Krystal Did you find any pine cones on your treasure hunt? Pine cones are tons of fun because they can be used to make A LOT of different things. When I was a preschooler my sister and I used to make pine cones into birds with leaves and tree sap.Pine cones can be pretty pokey. You … Read more
What is rough and tumble play? and why is such a hot topic in Early Childhood Education these days? Rough and Tumble play is exactly what it sounds like! It’s full body engagement, running, wrestling, grabbing and pulling. It’s exciting, it’s energizing, it’s fun, and it’s important. Rough and tumble play is what we call … Read more
and Nature Mentors 1. Art of Questioning To answer a question we MUST consider it.By cleverly asking questions we teach children to be more observant of their surroundings. Which leads them to NOTICE and become AWARE of the natural world around them . Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? http://nature-mentor.com/art-of-questioning/ 2. Place-Based Learning When children … Read more
The goal of loose parts play is for children to learn to collaborate and communicate. We as adults & supervisors are NOT problem solvers. The children MUST learn to solve their own problems by talking to each other and making allowances for one another. You can help and coach them along if they are struggling … Read more
AS A BOY, I PULLED OUT DOZENS — perhaps hundreds — of survey stakes in a vain effort to slow the bulldozers that were taking out my woods to make way for Source: Orion Magazine
Twenty education and child care practitioners from across Western Canada were in the Comox Valley last week for a five-day course focusing on how to implement nature-based learning into educational programs. Source: Comox Valley Record
“As Dr. Mark Tremblay, the chief scientific officer of the ParticipACTION Report Card says, we have lost the balance between short-term safety and long-term health. In outdoor play, risk doesnt mean courting danger, but rather giving kids the freedom to assess their surroundings and make decisions, allowing them to build confidence, develop skills, solve problems … Read more
The WWF sponsored a green schools series in the Guardian Newspaper Online. Written by Matthew Jenkin this lovely article outlines how “Getting outdoors can pay dividends in academic performance – but it also improves pupils’ concentration and confidence.” An Excerpt of the article is posted below…. Three years ago teacher Simon Poote spotted a disused strip … Read more
Apparently going outside is good for your brain. We all knew that right? Well if you’d like to be able to quote some quick facts and studies on the subject head on over to Teton Gravity Research where Kate Parker highlights her top 6 findings. According to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy … Read more
Cognoscenti contributor John Less argues his reasons for advocating why children need to play and explore outdoors. For children, the difference between observing creatures in a zoo or aquarium and catching a tadpole or a turtle in a pond is geometric. Feeling a live and wild animal wriggle in one’s palm is a different experience from … Read more