outdoor education Archives - Playful Directions

Our car is coming along. In fact today it was suggested that it should be a camper instead since we are “making” such a long trip. Since I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to stay awake for the whole drive to Florida, I thought it would be good to train some fellow navigators. This atlas we’ve been looking over is way too complicated. We decided to start with something a bit simpler.

We began with Map My Neighboorhood by Jennifer Boothroyd. In this book, we learn how to draw our own maps. We begin with a list of the places we would like to include and work from there.

Our first attempt was made out on the Northbound Trail. The children used a large notebook, scissors, paper scraps, and glue sticks to create the areas they felt were important. This map was made together.

The most difficult parts were deciding what to include and choosing a size for each piece. Scale might be a bit beyond us at this point, but the practice with position in space was valuable.

Our next mapmaking enterprise took place in the classroom. Each child created their own map. I set up the paper first with the locations of the doors and windows marked. When placing the paper in front of the children, I made sure that their paper was oriented so that the doors and windows were aligned with the room. The children had many different takes on what was important to include on their classroom map. None of you will be surprised to hear that the loft was almost always the first furniture added.

Cedarsong Nature Kindergarten is an outdoor immersion program for children ages 2-6. The children and teachers are outside, regardless of the weather, for between three and five hours per day. The week I observed, the weather showed a cantankerous spirit, pouring rain each morning. On most days, the rain abated by 3:00. Though some might think this a disappointment, I was overjoyed at the opportunity to see how the school and children would adapt.

I should not have been surprised. Each child arrived properly dressed in rain pants, rain coat, Bogs, and waterproof mittens. Who thought a few splashes of rain might intrude upon the learning of young children in a natural environment? Without noticing the starting and stopping of Mother Nature’s sprinkler system, the children explored, discovered, experimented, and engaged with the world around them. Thus the most vivid lesson I bring home is a common saying.

“There is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing.” -Ranulph Fiennes

The Entry Point: This structure is used only for snack.

Much of the approach and language used by Ms. Kenny and her colleagues evinced similarities with our own current WT way of working with children. The language reflectively used was reminiscent of that found in the Responsive Classroom Approach. This observation added validation to our choice of program management.

I was impressed by the children’s comfort with varying weather and temperatures. We have traditionally avoided rainy weather despite the fact that we believe it is important for children to be outside everyday. I am interested in looking toward manageable ways our outdoor classrooms can enjoy just as much use on drippy days.

An area for digging and exploring water flow. It connects to "the mud puddle" via a tunnel. — An area for digging and exploring water flow. It connects to “the mud puddle” via a tunnel.

Inspiration also came from watching the children interact with a large variety of natural materials. Sticks and rocks were used as tools frequently and were always safely handled. The students had been taught from the beginning how to safely manage these often vilified items. Most of the plants in the forest were edible. The children knew how to identify the trees and bushes, knew which parts they liked to eat, and which ones would make the best tea.

The Mud Puddle: everyone's favorite spot for play, rain or shine. — The Mud Puddle: everyone’s favorite spot for play, rain or shine.

The daily flow and emergent curriculum reminded me very much of our own pedagogy at WTN PK. The lessons of self-reliance, self-regulation, and social interaction mirrored our own truths. The forest kindergarten view of “risk” is uncannily similar to my own and I hope to write more about this topic in the future. Many science, language, and mathematics opportunities occur as the day unfolds. The teachers help the children reflect and focus. The entire trip reminded me that young children are designed to learn and discover. Our job is to provide them with a rich environment for their experimentation.