 |
British Association for Early Childhood Education
Editorial and Contents of Autumn 2009 Journal
This issue provides a welcome focus on the value of the outdoors in
children’s play and learning. The contributors emphasise the challenges as
well as the opportunities and remind us that many children have little or no
daily opportunity to play outdoors – and for some their only experience is
of plasticised, risk-averse environments.
Jan White challenges the preponderance of rubberised, sanitised spaces for
babies and toddlers. In contrast, she offers a range of possible features
for an outdoor area for infants – including curiosity and problem rich
situations and delightful opportunities for “poking and pondering tiny
things”. Jan urges us to engage in a much-needed debate on what sort of
environments we want for our youngest children.
Lucy Nettleton and Tracy Watts outline the growing provision of urban Forest
Schools, where small areas of woodland provide diverse and challenging play
environments for inner-city children. They argue that it is the Forest
School philosophy which makes it such a unique experience, not necessarily
the space in
which it takes place. I have seen Forest Schools that are little more than
extended nature walks and others that offer challenging play experiences.
The underpinning values are crucial.
Claire Warden and Niki Buchan describe nature kindergartens, where children
as young as two spend most of their day outdoors – building dens, using real
tools and making fires. In times characterised by risk anxiety, it is
refreshing to see their use of the phrase “risk-rich environment”. Risk is
not just something to be avoided, but is an essential part of life and an
important tool for learning.
Marjorie Ouvry, reviewing a new resource pack from Learning through
Landscapes, and Margaret Edgington, drawing on three case studies, show how
uninspiring environments can be transformed into more exciting play spaces.
Such examples are testament to the energy of many practitioners who, when
they have a strong understanding of why outdoor play is so crucial, strive
to make the best of what they have.
Glynne Mackey suggests that children’s experiences of caring for the natural
world can strengthen their dispositions to care for each other. Using the
metaphor of ripple, Glynne argues that learning to care for nature has a
ripple effect on relationships with peers, teachers, families and
communities and can help children see themselves as connected to, rather
than cut off from, the natural and social worlds. This notion of
connectedness is an important and enduring Froebelian principle.
Lastly, Kathryn Solly reminds us that attitudes towards play and learning
have strong social and cultural roots. It is heartening to see evidence of
rooftop gardens in heavily urbanised Hong Kong – and they offer a reminder
of Lady Allen of Hurtwood’s designs for rooftop play areas, complete with
sand pits, gardens and paddling pools in some London nursery schools in the
1930s. Clearly, where there is a commitment to outdoor play, space can
be found and put to good use.
Underpinning all these articles is a vision of what is possible and the need
for challenging, adventurous play outdoors. The metaphor of the forest
brings a wilder, riskier element to the traditional metaphor of the nursery
garden. However, in our rush to embrace forest school-type experiences we
must not devalue aspects of the urban environment. The street, for example,
has traditionally offered a rich play environment and has many features that
can be successfully incorporated into outdoor play areas. Finally, it is
timely to heed Marjorie Ouvry’s warning about the over-design of outdoor
spaces. Rather, as she argues, there must be space for “messy nature and
wonderfully disordered imaginative play with urban scrap”.
Helen Tovey Principal Lecturer
Roehampon University, London
Features
The infant garden Jan White
Forest School in an urban context Lucy Nettleton and Tracy Watts
Nature Kindergartens in Scotland Claire Warden and Niki Buchan
Embracing the great outdoors Margaret Edgington
Ripples of care: Young children experience caring relationships in the
outdoor environment Glynne Mackey
Play and learning in Hong Kong Kathryn Solly
Regulars
Editorial Helen Tovey
Review Margaret Ouvry
Diary dates
Early Education is the leading national voluntary organisation for early
years practitioners and parents with members and branches in England,
Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Early Education promotes the right of
all children to education of the highest quality and provides support,
advice and information for everyone concerned with the education and care of
young children from birth to eight years.
Early Education is published three times a year [ISSN 0960-281X]
Editor Paula McDiarmid
Advertising officer Jenny Rabin
Cover photo © Apex, courtesy of Learning through Landscapes
Designer Sue Clarke for Expression, IP23 8HH
<< back to journals
|
|
Education
