Projects
Parks & Gardens
Nature Connection Lab collaborates with the nonprofit Friends of Bellemeade Park to support the expansion of early childhood programming and equitable access to Bellemeade Park in Southside Richmond. We collaborate with community stakeholders to run an innovative play-based field trip program serving pre-kindergarten through second grade.
nature playscape
Carolyn Schuyler, NCL’s Director, is the Founder and first Executive Director of Wildrock, an award-winning non-profit Nature Play and Discovery Center in the Blue Ridge foothills of Virginia. With the mission to promote “nature play for health and happiness,” Wildrock serves over 15,000 people a year through nature play programs in its idyllic mountain location and through its outreach work in urban natural areas (schoolyards, parks, and neighborhoods). By promoting the health and well-being of children through nature play, Wildrock inspires the next generation of conservationists. Carolyn’s trainings prepare teachers, therapists, and youth service professionals to reinvision nearby nature as a resource for integrating the science and practice of nature connection into their work.
Keynotes & Talks
Lewis Ginter Garden, Richmond, Virginia
Promoting Nature for Mental Health
American Horticultural Society, Richmond, Virginia
Keynote: Happier in the Garden: Parks for Mental Health Promotion
American Camp Association, Mid Atlantic Conference, Harrisonburg, Virginia
Keynote: Nature as Co-Counselor: Practical Applications of the Science Practice of Nature Connection for Camper and Staff Wellbeing
Botanical Garden of the Piedmont, Charlottesville, Virginia
The Healing Properties of Nature
Virginia Association for the Education of the Young Child, Roanoke, Virginia
Schoolyard Nature Play Habitats for Kids …on any Budget
Children’s Museum of Richmond, Virginia
Integrating Nature Connection into Early Childhood Programs