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
discovering nature through the eyes of a bird
Niños y Naturaleza is a unique place-based program developed by Audubon de México that takes public school children, grades 3 to 6, on a journey of discovering the world of nature through the eyes of a bird.
Inspired by the words of educator David Sobel, we designed our program to nurture love – of life, of animals, of our planet, of one another and themselves – and blended it with the natural sciences and creative arts, storytelling, gardening, and outdoor adventures to encourage their sense of wonder, curiosity and understanding and develop their empathy for all living beings.
Our goal is to help our youth form a caring connection with nature and the values and skills that will empower them to become active contributors to a healthy, sustainable 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 SCHOOLS
250 Children, 2 Schools, 600 hours of contact time
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
Montes de Oca school is situated at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Presa Obraje. 100 students, grades 3 through 6, are participating in our program, which began at this school in 2016.
“The world becomes what you teach.” – Zoe Weil
OUR APPROACH
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.