- x3803
- mechamn@berea.edu
- M-F 1:45 - 2:45
- TR 10:30 - 11:30
- CFS 130 (Mon/Wed/Fri: 8:00 am – 9:10 am)
- CFS 315 (Tue/Thur: 8:00 am – 9:50 am)
- CFS 130
- CFS 315
Neil Mecham (he, his) graduated from Utah State University with a BS degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education then moved to Mesa, AZ where he taught at Crismon Elementary for five years. After completing a MA in Early Childhood Education at Arizona State, good fortune allowed him to return to Utah State University to work on a Doctorate Degree in Family Life while teaching at the Edith Bowen Laboratory School. Before Joining Berea College in 2007, Neil taught at Brigham Young University- Idaho and Southern Utah University.
Berea College has allowed Neil to help college students develop the same love for children and for nature and animals that he has. He developed the “Nature Education and Young Children” course taught at Berea College and has presented nature, or animal related, presentations at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) annual conference eight times.
Broadening students experiences and building their skills and confidence is important to Dr. Mecham. He has worked with students in undergraduate research projects and co-presented with some of these students at conferences. He has been involved in taking students on study abroad trips to Denmark, China, Costa Rica and Japan and has sponsored more than 65 student interns during his time at Berea College.
Neil is currently working on developing a scale to measure an individual’s affinity towards animals and hopes to develop a program to increase the use of gardens in early childhood educational settings. If not on campus, you would likely find Neil working in his own garden or hiking forest and mountain trails.
- Ph. D., Family Life, Utah State University, 2004
- M.A., Early Childhood Education, Arizona State University, 1991
- B.S., Elementary/Early Childhood Education, Utah State University, 1985
Publications
Mecham, N., & Joiner, L. R. (2012). "Even if I never ate a single bite of it; it would still be worth
it:’ College students’ gardening experiences." Journal of Ethnographic & Qualitative Research, 6(4)
231-242.
Mecham, N. (2010). "Denmark’s Bøernehavens: A place to grow." Young Children, 65(6) 38-40.
Presentations at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Annual Conference
Mecham, N. (2024) Connecting children with nature: How we can and why we should?
Mecham, N. (2023) Animals in young children’s lives: How children think about, interact with relate to, and benefit from animals and how adults can help.
Mecham, N. (2017) Teachers’ Pets: The inclusion of animals in early childhood programs.
Mecham, N. & Hurtt, T. (2015). The playground's impact on children's play behaviors: Does a nature-scape playground make a difference in how children play?
Thompson, K. R., Mecham, N., Burke, E., & Chambers, W. (2015). How and why we changed old playgrounds into a nature-scape playgrounds and how you can do it too!
Mecham, N. (2011). Saving the world in our own backyard.
Mecham, N. (2008). Helping children connect with nature: Experiences from around the country and world.