Day 5 - Nature Education Study Tour - Fowlis Wester/ Auchlone, Crieff - Scotland

After a weekend of exploring the natural and man-made elements of Edinburgh, Dunblane and Stirling by train and on foot, the tour group arrived in Crieff ready for 3 days of nature pedagogy and inspiration.

 Edinburgh

Crieff 

 Guess what season it is???

                                      'DON'T TEACH ABOUT NATURE - LEARN WITH NATURE" 

                                                                Claire Warden, 2013

                                                                                

A brisk morning in Crieff, Scotland saw us set off in Glen's bus loaded with warm bits of clothing and open minds - to a little village named Fowlis Wester. Surrounded in a plethora of open ended play areas where the natural environment invites you to investigate and explore - was a little and very old 'cottage'. Here Claire imparted information about the background of her vision and value system embedded in Mindstretchers model of nature pedagogy. Where to start and what to include in this blog leaves me with a huge dilemma. Please consider that this to be a snapshot of my experience and I implore people to visit Claire's website for more information. 

Although we need no convincing about the value of natural play spaces. Today we were challenged by discussions around the curriculum activity 'zoning' that happens in centres where specific areas are set up for specific learning outcomes.  For nature education to be embedded children must have the opportunity to experience natural elements throughout all spaces - Inside, outside, beyond and it must be understood that when children explore nature - each experience is multifacetted and potentially offers a variety of learning outcomes including science, maths, literacy, language, music. Claire reiterated that educators, families and regulators have to also understand that developing children's learning dispositions such as motivation, curiosity, perseverance and confidence is of utmost importance to life long learning and that children's intrinsic connections to nature will provide the environment for these to occur.  AS educators we need to make this learning visible to parents and regulators. 

 

Kate gives us a geography lesson!

So...... some clarity of vision and values around nature play spaces and connections to education.

Nature ... A place for relationships to develop.

A place where there is a sense of community with family - (share the journey with families - parent classes may include 'the potential of a rucksack')

A place where ALL the environments give the same core message all year round. Resources need to be in all areas - stones, tools, wood.

 Auchlone Nature Kindergarten - 

A place where there is a connection to real landscapes around the children.

Children are able to create links in their learning within the cultural space they live in. (Vygotsky)

A place that encourages connected thinking. CONNECTIVITY!

A place that allows you time to think.

A place where confidence and emotional resilience flourishes naturally.

A place where there are meaningful connections to home .

Nature - freedom.

The pictures tell SOME of my story today....but will never catch the beauty....

Tools anyone? 

 Fire House - risk assessment, tool safety - then -wittling skills, fire making, charcoal making -then -popcorn, bread and marshmellows!

 See the mathematics in stick collecting?

 Dens, ropes.

 Playing with sunshine and shadows

 

 The Dark Wood provides a visual boundary.

 Bread - chocolate or Sundried tomato - mix it in a glad bag, heat it up against your chest, wrap around the hollow bamboo and bake over the coals you've made in your fire!

 

 Fallen logs - the possibilities for learniNG!

 Ropes and swings, undulating and varieties of surfaces - challenges for children's proprioception and vestibular systems - beats metal climbing frames anyday.

 Pixies and fairies live here?

 There is no such thing as bad weather - only bad clothing.

 Pack up time  - gather your tools. BATHTME!

Day 4 - Edinburgh - Cowgate Children's Centre

Quote of the day -aim for 'UNIQUENESS NOT SAMENESS' when working with young children.

Hello from Dunblane, Scotland. Today we travelled once again in a noisy bus ( teachers tend not to be shy and retiring) into the heart of Edinburgh's city centre. We met Lian (Cowgate Children's Centre) at the top of what turns out to be many sets of steps in Edinburgh.  She took us to the centres little plot of forest where the children unlock the gate and walk through this little plot to forage, build, discover, explore, ponder, grow frogs, feed birds,theorise and play as part of their learning. This is the first sign of the centres strong association with the principles of Froebel ( German founder of 'Kindergartens' -children's garden.) His vision was for children to be nurtured in unity with nature as free, active, feeling and thinking human beings who should be cared for "as individual as every seed and flower in order to flourish." In this forest space, the educators work alongside the children to question and discover the answers for themselves without overteaching but to inspire children to search for their own answers. Eg Lian told us of a child who wanted to know what wind was but instead of being given the answer she was asked what she thought - "Well" she said "I think it's strong air" and for the rest of the time in the forest she watched the wind. It is not for us to always give the answer because the children's theories are much more important.

          

Next door amongst the dense urban environment  there lies a tiny plot of land which houses a little gem of a children's centre. We were led down a little laneway by Lian to a small door surrounded by other doorways where people haggle for any space they can. 

Upstairs we entered the most delightful spaces full of opportunities for children to play in nature. I cannot begin to describe nor give credit to the ambience nor the variety of connections to nature that the staff have created both indoors and outdoors. Outdoors -The most creative spaces unraveled before us on what used to be a big piece of asphalt. Again, diverse nooks and crannies everywhere for children to stumble across driven by their own curiosity, creativity and energy. Gardens to nurture, places to hide, cubbies, thrones, music, rope swings, plants and trees for their imaginations and physical exploration. No more whinging back in Australia - no space is too small.

The photographs really do not do the outdoor spaces justice and I wish I could capture the serenity and beauty of the garden. Sorry.

PS Today I saw the biggest land snails in the world and a child said to me " I spose you have these where you come from" (in the broadest of Scottish accents). I replied "What do you think?" She replied "Do you come from a special place?" I responded with a yes and so she replied "Well of course you would then!" Precious - if I had given her a straight 'Yes' - I would have missed out on the chance to hear something priceless.

