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How does children’s learning benefit from being exposed to natural environments and experiences?

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How does children’s learning benefit from being exposed to natural environments and experiences?

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Context/setting:

Children in this learning environment  range in age from 3-5 years old.

A big part of their interests is based on Outdoor exploration, loose parts, sensory play, risky play and  science based activities.

Or program is Based in an indoor and outdoor natural environment, we provide experiences and explorations in all weather conditions.
The focus for the children is turning back to nature, exposing them to the natural elements of the environment, and embracing the different conditions of their world.
Providing children with the opportunity to be creative in the outdoor space and encouraging their desire to be free in the natural environment.

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Observation 1

The educator guides 3 children along the beach, to make and test their own wooden boat creations. The trek along the beach is uneven as the children balance and coordinate themselves along the rocky foreshore. The children demonstrate great motor skills as they balance along the rocks. The educator begins to help the children use the tools to create the boats, the educator helps lay out the equipment before the children choose what they would like to utilise. The educator sits alongside child A as she works with him to help carve the wood. The educator gives him instructions on how to utilise the knife to shape his boat. She guides him to turn the knife outwards and carve away from himself. Child B concentrates as he works his fine motor skills with a hammer and nail, carefully holding the nail with his fingers as he hammers down. Educator assists Child C to saw through her piece of wood. Back and forth the educator guides the saw with a hands-on approach assisting the child, manipulating the saw in a back-and-forth motion. The educator is there to support the learning process and lend a helping hand. This experience is challenging the children's fine motor skills, coordination, and concentration as they spend time creating their own boats. The children are then able to test and try out their boat creations in the shallow waters once completed, this is helping them explore the method of trial and error with their own creations.

Observation 2

Throughout this video the focus is on the natural elements and the children partaking their preschool day exploring nature. The children are exposed to open play as they explore the natural environment heading out for a walk in the elements. They stop to have a play in the little rocky creek. Educator sits close by as the children begin to step on the rocks, balancing their boots on the slippery rock surface. Child A extends her arms out for balance as she steps from rock to rock, Child B and Child C following on behind her, stepping from rock to rock in formation like “follow the leader”.  Child D take her own direction as she takes a big jump from the rocks straight into the water as she wades alongside the other children.

Observation 3

The 3 children explore a sensory experience with ice. Educator provides the children with a solid block of ice and the tools to be able to explore this sensory experience. The children play alongside each other as they begin to manipulate the loose parts provided to smash and break the ice apart. The children have access to spoons, spatulas, pipets, scoops, cups, and blocks of wood. “Look its cracking” child A exclaims excitedly to his peers. “It’s cold” child B says as he touches the ice with his hands. The 3 children work alongside each other as they create a hole in the middle of the ice block, using the tools to break apart the ice.

Educator enters play and provides the children with syringes to be able to extract the water from the ice block. “I think you made a waterfall?” educator states. Educator aids and prompts throughout this experience, as she demonstrates how to squeeze and release the syringes to extract water from the ice. She is responsive and asks questions and suggests ideas. The children are verbally expressive and communicate their thoughts and feelings throughout their play. The children are hands on and active throughout this play focussing on exploring and manipulating the natural elements of the ice block.

Linking the three observations together it shows they are all based on a natural and sensory learning environment.

The experiences are adventurous and exciting, they challenge the children's skills and abilities.  The children are supported and encouraged to be confident and capable in their environment as they explore the different elements. The focus here is turning back to nature, exposing children to the natural elements of the environment, and embracing the different conditions. Providing children with the opportunity to be creative in the outdoor space and encouraging their desire to be free in the natural environment.

Sensory stimulation derived from interacting with natural environments allow children to learn with all their senses and promote physical activity in many ways.

Ob 1 creating and testing wooden boats in a natural environment, utilising real tools and equipment, challenging fine motor skills and coordination, and partaking in elements of risky play

Ob 2 The children practised stepping and balancing on the rocks through the creek bed promoting their gross motor abilities and coordination in natural and challenging conditions.

Ob 3 The children are hands on as they explore the natural experience of ice and the cold icy water as it melts between their fingers.

