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Imagine If — nature-based early learning, reimagined.
Hosted by Natural Start Alliance at the San Antonio Zoo
The Natural Start Alliance conference brings together educators, researchers and leaders from around the world to explore equitable, nature-based approaches to early childhood education. Wearthy joins online from Australia.
Imagine if children's behaviours were understood not as problems to be managed, but as communications of need, connection, and environment. In this session, play specialist Lukas Ritson invites educators to reimagine behavioural challenges through the lens of nature-based play. A founder of Wearthy, an Australian organisation with international experience, designing and building nature-rich playgrounds and professional learning programs, Lukas explores how the outdoor environment can be both the "third teacher" and a mirror for children's emotional worlds. Through stories from real-world projects across early learning centres and schools, participants will discover how thoughtfully designed natural spaces can support regulation, resilience, and belonging. The session blends research, practical strategies, and reflective discussion, guiding educators to see how the sensory and social affordances of nature reduce behavioural stressors and nurture wellbeing.
NatStart26's theme is Imagine If — what becomes possible when nature-based early learning is the default, not the exception. The 2026 conference is hosted at the San Antonio Zoo (an AZA-accredited institution) with concurrent sessions at the Will Smith Zoo School.
The program runs in-person across San Antonio and is streamed online to attendees worldwide. Site tours visit nature-rich early learning programs across the region.
Registration includes complimentary access to the online conference library through June 2027. Find the full program and register at conference.naturalstart.org.
Upload photos of your outdoor space and get an instant analysis against the Ecology of Play framework, with actionable recommendations.
An interactive guide with sentence starters to encourage awareness, problem-solving and emotional development during outdoor play.
The following article is an excerpt written by Lukas Ritson from Pedagogy Magazine (Issue 23) by Semann & Slattery. For more information on Pedagogy Magazine, please visit www.semannslattery.com/pedagogy.
200+ bespoke nature-based playgrounds across Australia — see how the ideas from this session translate into real built spaces.
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