Learning about Ecosystems and Forests

Using Nature as a Classroom

 Learning about Ecosystems and Forests (LEAF) advocates for outdoor learning and hands-on experiences, allowing students to connect with nature and develop a deeper understanding of the natural world. 
While the LEAF programme started with a focus on tree-based ecosystems and sustainable forest use, today it includes a diversity of ecosystems to foster skills and knowledge by exposing learners to outdoor experiences.

LEAF is implemented in 29 countries and operated by the Foundation for Environmental Education.
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Become a #GenerationRestoration School

Inspire your students. Restore nature . Join a global movement for our planet’s ecosystems.

The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), in partnership with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, is supporting schools worldwide to take meaningful action for nature. By becoming a #GenerationRestoration School, your school will join a global effort to stop and reverse ecosystem degradation, while gaining access to inspiring learning materials, hands-on activities and other opportunities for students and educators. 

From early years to higher education settings, and from small corners of the school grounds to wider community green spaces, every learner and every educator has a role to play in restoring nature. 

Register to become a #GenerationRestoration School

LEAF Scrapbook

Explore Ecosystems and Forests with the new LEAF Scrapbook

Discover the wonders of ecosystems and forests through LEAF’s brand-new Scrapbook, inspired by the animated series Moley. This creative resource invites students and educators to connect with nature using LEAF’s four steps — Look and Observe, Explore, Analyse, and Function and Flourish.

Through curiosity, creativity, and play, you can:

  • Explore the outdoors and connect with your surroundings

  • Get creative with storytelling, poetry, and drawing

  • Learn about forests, wildlife, and ecosystems — and how to help them thrive

Download the scrapbook

Outdoor Education activities for schools, using nature as a classroom

This Learning about Ecosystems and Forests (LEAF) publication contains twenty-three examples of activities that have been implemented all over the world through the Learning about Forest Programme. By collecting and sharing these stories we aim to promote outdoor education, inspiring schools and teachers on how to use nature as a classroom.

Read publication
 

JOIN FEE ACADEMY!

The Foundation for Environmental Education has launched FEE Academy, an online learning platform offering a number of free courses for students, teachers, and National Operators. The LEAF programme currently has four courses available!

Sign up to FEE Academy

Latest News and Stories

🌿 Learning from Malta: How Schools Can Lead Ecosystem Restoration LEAF Malta showcases how education, outdoor learning, and community action can support ecosystem restoration and long-term environmental stewardship. The LEAF methodology, particula
🌱 Discovering Ecosystems with LEAF: Kenya Kenya is a country of extraordinary ecological richness, where dramatic landscapes range from the vast savannahs of the Maasai Mara National Reserve to the snow-capped heights of Mount Kenya. These terrains
🎮 Sometimes, creating global impact starts with something as simple as playing a game. This International Day for Biological Diversity, we celebrate this year’s theme: “Acting locally for global impact.” The Nature Restoration Ga
🌐 Discovering Ecosystems with LEAF: Mauritius Mauritius is home to remarkable ecosystems, from coral reefs and mangroves to lush forests and volcanic landscapes. Its unique biodiversity supports rare wildlife, endemic plant species, and communities
🌐Discovering Ecosystems with @leaf_int: México México is home to an abundance of ecosystems, from mangrove forests to vast deserts. The country’s rich fauna and flora support extraordinary wildlife, unique plant species, and com
🚀 50+ years of Earth, captured from above 🌍 From NASA’s Landsat archive to ESA’s Sentinel missions, satellites have been quietly watching our planet transform for over half a century, revealing forests, cities, oceans, and climate cha
🌿 LEAF Good Practices: The Hug A Tree Initiative At Imara Comprehensive School in Kenya, one of our dedicated LEAF Schools, learners are taking the lead in Environmental Restoration Education. Through the “Hug A Tree Initiative,” studen
🌳 What happens when nature becomes the classroom? For 25 years and counting, LEAF has helped young people explore ecosystems through hands-on learning, building not just knowledge, but connection and responsibility. The programme is also shaping h
💡 Meet the New and Refreshed LEAF Themes: Innovation Innovation brings together new and traditional ways of responding to environmental challenges, drawing inspiration from nature and using technology to support resilient ecosystems. With updated
Contact National Operators in your country