Outdoor Learning and Risky Play
Reading Chapter 14: There Are Relationships beyond the Classroom: A Nature Kindergarten written by Enid Elliot was filled with a lot of content that I found personally aligns with some of my views and kinds of approaches I would like to engage my future students in as a Teacher. There were five guiding principles discussed as the core of a nature kindergarten located in Sooke; Environmental stewardship, environment as second teachers, collaborative learning as a community member, physical and mental health, and Aboriginal ways of knowing/local traditional knowledge. I think that these values are beneficial to foster in young children because they entail engagement with the outside world with a hands-on approach that I believe can support children's development in all spheres.
As an educator, I definitely plan to have outdoor learning opportunities be available to my students if possible. I believe that allowing young children the chance to learn through experiences guided by environmental stewardship and environment as a second teacher, can lead to promoting a sense of connectedness to the world we live in, our place in it, as well as a deeper appreciation and desire to care for it. These are worthwhile qualities to promote. I also think collaborative learning as a community member is something that can and should be supported, regardless of outdoor or indoor learning, because it strengthens the idea that community is important and of value just as much as our participation in it.
Continuing research also suggests many physical and mental health benefits of being outdoors and in natural environments. I feel that it’s important for educators, parents and caregivers to take this information into consideration when creating lesson plans and caring for young childrens needs. I also believe that supporting outdoor risky play is extremely beneficial for childrens ability to learn how to access risk through autonomous engagement with it, as well as allowing them the opportunity to develop trusting their abilities and a sense of comfort within their bodies. Aside from my beleif in the benefits I think risky play provides, being a caregiver and supporting the children with experiences to engage in it, I have memories of positive benefits observed from it. Mariana Brussoni is a reaseracher at UBC focusing on child injury prevention and developmental importance of children’s risky play. Dr.Brussoni and her team of researchers collaborated with the Digitial Lab at BC Children’s Hospital to develop a website called outsideplay.ca to help educators, parents and caregivers gain skills and confidence to support childrens outdoor play. This could be a great tool to recommend to parents and caregivers as an educator and for educators who are nervous and unsure about bringing learning outdoors. Something that Dr. Brussoni brings up in her research that I like to think about and will continue to hold onto as a compass through my working with children, is to seek optimal strategies for keeping children “as safe as necessary,” not “as safe as possible”. As an Educator, I strive to be a pillar of support for children to lean on as they need my help, while allowing them to engage in developmentally beneficial activities that grant them opportunities to learn for themselves.
