THE CENTER FOR SCIENCE TEACHING AND LEARNING OPENS NATURE'S KIDS NURSERY SCHOOL

Children can connect with the outdoors at Nature's Kids nursery school in the Center for Science Teaching and Learning (CSTL). As Long Island's only nature-based school, 3- and 4-year-olds are whisked away from the TV and into a world where they have the chance to see a chinchilla and have fun on a playground built with fallen trees and other natural materials.

Science center director Dr. RayAnn Havasy says the facility is a great family place with a mission to encourage science learning and literacy. "It's very hands-on," she says. "Nature's Kids was created to get little ones outdoors and in a safe, wonderful, preserved environment that has them noticing the world around them."

Dr. Havasy realized that kids were not getting enough exercise and were forgetting where things come from. This, along with research pointing to how much children enjoy science-based learning, helped build Nature's Kids curriculum. "There's nothing like putting a salamander in a kid's hands," she says. "The most incredible thing is there are 35 live animals here, which is different from most nursery schools." Parents can enroll their kids for an up-close-and-personal learning experience with animals like bearded dragons, salamanders, and owls. Morning and afternoon courses are available.

Nature's Kids is located at 1 Tanglewood Road in Rockville Centre, NY. To learn more, email the center at helpdesk@cstl.org, call 516-764-0045, or visit www.cstl.org.

Also see: Our Education Resource Guide for Long Island and the New York metro area