In my last blog we looked at the extensive learning and play opportunities that natural spaces offer, helping children connect with their environment and helping to develop a healthy physical and mental well-being. I would encourage all early years’ practitioners to consider any opportunity you can to allow your children to play in natural spaces. However, it is so important to build your confidence in doing this. The Forest School movement has seen a huge rise in risk-taking outdoor activities however the thought of 2 yr olds around a fire has terrified some practitioners. Don’t panic; your children can experience meaningful learning and play in a natural space without this. This takes training and time, and many practitioners can’t offer this due to lack of suitable sites and staffing levels.
The first step – getting all onboard
Explain your intent to staff and parents including why it is important for a child’s development and well-being. Ask parents to provide waterproof clothing or invest in some yourselves. Explain some of the activities you plan to do and that children will be encouraged to take balanced, measured risks which are important to their development.
In mentioning risks remember that being around any new outdoor hazard for our very youngest is just the same as teaching them to climb steps or use scissors. So you and their parents are managing their play around many hazards every single day – just indoor ones!
More importantly, children need to experience risk to be safe in any environment. We can no longer rely on busy parents to teach their children about all the hazards they may encounter. If we do not expose children to various risks in a controlled and measured way where will they learn the skills to recognise hazards for themselves?
In support of this there is a national drive to move away from pure risk assessments and write risk-benefit assessments instead – highlighting firstly what the benefits of doing an activity then considering any control measures needed. If the benefits outweigh the risks then we owe it to our children to get them out there. Tim Gill gives a great understanding of Risk-Benefit in ‘Balancing Risks and Benefits in Managing Outdoor Learning and Play’.
In addition, every day we set our children up to fail due to our differing ideas of what risk a hazard may cause. For example, I encourage tree climbing however you might be horrified at the thought and therefore tell them to get down – what confusion for the child. Even if we feel uncomfortable with what is going on, that should not necessarily determine our next move as it may stop a child reaching their full potential. You need to agree with your adults and children the expectation of behaviour, boundaries and risk-taking within any area you use. Then start to expand your provision –
Offer naturalised/loose parts play at your setting
Begin by altering the resources in your outdoor provision:
- offer large loose parts play for construction and open-ended role-play;
- large areas of sand/soil and items for a mud kitchen for digging and imaginative play;
- natural materials for picture making;
- enhance water features for greater problem solving.
Ensure anything you offer gives open-ended play opportunities – I am so disappointed by the number of water ‘walls’ I see with fixed positions. By fitting hooks to the back of the channels/gutters the children can alter the positions thus working collaboratively to problem solve and experience various scientific phenomenon like speed and gravity. A simple alteration offers much greater learning opportunities. Check out Learning through Landscapes for more information on loose parts play.
Whilst observing your children experimenting and collaborating whilst using these larger and messier resources try to ban the words ‘no’ and ‘stop’ from your vocabulary, redirecting unwanted behaviour and allowing a more child-centred approach to their learning.
Next step – Getting off-site
When you first visit a new site give red ribbons/wool to staff and children to place on hazards they consider a risk to them (or get children to show their teddy). Then consider these three points –
- Is it something that you point out to avoid but leave in the area ensuring they learn for the future e.g. harmful plants?
- Is it something that needs a control measure to keep them safe e.g deciding where they can go?
- Is it something that could cause significant harm and needs to be removed or you need to work elsewhere?
Next walk/run around the boundary of the area you will be working in with your children then play a game to get them to run to the boundary and back but if you shout freeze they need to stop and look at you. Play other games in the area building your confidence that they know where to stay.
Then when you are confident allow them to explore and play by themselves, occasionally starting an activity they might like to join in with e.g. mark making in the mud, collecting leaves, making a natural picture, but remember to let them lead and choose to do their own thing if they prefer. I am sure once you see the benefit to your children’s development you will be hooked. And just remember that most accidents in the UK happen in the home not in a natural space!
About the Author
Kim Hudson is a qualified teacher and has worked in mainstream or environmental education for over 19 years. Trading for the last 10 years as Inspiring Outdoors she seeks any opportunity to encourage schools, early years settings and families to create lasting impressions for children of all ages. This includes a consultancy on embedding learning beyond the classroom, school grounds development, teacher training for Royal Horticultural Society and Learning through Landscapes, and a LOtC Mark and Quality Badge assessor for Council for Learning Outside the Classroom. She also co-founded Lincolnshire Forest School and Woodland Network, runs a woodland holiday playscheme and is now developing the Inspiring Outdoors Explorer Packs. The first of which is the Woodland Explorer pack available at www.inspiringoutdoors.co.uk.
