Nature-Based Learning and the Peterson Young Naturalist Program
What is Nature-Based Learning?
According to the National Parks and Recreation Center, today’s young people average only 4-7 minutes per day in unstructured play, far less than previous generations. Conversely, they spend more than 7 hours a day engaged with screens. Studies have linked this “screen-time epidemic” with sobering rises in childhood anxiety, depression, obesity, and more.
The good news is that Nature-Based Learning (NBL) is a proven method of pushing back against these statistics and rekindling our children’s connection with nature. Nature-Based Learning is an educational approach that connects students with the natural world as part of their everyday learning, and it can happen both inside and outside the classroom. Outside, nature becomes the classroom, providing students with new and engaging ways to learn what’s already part of their curriculum while simultaneously exploring the natural world around them. Studies — and our own experiences at Loudoun Wildlife through our NBL programs — show that exposure to nature tips the balance toward curiosity, confidence, and connection … improving mental and physical health, building stronger social skills, strengthening focus and academic achievement, and so much more.
Benefits of NBL
The Peterson Young Naturalist Program
The Peterson Young Naturalist Program is our premier NBL program, and it’s been a part of Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s programming since 2010. Named for famed ornithologist Roger Tory Peterson, the program — a partnership with Loudoun County Public Schools — equips teachers and students with skills to meet curriculum objectives using their schoolyards as outdoor classrooms. Students document their observations in nature journals judged annually by Loudoun Wildlife, and awards are presented each June. Our teacher professional development for the Peterson program provides literacy, science, math, and social-emotional learning outcomes that make a difference inside and outside the classroom. Teachers love the program not only because it ties in directly with their curriculum but because it also improves student performance, behaviorally and academically.
In 2025, Loudoun Wildlife introduced 113 teachers — representing nearly 8,000 students — to the benefits of outdoor learning through the Peterson Program, and we’re on track to far surpass those numbers in 2026. Why? Because more teachers, parents, and students are understanding — and embracing — the proven power of Nature-Based Learning in their classrooms. Many of those teachers and students represent Title 1 schools in Loudoun County, where 40% or more of the student population falls below the poverty line. These students often benefit the most from Nature-Based Learning, as their access to the natural world is often more limited; the ability to regularly connect with nature through their school classrooms presents transformative opportunities they wouldn’t find anywhere else.
Loudoun Wildlife is committed to providing the proven benefits of NBL to more Loudoun County students than ever before in the days ahead. Look for more exciting news on our NBL initiatives coming soon, including the development of a new NBL web portal that will offer information to the public and support for our NBL teachers.
In the meantime, come with us on our mission to enhance learning outcomes for our children, and check out the video below to see the Peterson Program in action at Cardinal Ridge Elementary school.
Questions? Contact Loudoun Wildlife Director of Education Tracey Baroody at tbaroody@loudounwildlife.org.