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Discovering a theme throughout the observations, I found some links though the elements of the natural world through sensory and environmental play. The artic preschool focussed on the importance of being outside and in the natural environment. The ice play experience focussed on the sensory exploration of different elements of ice which linked to the icy conditions of the arctic preschool. In the observations the environment is the child’s teacher, demonstrating that he learning environment is just as important as learning itself. Through all the observations the children are engaged in different environments from indoor to outdoor where materials and activities are designed to support their natural development and their capacity to educate themselves, this representing the Montessori approach. (Irving, Carter 2015, p. 62)

Piaget’s theory of active learning focusses on the open-ended play as the children take in the information about the world through their senses. The children develop the movements and response to the sensory information such as in observation 3 as the children discover ice play. The ice block was solid, so the children used tools to smash it apart and with draw the melted water with pipets, spoons, and scoops.  In observation 2 the creek beds were tricky to navigate so the children manoeuvred and balanced their body as they balanced on the rocks to avoid the icy cold waters of the creek. In observation 1 the children created their boats, they had control over their learning with support from the educator as they experimented actively with resources and experienced things like in the real world such as using real tools, to construct and test their creations. (Nolan, Raban 2015, p.19)

Throughout the videos the children are all in a group learning environment, The socio-culturalist theory is observed throughout the observations. The educators demonstrate a key role in supporting children through social interaction, conversation and learning through their peers. Vygotsky believed language development is a key element for other areas of learning and that supported learning and shared thinking can assist children to make meaning and understanding to the activity at hand. (Nolan, Raban, 2015, p. 31) Communication is a key theme throughout the observations as verbal communication is explored and expressed throughout each video. The children and educators are expressive and discuss their thoughts and ideas throughout the play experiences especially in the ice play and boat creations.

Throughout my observations the children are active and involved through their learning, they have a hands-on approach to the experiences, the natural elements, and sensory experiences as they explore, play, and learn. Malaguzzi claims through the Reggio Emelia philosophy that children must be able to learn through experiences of touching, moving, listening, seeing, and hearing. (Nolan, Raban 2015)

Children who are confident and involved learners have positive dispositions toward learning, experience challenge and success int their learning and can contribute positively and effective to other children's learning (VEYLDF  2016) The children are exposed to many different elements throughout the Artic preschool space and the ice exploration experience as they work together and play alongside each other. The importance of different play spaces in indoor and outdoor environments is supported as these spaces invite open ended interactions, spontaneity, risk taking exploration, discovery, and connection with nature. (Belonging, Being, Becoming, 2022)

Steiner believed that Children need free, creative play to develop their spirit, their bodies, and their minds. Artic preschool supports this initiative as the children are free to explore the natural elements and outdoor environments, they have the use of natural materials wherever possible and offered real life tasks such as constructing boats, sailing, creek bed balancing and exploring the natural elements of the outdoor world which helps give children a sense of belonging and connectedness. (Yorganop 2016)

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image, FluentU Travel, Petit early learning journey 2020, 20 Natural materials for children creative and sensory play.  viewed 21 November 2022, < https://www

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Loose Part and natural resource inspiration

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Loose Part and natural resource inspiration

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Ideas of how i would structure naturally sourced materials to provide sensory play in the Kinder program

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Goodstart Early Learning 2018, All aboard for the Great Outdoors. viewed 21 November 2022< https://www.goodstart.org.au/news-and-advice/july-2018/all-aboard-fo

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Goodstart Early Learning 2018, Goodstart Prospect Vale wins Waste Not Award. viewed 21 November 2022,< https://www.goodstart.org.au/news-and-advice/goodstart-pr

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Belonging, Being & Becoming, 2022, The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia, https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-02/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf

Irving, E, Carter, C, 2015, The Children in Focus: Learning and Teaching in Early Childhood Education, Oxford University Press

Nolan, A, Raban, B, 2015, Theories into Practice, Understanding and rethinking our work with young children and the EYLF, Teaching Solutions, Blairgowrie Australia.

