I love everything you say here, Suzanne and it's why I do education outside all the time. Lots of room for play, freedom, and creativity. And, nature is full of provocations that are not scripted and produced by adults.
exactly - if we create spaces with limited options, and limit the way children are allowed to use the stuff, or how many children are allowed to play or whatever... and if we have a heap of expectations to reach very specific goals where a child is punished with low grades etc then we are limiting creativity - and as I write this now I realise that maybe it is the lack of being able to be creative that is the birthplace of boredom?
nature can offer many options - and mixing indoor stuff with the outdoors, and outdoor stuff with the indoors we can increase possibilities
As a child the outdoors was too much for me to be in all of the time... I spent most of my play outside - but also a large chunk indoors - because when I daydreamed it was less overwhelming and safer, and when I was doing art it was more predictable and less frustrating - so energy wasn't wasted on that but could be dedicated to creating (rather than uneven surfaces; bugs landing on the paper, paper flapping etc). I know this is probably due to my autism - but it has made me very aware that it's not about being outside or inside - it is about ensuring children feel empowered, creative, can move their bodies, interact with the world and develop a good relationship with others, human and the more than human. If that can be done just outside, then I am fine with it... one of the things i love about the Swedish outdoor learning settings (I Ur och Skur) is that their vision is to foster a love of the outdoors and nature - and that sometimes that is best done indoors... but once that love is there, most of the time is outdoors because that is where the children want to be, with the just some small times here and there indoors to maintain that positive relationship. (this was from the first official outdoor preschools set up in Sweden)
and I love that nature does not allow the adult to fully control the script... probably why so many schools barely go outside!!
FYI, I'm audiHD.... And claustrophobic especially around people. That's probably part of why I emphasize being outside so much. My motto is that learning should feel like playing in a forest rather than working in a factory. I agree with you that it doesn't have to actually be in a forest all the time, just has to feel like playing in a forest.
Given that, I think that western civilization is in a state of collapse and that living at harmony with the rest of our ecosystems will be necessary for the survival of the human race, I put a big emphasis on helping kids learn how to live in harmony with the rest of our ecosystems.
My vitamin for breakfast
I love everything you say here, Suzanne and it's why I do education outside all the time. Lots of room for play, freedom, and creativity. And, nature is full of provocations that are not scripted and produced by adults.
exactly - if we create spaces with limited options, and limit the way children are allowed to use the stuff, or how many children are allowed to play or whatever... and if we have a heap of expectations to reach very specific goals where a child is punished with low grades etc then we are limiting creativity - and as I write this now I realise that maybe it is the lack of being able to be creative that is the birthplace of boredom?
nature can offer many options - and mixing indoor stuff with the outdoors, and outdoor stuff with the indoors we can increase possibilities
As a child the outdoors was too much for me to be in all of the time... I spent most of my play outside - but also a large chunk indoors - because when I daydreamed it was less overwhelming and safer, and when I was doing art it was more predictable and less frustrating - so energy wasn't wasted on that but could be dedicated to creating (rather than uneven surfaces; bugs landing on the paper, paper flapping etc). I know this is probably due to my autism - but it has made me very aware that it's not about being outside or inside - it is about ensuring children feel empowered, creative, can move their bodies, interact with the world and develop a good relationship with others, human and the more than human. If that can be done just outside, then I am fine with it... one of the things i love about the Swedish outdoor learning settings (I Ur och Skur) is that their vision is to foster a love of the outdoors and nature - and that sometimes that is best done indoors... but once that love is there, most of the time is outdoors because that is where the children want to be, with the just some small times here and there indoors to maintain that positive relationship. (this was from the first official outdoor preschools set up in Sweden)
and I love that nature does not allow the adult to fully control the script... probably why so many schools barely go outside!!
FYI, I'm audiHD.... And claustrophobic especially around people. That's probably part of why I emphasize being outside so much. My motto is that learning should feel like playing in a forest rather than working in a factory. I agree with you that it doesn't have to actually be in a forest all the time, just has to feel like playing in a forest.
Given that, I think that western civilization is in a state of collapse and that living at harmony with the rest of our ecosystems will be necessary for the survival of the human race, I put a big emphasis on helping kids learn how to live in harmony with the rest of our ecosystems.
I so agree with this... we have been living out of balance for far too long - and re-finding balance is going to take a lot of unlearning
100% agree