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Factors to consider when setting outdoor learning environments
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The Scottish Government believe that outdoor learning is very beneficial to the development of children and young people. The Scottish Government belief that outdoor learning is beneficial is reinforced by the Early Years Framework 2008 and the Curriculum for Excellence 2009. This therefore shows how actively involved the Scottish Government are with outdoor learning and that their view of more opportunities for outdoor learning is logical. Curriculum for Excellence 2009 provides a wide range of outcomes and experiences to allow educators to use the outdoors as a learning environment, since the curriculum states that this environment provides exciting, motivating and relevant activities for children and young people to participate in from …show more content…
Educators should provide a progressive assortment of outdoor learning experiences to ensure that children are learning new things as they get older and advance in their developmental stage. Outdoor learning can be adapted to suit all ages and stages of development. Educators should assess to ensure all children and young people are able to participate in outdoor learning experiences and find ways to solve any obstacles in their way. Planning must be done as early as possible to ensure that no individual is prevented from taking part. The Scottish Government have a strong belief that outdoor learning benefits children’s holistic development. Education Scotland’s vision for Scottish outdoor learning is that every child and young person has the opportunity to take part in a broad range of outdoor learning experiences that allow them to progress gradually through the curriculum; Educational settings are planning challenging outdoor learning experiences that will benefit children and young people throughout their time at school and beyond; educators provide experiences to students where they are able to learn realistically In the outdoor
Promoting fun, learning and the wonder of childhood by showcasing the natural connection of playing and learning in programs, events and environments and influencing community development, business practices and educational systems
In this essay I will outline the curricular systems for the 0-5 age group in England and Scotland. I will examine in detail the planning and assessment provisions of these systems which allow early years practitioners to gain insight into children's learning and to aid them in that regard. I will draw comparison between the practices of these two countries where possible, and provide criticism of each.
Let’s pause for a second, let’s take a look what nature has for us. It is beautiful and yet harmless. Kids’ don’t spend the sufficient time to intake the benefits of nature. Louv says, “Playtime, especially unstructured imaginative, exploratory play is increasingly recognized as an essential component of wholesome child development” (48). He is saying to let our kids free and explore on their own. It is what brings fun to their lives. Knowing what comes next it’s pretty boring. Imagination brings excitement and knowledge to the human kind.
The multicultural environment depicted through creative means enables a key opportunity for learning as it provides children with the ability to “broaden their understanding of the world in which they live” (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), 2009, p. 26) whilst also “connecting [them] with people [and] place” (p. 37). By specifically using mainly artistic materials to form this connection to place, the children are also claiming the setting as their ‘own’ place. The key affordance of sustainability practice has implications for both learning and play as the children play with the worm farm and veggie garden, whilst also learning how to create sustainable practices by recycling their items into specific bins and how to care for the environment. This then leads to a child who develops a connection, respect for and awareness of the natural environment (DEEWR, 2009). Sociocultural opportunities also present implications for both learning and play as the children in the cooking corner practice for when they become adults and perform these stereotypical tasks in a more realistic setting, therefore allowing them to learn whilst
The purpose of therapeutic recreation is to enable all individuals to achieve quality of life and optimal health through meaningful experiences in recreation and leisure. In this paper the definition of therapeutic recreation will be discussed as well as what should be included in the definition and what should be rejected. This definition will mainly focus on health and use the Health Promotion Model to further explain my choice to focus on health and well-being. I will also be discussing the importance of inclusion in therapeutic recreation for different learning styles in many environments, and the significance of diversity in the community and what we hope to achieve by being fully inclusive.
Outdoor On-Land and Water Activities in UK I have compiled a detailed report based on two outdoor adventure activities, one land-based and one water-based. Within the report I have looked at a number of aspects: · What is meant by outdoor adventure activities and those that are available within the UK and in my local area · The benefits of the two activities and; · The participants involved within it · The role of national governing bodies and regulatory bodies in outdoor adventure activities What are Outdoor Adventure Activities (OAA's)? Outdoor adventure activities can be categorised into 3 main areas (only 2 of which I will look into further): · Water based activities (such as windsurfing and sailing) · Land based activities (such as skiing and caving) · Air based activities (parachuting and hand gliding) - these activities will generally be too expensive for us to participate in during school. * The spider diagram above gives examples of various OAA's that we could partake in. [IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE] Benefits Table
My desire for children in my care is that their learning journey would be meaningful as they explore the ideas and activities they are interested in. This means that I believe that children are naturally motivated learners and should have the opportunity to learn through their own explorations and through collaboration with other children and educators. I believe this can be done through both teacher-initiated and child-initiated activities and supported through play. I also believe that play is a natural and enjoyable means through which children learn. In my practice I aim to encourage children’s natural ...