Victoria. Department of Education and Training 2016, VICTORIAN EARLY YEARS LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK: FOR ALL CHILDREN FROM BIRTH TO EIGHT YEARS, Department of education and Training, Melbourne

Yorganop 2016, Theories and Theorists in Early Childhood, who are they and what they tell us? Ideas for practise, Combined Theorist Resource. <http://web.archive.org/web/20180316184334/http://ipsuwa.yorganop.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/combined-theorists-resource.pdf>

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Children’s learning can benefit from being exposed to natural environments and experiences as it can provide opportunity to create open ended play and supports children to care for the environment and develop respect for living things. A nature-based program provides opportunities to support children's cognitive, physical, and emotional development by spending more time in the outdoor environment, this can also help connect to the world around them.

Children are exposed to experiencing different weather elements, no weather is bad weather just bad clothing,

When Children are exposed to nature and natural environments they can gain better motor coordination, reduce stress, increase social interaction, and their cognitive function is challenged.

To provoke the children in the group, across the class and to extend on their learning and development we can focus on,

Providing open ended nature-based experiences, for children to explore,

Exposing children to different natural environments and weather conditions.

Having puddle suits and gumboots to get out in the wet weather.

Discussing the importance for caring for our earth and environment, this can lead to group learning that can link to caring for our world and natural environments.

Getting back to basics in the classroom, using natural materials, recycling, loose parts, and nature foraging,

Listening and sharing theories and ideas, group experiences and projects

Bush or beach kinder, or expose to different natural environments in the community

Embedding Sustainability in daily routines and practises through recycling, composting or worm farms

Changes throughout the classroom can include natural experiences such as branches and small logs with the bark attached which can be used in imaginative play. Collections of Pinecones, seed pods, leaves, gumnuts, and small stones can be used in different ways including opportunities for children to explore simple science and maths concepts such as classifying, counting and weighing. Adding Sand and water trays inside also provide additional interesting experiences for children’s play and can support sensory exploration through natural materials.

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Implementing a nature-based environment and experiences throughout the kinder program has provided rich opportunities for the children to explore new ideas. It has sparked many conversations about the natural items, such as gumnuts, seed pods, leaves, and bark. Where they came from, what we can use them for, and has exposed the children to a different way of learning and play with these items.

Switching many of our experiences up to recycled and loose part play. The children have explored their imaginations and engaged in more sensory play, it has also sparked an interest in becoming environmentally responsible and showing respect for the environment.

We have introduced a sustainability project in our service with recycling and have created a space for box recycling art and construction.

We have also implemented Beach kinder and often head down for exploration along the foreshore, the children are exposed to many different weather elements when we take our trips, the wind, rain, and sunshine. This sparks lots of conversation about weather and the seasons.

The children loved foraging along the beaches and our walks and often collect and bring items back to share in our kinder room.

Through observations and reflections, we have discovered a change in the children's learning, showing a growing concern and appreciation for natural environments. They are enjoying exploring relationships with other living and non-living things and are observing, noticing, and responding to changes in the environment.

Inspired by the Reggio Emelia philosophy and the environment as the third teacher our changes are guided by children being able to learn through experiences of touching, moving, listening, seeing, and hearing. (Nolan, Raban 2015) investigating the world around them.

The children were active and involved through their learning, having a hands-on approach to the experiences, the natural elements, and sensory experiences as they explore, play, and learn.

Inspired by Steiner as he believed that Children need free, creative play to develop their spirit, their bodies, and their minds. The changes we have made supports this initiative as the children are free to explore the natural elements and outdoor environments, they now have the use of natural materials wherever possible and including beach kinder in our program has broadened the exposure of natural elements of the outdoor world which helps give children a sense of belonging and connectedness. (Yorganop 2016)

Natural environments give educators the opportunities to teach children about caring for the world in which we live

As an educator providing these changes was a hands-on approach, providing a range of natural materials for the children to explore. We have created a beach kinder program and are embedding sustainability and recycling practises in our kinder room which involved our families and donations. We created a recycling station that prompts parents and educates them through posters and information the importance of recycling and how we are utilising this in our program.