Nature, Sustainability, and the Next Generation: Teaching Environmental Awareness from Preschool

In San Francisco, environmental awareness is almost part of the city’s DNA. We recycle instinctively, carry reusable bottles, and know the difference between compost and landfill. But what if the next big step in sustainability doesn’t come from policy, it comes from preschool?

Across the Bay Area, a growing number of forest schools are introducing young children to environmental education in the most natural way possible: through the outdoors itself.

Why Start So Early?

If you’ve ever watched a toddler collect leaves or inspect a worm, you’ve seen curiosity in its purest form. Early childhood is when lifelong attitudes toward nature begin to form — both the fascination and the responsibility.

Studies from institutions like the University of Cambridge and the Children & Nature Network show that children who spend regular time outdoors develop stronger empathy for living things, higher environmental awareness, and lasting eco-friendly habits.

Put simply: if kids love nature, they’ll want to protect it.

That’s why many educators believe environmental education shouldn’t begin with lectures about recycling or endangered species — it should begin with touching the soil.

What Environmental Education Looks Like in a Forest School

At a forest school, sustainability isn’t a subject that’s taught once a week — it’s woven into everyday experiences.

Children see firsthand how the natural world works:

• They notice how rain changes the ground.

• They learn to respect insects, plants, and small animals they encounter.

• They reuse materials, turning sticks, leaves, and stones into art and play tools.

• They learn what composting means by watching food scraps break down into soil.

These aren’t just activities; they’re lessons in observation, stewardship, and gratitude.

And while traditional environmental education might rely on books and posters, forest schools give children the real-world version — complete with muddy hands and wide eyes.

The Science Behind It

Modern neuroscience backs what teachers and parents have known for generations: kids learn best by doing.

Research published in Frontiers in Psychology found that outdoor learning improves memory, creativity, and motivation. Other studies show that children exposed to green spaces early in life are less likely to develop anxiety and attention-related issues later on.

And it goes deeper, literally. Scientists now know that soil microbes can influence serotonin levels and mood, meaning that playing in the dirt actually makes kids happier.

When environmental education happens in nature, it’s not just cognitive learning, it’s sensory, emotional, and deeply personal.

Why It Matters in San Francisco

San Francisco has long led the way in environmental innovation — from banning plastic bags to pioneering zero-waste programs. But sustainability starts long before adulthood. It begins with teaching children why our planet matters, not just how to save it.

In a city surrounded by natural treasures, Golden Gate Park, Ocean Beach, the Presidio, the opportunity to raise environmentally aware kids is literally right outside our doors.

Forest schools use those settings as living classrooms, connecting early learning with local ecosystems. A walk under redwood trees becomes a lesson in biodiversity. Collecting fallen pinecones turns into a discussion about seasons, cycles, and conservation.

When children grow up recognizing the beauty and fragility of their environment, sustainability stops being an abstract idea, it becomes part of who they are.

Building Habits That Last

Environmental awareness at this age doesn’t look like activism, it looks like mindfulness.

Kids in forest schools learn to:

• Turn off the tap while washing hands outdoors.

• Reuse containers for collecting water or sand.

• Leave no trace after picnics or playtime.

• Observe wildlife respectfully without disturbing habitats.

These small habits add up. By the time these children reach elementary school, caring for the planet feels natural, not forced.

Educators often say, “We can’t expect children to protect what they’ve never experienced.” Forest schools make sure they experience it deeply and joyfully.

From Curiosity to Responsibility

One of the most powerful outcomes of forest-school education is a shift from curiosity to responsibility.

At first, it’s all about discovery, touching leaves, exploring bugs, feeling the wind. But over time, children begin to connect the dots: this tree gives shade; this stream gives water; this soil grows food.

When they understand that everything is connected, they start making thoughtful choices, even small ones, like where to throw their snack wrapper or how to share resources with a friend.

That awareness, planted early, becomes the foundation for responsible citizenship later.

The Long-Term Impact

Decades of research in environmental psychology show that people who had positive nature experiences in childhood are far more likely to become environmentally responsible adults.

That’s why early exposure matters so much. It’s not about teaching kids the carbon cycle, it’s about letting them fall in love with the world first. The learning, and the protecting, naturally follow.

The Bottom Line

Forest schools aren’t just about outdoor play, they’re about raising the next generation of conscious, capable, and caring citizens.

In a city like San Francisco, where sustainability is both a value and a responsibility, forest schools offer a model that aligns perfectly with our community’s priorities.

If we want our children to inherit a greener, healthier planet, it makes sense to start their education where it all begins: in nature itself.

Because the more children understand the world beneath their feet, the more they’ll want to take care of it.