TEACH Nature Prescriptions

Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) are more than just behavior supports — they’re pathways to learning and success. By prioritizing wellbeing and happiness in BIPs, you can help create structure and consistency while also making space for joy, connection and resilience. With the right supports in place, students can feel empowered, successful and experience more happiness at school.

1. Prompt and provide access to breaks throughout the day that are centered around nature (e.g., a nature walk, a video of a favorite nature scene, or audio of nature sounds). Consider using this as an antecedent-based strategy during times or activities that may cause stress and/or challenges.
2. During morning attendance, have students report on one way they connected to nature through their senses that morning and one positive emotion they felt. Use this proactive strategy to start the day grounded in nature and positive emotions.
3. Create an activity schedule or checklist with several opportunities to engage with nature that the student can follow throughout the day/week. At the end of the day/week, review and identify what activities the student enjoyed most and build a new schedule for the following day/week.

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Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) ensure every student has access to the supports they need to thrive. When happiness and wellbeing is included and prioritized in IEPs, students are more likely to flourish in learning and in life. By shifting from a deficit-based approach to one of strengths and potential, IEPs can open doors to learning, connection and joy — at school and beyond.

1. Student will identify 3-5 nature activities they enjoy.
2. Student will correctly identify the five pathways to nature connectedness and one way they can experience each pathway.
3. Student will learn to complete a nature prescription and track their time in nature weekly.

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Bringing wellbeing to the forefront doesn’t require a complete overhaul of your classroom routine. By integrating happiness skills into what you’re already teaching, you can help students learn and practice happiness in simple, meaningful ways. From morning meetings and check-ins to reading, writing, and relationship-building, there are countless ways to make wellbeing part of everyday learning.

1. Are students learning about emotional regulation? Incorporate discussions on how time in nature impacts mood, focus, and attention. Have students reflect on how they feel before and after spending time in nature.
2. Are students learning about environmental science? Consider discussing the pathways to nature connectedness and the interactions between humans and nature.
3. Consider including a book about nature during reading literacy. Have students reflect on how nature is described throughout the book.

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