We’re here to support your nature-based early childhood education journey!
Would you like to…
Imagine a world where young children learn with nature
That’s the power of nature-based early childhood education!
→ Do you envision a nature-based school, but don’t know where to begin?
→ Are you frustrated with the lack of support around nature-based education?
→ Do you have a nature-based program, but you’re looking for ways to grow and improve?
→ Are you tired of wading through the seemingly endless information about children and nature to find what is relevant to teaching professionals?
We support early childhood educators who want to start a nature-based school or add nature into their existing curriculum.
Available now!
Check out the latest book by Dr. Rachel Larimore* & Dr. Claire Warden!
As the nature-based education movement grows globally, especially in a post-pandemic world, the need for a holistic approach to learning is more essential than ever.
This book outlines 11 key roles practitioners play and how to support children to learn with nature. It explores how nature-based practitioners embody these roles in nurturing children's curiosity, confidence, and care. The book also:
Includes actionable strategies to integrate nature-based learning
Encourages children to take the lead in their learning
Leverages The Floorbook® Approach to document learning
Addresses common struggles in nature-based pedagogy
Balances regulatory goals with child-led, emergent curriculum
Provides examples of what each role looks and sounds like
Encourages continuous professional development with self-reflection questions
*Rachel is Samara’s Founder & Chief Visionary
Early childhood educators!
Discover the next step on your nature-based journey
Take this 90-second quiz to discover the opportunities you have to implement nature-based early childhood education.
You’ll receive a custom toolkit based on your strengths so your children can thrive learning with nature.
Books by Samara’s Founder—Dr. Rachel Larimore
Services we offer
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Freebies
Who doesn’t love FREE tools?! We provide a variety of FREE articles, videos, webinars, podcasts and more to help you face the challenges of nature-based early childhood education.
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Books & downloads
We offer a variety of books, downloads, courses, and more. This includes Establishing a Nature-based Preschool and Preschool Beyond Walls written by our founder and Chief Visionary Dr. Rachel A. Larimore.
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Community of nature educators
The Grove is a community of nature-based educators growing and learning together. Included are in-depth, practical trainings and resources on all aspects of nature-based teaching in the early years.
Our latest free resources
What is a nature-based early childhood education?
Nature-based schools are growing in popularity in early childhood education. In this video Dr. Rachel A. Larimore, Founder and Chief Visionary of Samara Early Learning, describes the broad concept of nature-based early childhood education and nature-based preschools specifically.
Hi, I’m Rachel!
I’m the founder and Chief Visionary of Samara Early Learning. As an author, speaker, and education consultant, the Samara team and I help early childhood educators create nature-based schools or add the nature-based approach to their existing programs. With the support we offer in business planning, operations, staffing, and curricula, our clients are able to create highly respected nature-based schools and programs that families clamor to attend.
Help children learn with nature for rich, full lives!
We’re here to guide you through the business or teaching side of running a nature-based school so you can focus what matters most—connecting young children with nature.
Our clients include early childhood educators:
→ Teaching at public or private schools
→ Working with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children
→ At a variety of school models including nature-based infant/toddler programs, nature-based preschools, forest preschools, nature kindergartens, and nature-based elementary schools
Get moving on your nature-based journey!
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Start a nature-based school
If you’re excited about nature-based education and starting your own school or program, this is the place to start! We have many resources to eliminate your fears and doubts and help you avoid wasting time and money on the path to making your dream a reality.
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Grow a nature-based school
If you’re already part of a school or program and want to add nature-based pedagogy to your existing curriculum, this is the place to start! Whatever your starting point, we’re here to help you along your nature-based journey with support for both administrators and teachers.
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