Young Green Champions Play and Learning

A Natural Curriculum: Learning With, Through and For Nature
By the Community Facilitator for the Naturally Birmingham Future Parks Accelerator Project, Deborah Needle.

When we talk about education, the word curriculum often brings to mind classrooms, textbooks, and lesson plans. But did you know that curriculum originally comes from Latin, meaning “a course” — like a race or a journey? In Birmingham, we’re starting to think differently about what that course could look like, and more importantly, where it could take place.

What if the most powerful curriculum wasn’t confined to four walls, but flourished in fields, woods, parks, and ponds? What if the most meaningful learning came from rustling leaves, worm-filled soil, birdsong, and brambles?

In our work as part of the Future Parks Accelerator and through the development of the City of Nature Plan, we’ve been reimagining what education can look like when nature is not an optional extra but a central part of every child’s experience.

What Is a “Natural Curriculum”?

Let’s break it down.

Nature refers not just to wildlife, but to everything that makes up the living world — from clouds to rock formations, from tree roots to buzzing bees. Curriculum, in today’s language, means the full range of a child’s experiences during their education.

Put them together, and the Natural Curriculum is about giving every child the opportunity to learn, play, wonder, and thrive in connection with the natural world. It means understanding the Earth’s processes not just through lessons, but through living.

The City of Nature Plan has a clear aim:

“Support children and young people to learn, play and explore the wonders of nature as part of their education, and act as Young Green Champions.”

This isn’t just a nice idea — it’s rooted in national policy. According to the National Curriculum for Science in Key Stage 1, children should experience and observe phenomena, get curious, ask questions, and use first-hand investigation to find answers. And what better place to do that than in the great outdoors?

From observing plant growth and classifying mini beasts, to measuring rainfall or building bug hotels — nature offers a living, breathing laboratory right on our doorstep.

Beyond Science: Nature Across the Curriculum

While nature is fundamental to science learning, its benefits go far beyond that. In fact, every subject in the curriculum can be enriched by time spent outdoors:

  • English: Storytelling inspired by seasonal changes or favourite wild places.
  • Maths: Counting petals, measuring shadows, mapping park trails.
  • Art & Design: Using natural materials to create, sketching wildlife, colour-matching leaves.
  • History & Geography: Exploring the heritage of local green spaces or the journey of a river.
  • Music: Composing rhythms inspired by birdsong or rustling leaves.
  • Physical Education: Moving, running, balancing, and playing freely in nature.

Nature isn’t a subject — it’s a setting. It’s a spark. It’s a source of joy, curiosity, and wonder.

Why We Need to Do This — Now

But here’s the reality check. The RSPB’s “Connecting with Nature” report shows that only 21% of children aged 8–12 have a strong enough connection to nature. At the same time, the 2019 State of Nature report revealed that 60% of UK species are in long-term decline.

So, while we know nature supports children’s development — emotionally, physically, socially, cognitively — we’re also learning that children’s connection with nature may be the key to reversing environmental decline.

As the RSPB puts it:

“No one will protect what they don’t care about. And no one will care about what they haven’t experienced.”

That’s why initiatives like the Wild Network’s Project Wild Thing, the FINCH (Families Into Nature, Connecting and Helping) project with Birmingham Open Spaces Forum, and the Wilder Schools programme from the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust are so important. They’ve shown that nature-based learning improves wellbeing and builds positive attitudes toward conservation.

A Natural Curriculum for Young Green Champions

In Birmingham, we’re bringing all this learning together through a local framework we call the Young Green Champions Natural Curriculum — designed for primary-aged children (5–11 years old), complementing our Little Green Champions programme for under-5s.

It’s simple. It’s accessible. It’s seasonal. And it’s centred on five core themes:

🌿 Move – Take learning outside. Use your body. Explore.
🌱 Learn – Discover more about plants, animals, and the environment.
💚 Connect – Use nature to support mental health and mindfulness.
🌼 Grow – Plant something. Care for it. Watch it change.
📣 Share – Tell your story. Inspire others. Celebrate achievements.

We’ll be supporting schools, families and community groups by offering monthly activity suggestions, seasonal updates, and stories from around the city. Through the City of Nature Alliance — including organisations like the BCC Park Ranger Service — we’ll help deliver activities, build connections, and provide the resources needed to make the Natural Curriculum real.

How You Can Get Involved

We know not all children have equal access to nature. That’s why this work is so important — not just for education, but for equity, wellbeing, and the health of the planet.

So we’re inviting teachers, parents, carers, youth workers and community leaders to join us as co-creators and champions. We want to design this programme with children and the people who care for them, to ensure it’s inclusive, exciting and meaningful for all.

Together, we can ensure that every child in Birmingham can:

  • Learn science through soil and sun.
  • Write poems inspired by puddles and petals.
  • Plant a seed and watch it grow — and feel they’re growing too.
  • Take action for the planet and become proud Young Green Champions.

Because if we can put children and nature at the heart of education, we’re not just teaching facts. We’re cultivating care, connection, and confidence. And we’re building a better future — one leaf, one lesson, and one child at a time.

Online or in school workshops

We have delivered some really positive online workshops with teachers from Birmingham schools to develop some online training sessions. You can see a taster of the online training session by watching this short video:

📩 Interested in bringing the Natural Curriculum to your school or community group?
Let’s grow it together. Contact us: Cityofnature@birmingham.gov.uk
🌿 Learn more and sign up for seasonal updates: https://naturallybirmingham.org/city-of-nature-newsletters-2025/

Let nature be your classroom — and watch what grows.