Primary Services

     A.  Educational advocacy for and about nature play,

            through speaking, writing, and educational

            workshops.

     B.  Consulting assistance to organizations seeking to

            create or expand opportunities for nature play —

            primarily focused on:  (1) the development and

            operation of nature preschools, and (2) the design

            and development of natural play spaces.

     C.  Future development and operation of Green Hearts’
            own multi-state network of “children’s nature
            centers,” each featuring a licensed nature
            preschool.

   Green Hearts' History 
        Green Hearts was founded in
    2005 by Ken Finch, who has
    worked in environmental
    education since 1974.

        Disappointed by the apparently
    limited societal impact of modern
    environmental education, Ken felt
    that a new direction should be
    tried.  This direction reflects the
    research which has found that the
    most common influence on life-
    long conservation values is not
    structured learning, but rather is
    frequent, unstructured childhood
    play in natural settings.  

        With that underlying concept, Green Hearts was
    founded as one of the country's first conservation
    organizations entirely dedicated to restoring and
    strengthening the emotional bonds between children and
    nature.

• keynote presentations at professional conferences;
  
• educational workshops for colleagues in the conservation       and early childhood communities;
• teaching parents about the importance of nature play and         how they can bring it into their own children' lives;
  
• providing consulting assistance to other conservation                and child-centered organizations; and
  
• authoring nature play articles for diverse audiences. 
  

        Currently under development is a Green Hearts' "Recipe

    Box for Kidscaping Your Yard," featuring 75 ideas for

    facilitating nature play at home. 

        Also, the master site planning and initial architectural

    design for Green Hearts’ first actual facility -- a unique

    children’s nature center in suburban Omaha -- is complete.

    These plans lay the groundwork for a future fundraising

    campaign to bring this vision to reality!

Founder Ken Finch    
       During his long career, Ken Finch has been a front-line

    educator in environmental education programs, worked as
    a senior manager in two children's museums, led two of
    the country's largest nature centers, and served as a Vice

    President of the National Audubon Society.

         His extensive volunteer service includes a term as the

    national President of the Association of Nature Center

    Administrators.  Ken holds a master's degree in

    environmental education, and is a published writer and an