Niños y naturaleza
connecting children with nature to give them wings to fly
Volunteer with Ninos y Naturaleza!!
Make a difference in a child’s life through this fun and rewarding experience.
Inquire about volunteering at audubondemexico@gmail.com or give us a call at +52 415 119 4671
Empowering children to be positive agents for change.
Niños y Naturaleza is a unique place-based program developed by Audubon de México that takes public school children on a journey of awakening their relationship to nature.
Inspired by the words of educator David Sobel, we designed our program to nurture love – of life, animals, our planet, one another and themselves – through experiences in the natural sciences, gardening, creative arts, storytelling and outdoor adventures that cultivate their sense of wonder, curiosity and understanding and empathy and respect for all living beings.
Our goal is to help our youth form a caring connection with nature and the values, skills and knowledge that will empower them to become active contributors to a healthy society – for the sake of their future and for nature itself.
“If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, then let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it.“
— David Sobel
OUR NINOS Y NATURALEZA SCHOOLS
225 Children, 2 Schools, 4 Year Program
Beginning in 3rd grade, our students embark on a 4-year journey of discovering the wonders of the natural world and understanding their relationship to it, through interactive lessons in ecology and natural sciences, creative expression and hands-on activities that create unforgettable learning experiences that are relevant to their lives and their future.
Each garden, grove of trees, or individual plant at their school becomes our laboratory for learning, providing a real-world context in which to experience the ways of nature and witness how individual and collective action in caring for plants, soils, water and our own corner of the world can make a difference in securing a healthy planet and healthy self.
Escuela Nueva Senda
Nueva Senda, located in the community of San Luis Rey, was one of Audubon’s first Niños y Naturaleza schools, starting in 2015. 125 students in 3rd through 6th grade students are participating in our program.
Escuela Montes de Oca
A Ninos y Naturaleza school since 2016, Montes de Oca school is located in Colonia Azteca. 100 students, grades 3 through 6, are participating in our program.
OUR ECO-NINOS SCHOOLS
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BIBLIOTECA PUBLICA
Per School: 4 – 6 sessions 30-40 students 24 – 36 contact hours
Eco-Ninos is an ecological literacy program that fosters a deep connection and responsibility towards the Earth. Launched in late 2024, Eco-Ninos retains the goals and values of our Ninos y Naturaleza program, but is implemented in an abbreviated format, which allows us to reach more schools each school year, with a focus on schools located around the Presa Allende and along the Rio Laja.
Our goal is develop knowledge and foster appreciation and care for our precious water resources and the elements of nature, through hands-on experiences, life skills development and exploring the natural sciences through field trips and school-based activities, and by establishing a lending library at their school with books provided by the Biblioteca Publica.
By combining these actions, children cultivate connections with the natural world and with themselves and others, and discover the joy of reading for learning and pleasure.
Escuela Nueva Senda
Escuela Simon Boliver, located in the community of Pantoja, was the pilot school for our new Eco-Ninos program, starting 2024. 90 students in 3rd through 6th grades are participating in this program. During our first session we walked to the Presa Allende and found a fishing boat to use as our outdoor classroom!
Escuela Montes de Oca
90 students from Pedro Mereno school, located near the s Presa Allende, will soon be participating in our Eco-Ninos program. We are looking forward to our first session which is a field trip to the Presa Allende to learn about this important body of water, it’s source and our watershed, along with observing birds along the shoreline and in the water.
OUR APPROACH
“The world becomes what you teach.” – Zoe Weil
Discovery
We spend a lot of time outside exploring the world around us, using all of our senses to observe, touch, smell, taste, and listen to nature. We develop new skills, like planting and tending a garden, counting birds for science and organizing a cleanup campaign. We go on field trips to enlarge our experiences of the world and to meet people who are working to help nature and our society thrive. We promote questions to encourage curiosity and problem-solving, and apply writing, math, and science skills to a real-world context.
Empathy
We view the world through the eyes of a bird to discover our commonalities, the differences that make us special and the value that people and wildlife add to our world. We create works of art, keep journals, play games, and tell stories that help us form emotional connections with wildlife and to encourage a caring spirit. We apply these lessons to building closer relationships with the nature world.
Empowerment
We engage in transformative experiences to develop our sense of belonging; our understanding of our value as an individual and community member; and recognition that our contributions CAN and DO make a difference in the world.
Community
We emphasize the value of teamwork by working cooperatively to plan, plant and care for school gardens, creating a play, and painting a mural together. We make time for personal expression; encouraging ideas and feelings and opportunities to share their experience with others. We develop leadership skills by sharing our knowledge and skills.
Become a Member
Make a world of difference to the youth participating in our Niños y Naturaleza program by keeping our program growing and going strong.
Be a Volunteer
Our staff can always use a hand. Do you like to build things, dig in the garden, have an artistic talent, take photos? To learn more contact us at audubondemexico@gmail.com
Resources
View this compelling video of an interview with Richard Louv, journalist, author and founder/chariman of the Children & Nature Network.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Our monthly newsletter will keep you up to date on our scheduled events, our work, and features monthly nature-related articles.