Posted: Nov. 17, 2009

Bayside — You wouldn't think the folks who created Kermit the Frog would need any help when it comes to going green.

But when the producers of "Sesame Street" decided to launch their 40th season with a new emphasis on nature and the environment, they called upon a local preschool educator to help them out.

Patti Bailie, director of the Schlitz Audubon Nature Preschool, went to New York City twice to meet with the writers and producers of the show, offering her 20 years of experience in nature-based preschools to help them develop curriculum and some scripts.

"Nature is a wonderful vehicle for child development," she said. "It helps with social and emotional growth and learning how to learn."

Young children and nature are Bailie's life's work. She is working on her dissertation for her doctorate degree that compares the experiences of children from nature-based preschools with children from other types of preschool programs once they go to public school.

Bailie took her experiences and observations with her to New York City for the first time in 2007.

During her first trip, she was on a panel of educators and scientists that was advising the show, and she was asked to bring a presentation on nature education.

"I did the top 10 reasons to connect children and nature," she said. "They were looking for the panel to spark ideas."

A return visit

In February 2008, the producers contacted her again, asking for her help with curriculum. She related the things that children in her preschool do all year.

"Our kids climb on rocks, climb trees and have challenges and take risks that are appropriate for their ages," Bailie explained.

Outside the window of her office at the nature center, preschoolers, as if on cue, climb up and down a rocky path and then go climb onto a rock. "We do problem-solving, looking for clues and exploration," she said.

School is unique

The preschool, which has 140 students, is one of the few of its kind in the country.

"We did a survey to find out how many nature-center-based programs there are," Bailie said "There are about 20 around the country, most of them newer than ours, but one in New Canaan, Connecticut, is 40 years old."

There are three fenced-in preschool play areas at the 185-acre center. Each is different, but all have a gathering point for the first meeting of the day with the children. A hike out into the center starts every session.

Classroom activities center on nature, so what happened next should be no surprise.

In February 2009, the producers again contacted Bailie and sent her DVDs of the new shows based on the curriculum she helped develop.

"They asked me to review them and then attend a second workshop in March," she said. "They wanted feedback on what they had filmed and on other scripts."

Youngsters critique show

Bailie showed the DVDs of the programs to her students.

"The kids' comments were amazing," said Lorna Hilyard, a teacher in one of the classes that previewed the shows last spring.

In one case, the youngsters saw a baby bird that looked like a cardinal.

"We had 3-year-olds saying, 'Why don't they call it a cardinal?' " Bailie said. "The bird didn't sound right, either."

The children all knew the correct sound for a cardinal and it was not the "Peep, peep, peep" they heard on the show.

Bailie brought her reactions - and those from her young experts - to New York City for the second workshop.

Since then, she has been hired as a consultant to review the scripts for next season, the 41st, which also focuses on nature.