This framework is used by ECE to guide and develop quality education programs. Upon planning a learning experience, small group or whole class experience, I have effectively incorporated one or more of the learning outcomes. The EYLF is made up of principles, practices and five outcomes which enhance and develop a child’s learning through play-based experiences (EYLF, 2009, p.9). Each outcome contains sub-strands which guide your experience and focus on the child’s social and emotional development, as well as language, numeracy and literacy skills (Commonwealth of Australia, 2017). Using the EYLF as a curriculum framework allowed me to develop and create skilled appropriate lessons, experiences which challenged and captivated the children’s attention, and I gained appropriate information to assess the children’s individual abilities (Australian Government: Department of Education and Training,
This essay will analyse the impact of participation in the Forest Schools programme on a child's information processing, conceptual resources, perpetual skill, language learning and other vital aspects of their formative brain development (number one reference). As well as exploring these crucial factors of a child's cognitive development in relation to forest schools and the outdoor classroom, it will examine various historical perspectives and learning theories that have helped to influence practitioners in schools today to identify the importance of allowing children between the ages of nought to seven to engage in outdoor learning. The final part of the essay will review an argument based on whether children benefit from actively being taught in outdoor classrooms on a regular basis or whether traditional school classrooms based inside are more suitable for children in the United Kingdom, due to the intense focus placed on the Early Years Foundation Stage and the National Curriculum in schools by the current Conservative Government. The Forest School Programme has occupied the imagination of many early years professionals and is defined by the Forest School Initiative (add In year), as: ‘An inspirational process that offers children regular
By educating children, we need to prepare them for the life in a fast changing society where they can be responsive, fulfilled and innovative. The ability to use methods of teaching and learning within the curriculum is important when trying to make it possible. Countless amounts of schools have already been familiarising themselves with the importance of creativity and ways of how to teach, how to make the learning more holistic, more engaging and more creative. With the new curriculum complete, there are consequently many more opportunities and challenges for teachers to provide the best and most appropriate learning opportunities for the pupils they teach. The White Paper on education, publicising the new curriculum, stated it ‘creates scope for teachers to inspire’. It foresees ‘teachers taking greater control over what is taught in schools, innovating in how the...
but it can be used to delivery alternative pedagogy. Where often children are fed knowledge and expected to understand and produce work, by delivering the input in a relatable context allows children to develop their own understanding (Shallcross, 2004). Literacy outdoors can be as simple as having a reading group outside, it takes the children out of the classroom and allows them to be in a new but familiar setting. Alternately literacy taught in forest school can be the basis of exploring a story setting or used to develop speech and language in story-telling. Some lessons set out by the Forestry Commission (2017) discussed using poetry and stories to have an understanding out before going to forest school, the children could then use their surroundings to recreate the story or create their own.
They identified boundary objects, time and space, social supports and collective agency, and knowledge as important factors. By “boundary objects,” the authors refer to physical tools that helped students try new things and move out of their comfort zones. For example, the use of waders helped students get over their fear of entering the water—an important hurdle to overcome in order to take measurements from snapping turtles. Using cameras to record data also helped some students get closer to the animals, as the students focused more on getting a good photo than how afraid they initially were to approach the wildlife. “Time and space” refers to the flexible and responsive way in which the program allowed students to gradually increase their participation as they gained confidence.
The Play Strategy for Scotland is a national initiative that is very much relevant to my topic. The main aim is to create the best place for children to grow up in Scotland. It also aims to achieve making children able to play safely in their environment. The initiative links to my topic as it identifies the importance of play being a life-enhancing daily experience and its contribution to a happy, healthy childhood. The Play Strategy also protects children’s ability to play. (The Scottish Government, 2013)
In my opinion the outdoor area in any setting is often the childrens’ favourite place to be, as all the natural features engage children’s senses and provide opportunities for hands on learning. By letting children play with sticks, climb trees and roll around on the ground children develop physically and mentally. This is an area where there is often greater freedom and scope to investigate their surroundings and whilst there is exploration there is also very good opportunity to develop gross motor skills through physical activity. Such activities also spark their imaginations (Cooper, a
Outdoor learning activities are beneficial for students’ health, including psychological, physiological. Outdoor learning activities offer students opportunities to move their