by Tracey Baroody, Director of Education
Loudoun Wildlife’s Peterson Young Naturalist Program (PYNP) continued its long collaboration with Loudoun County Public Schools during our recent professional development (PD) day for LCPS teachers. During the March training, we added 53 teachers to the PYNP family.
There are now over 300 teachers countywide bringing the academic and social-emotional benefits of nature-based learning to more than 8,000 students!
During the training, teachers learn to integrate outdoor exploration and nature journaling into all subjects through PYNP core lessons. The program includes hands-on outdoor training and learning to use fun apps as part of the lessons, including Merlin Bird ID and Seek (by iNaturalist).
Inspiring post-training comments included:
• “The barrier to teaching outdoors is lower than I thought!”
• “I loved learning new ideas to incorporate with work we are already doing with students.”
• “I love the hands-on approach along with lots of opportunities for students to speak and engage with real-world content in a low-stress environment.”
• “I anticipate many positive impacts for my students; being outside is so beneficial to student health, wellbeing, and success.”
Loudoun Wildlife celebrates the work of many people who make these PD days possible every year, including Norina Treaner, Jennifer Pitzen, Marykirk Cunningham, and Dr. Miriam Westervelt, the Peterson program’s innovative creator and Loudoun Wildlife program coordinator. Teacher trainers and volunteers all provide many dedicated hours of mentorship so that each year’s PD offers new standards-aligned lessons Learning Grows as We Grow Naturalists by Tracey Baroody, Director of Education — each designed by LCPS teachers — to augment the Peterson program’s core lessons. Our trainers report that, when asked how PYNP could be improved, 28 participants wrote, “Nothing!” Six teachers replied, “Please make it longer!”
Through our new Nature-Based Learning web hub, LoudounWildlifeLearning.org (live but still in development), teachers and the general public can learn about the benefits of nature-based learning for students and children. The new site offers a growing and rich body of nature-based learning statistics, lessons, ideas, and how-tos, and we are excited to foster the best antidote to screen time we know: getting outside for “less screen, more green!”
The interdisciplinary facet of the PYNP is what makes it possible for LCPS teachers to take their students outdoors, knowing that instructional goals (and more) can easily be met. No matter the subject, nature-based learning gives students real-world connections, provides inquiry-based learning, and deepens innate curiosity for the natural world. A journal makes thinking “visible,” and this documentation can be submitted to our judges at the end of each year. Winning students receive cash prizes and recognition, and teachers receive “Peterson packs” full of field guides and outdoor classroom equipment.
We’ve typically presented these awards as part of Loudoun Wildlife’s Annual Meeting. For the first time, a dedicated celebration will recognize participants and winners at an event just for them on Sunday, May 31, 2:00 – 4:00 pm, at Cardinal Ridge Elementary School. Please register on the Loudoun Wildlife website. We hope you’ll join us and leave inspired as we build the next generation of naturalists and reconnect our students to the joys of our natural world.
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