The day finished with a half pint at a local bar and a few tartan souvenirs in my bag and then back on the noisy bus.

Have a good weekend! 

Angela from the UK.

Photos from Pen Green, Corby UK- Not that they do the centre any justice!!!

Day 2 - Pen Green Children's Centre - Inspirational early years education.

The tour group spent the whole day at Pen Green CC prior to travelling to Durham in East England. We were overwhelmed by the generosity, professionalism and exemplary programs delivered to the families of Corby. The centre is reknown for it's research centre, training for ec teams, facilities for its families, governing bodies, children and communities. The spaces throughout the centre were simply engaging in every possible way adn heavily influenced by the ethos of the pedagogy of nature and play, listening to children's voices and choices and documenting children's progression through the work of Ferre Laevers. The following photos are only a few of the spaces we visited. We have been asked to be very careful not to photograph children - which I would have loved to do to record their absolute engagement throughout. The transience of children being able to access the curriculum all day, extending their learning pathways inside, outside and beyond was absolutely obvious to all of us.  Inside -  Learning spaces include a water play room - the whole room is dedicated to water play with showers, troughs, taps, hoses etc. A Soft Play room which is completely padded from floor to ceiling with purpose built padded shapes, inside sandpits, inside gardens, room after room of opportunities for children to stumble over natural fabrics, elements of nature collections , a tower to climb and observe nature outdoors ----then outside was the adventure garden with mud kitchen, flying fox, waterways, tunnels, nooks and crannies, contemplation areas, bridges, natural cubbies, flower and vegetable gardens, chooks , dress ups everywhere, implements and tools etc. THEN, the children are taken to the centres forest plot once a week for the day to explore their wonderings - equipped with tools, ropes, buckets, wood, magnifying glasses, twine floorbooks......all the while documenting their own learning in Floorbooks, photographed by their educators for reflection, pondering and sharing with families through their very own "Celebration of learning' books.
An exhausted and overwhelmed group of Australians slept through the 3 1/2 hour bus trip to follow but with plenty to think about!

Nature Pedagogy - Day 1. London to Corby, Midlands, England with Claire Warden

Tuesday 29th Oct

Today delegates from around Australia like little children followed Claire to St Pancras to catch the train to the English Midlands for our first stopover on tour. 

After arriving in Corby, we got straight to work establishing an understanding around the variety of settings that we all work in across Australia- presenting our backgrounds and 'bag of challenges' within our site context. Claire led us through a course of discussion topics including a true model of Nature Pedagogy. Essentially, she is saying that within any diagram of nature pedagogy practice educators should be thinking intentionally about how children's learning pathways can be extended into all 3 environments ( inside the centre, outside and beyond). Plans derived from a child's interest should include a variety of  learning experiences extending into all 3 areas. With this in mind we have been asked to consider the degree of flexibility within our settings that allows children to use all 3 spaces all day, whether resources are open ended to be used anywhere throughout these spaces and how much uninterrupted time is available for children to access the curriculum and pursue their wonderings all day. As educators we must think about whether we interact as provokers of learning where we introduce new possibilities all day, knowing when to step back ..... or do we merely 'supervise' and control children's learning pathways. Mmmmmm.

Early Childhood UK Nature School Study Tour

Finally! - A year after the SA Public Teaching Awards - my opportunity to visit the nature schools in the Uk has become a reality. Through her thorough planning and organisation, Virginia Barter from DECD Workforce Development has enabled me to land in London to join other Australian early childhood education delegates in a once in a lifetime professional development experience. After a lengthy flight from Adelaide, a change of attire into warm clothing and a few orientation walks I finally get to meet the teams and delegates.  Tomorrow we all begin an intense study tour of high quality early childhood nature education settings starting off in London, England and making our way up to Dunblane, Scotland. 

The tour is a collaborative venture organised by Inspired EC in Australia  (http://www.inspiredec.com)  and Mindstretchers in the UK (http://mindstretchers.com).

The itinerary over the next 10 days includes observations of experiential naturalistic education, learning about the ethos of key nature schools staff and centres, listening to Folklore stories and cultural connections to nature, understanding the English and Scottish curriculum planning, methodology and assessment strategies and the links to the Early Years Learning Framework of Australia.

So..... 

Tuesday 29th Oct: we travel to Corby/Kettering in central England.

Wednesday 30th Oct: we visit Pen Green Children's Centre. Travel by bus for 3 hours to Durham, East England. 

Thursday 31st Oct: we visit Bolden Nursery School, Tyne and Wear. Travel for 3 1/2 hours by bus to Dunblane, Scotland.

Friday 1st Nov: Visit Cowgate Children's Centre, Edinburgh and Forest School. Return to Dunblane.

Sat 2nd Nov: Dunblane.

Sun 3rd Nov: Travel to Crieff, Scotland.

Monday 4th Nov: With rubber boots on feet - Visit Fowlis Wester nature training and education centre and Auchlone Nature Kindergarten. Here we will meet Claire Warden - founder of Mindstretchers and Nature Education centres in UK. 

Tuesday 5th Nov: Again with rubber boots on feet - Visit the Scottish Crannog Centre, Kenmore. 

Wednesday 6th Nov; Back to Fowlis Wester for practical workshops and discussions about the links between EYLF and our observations from previous days in the UK. 

Thursday 7th Nov: Travel to Edinburgh Airport to catch flights to London and back to Australia. 

It has been very interesting browsing and researching the early childhood curriculum used in the UK and comparing the strategies with those we embrace using EYLF in Australia. For your interest the following links have been provided to the tour delegates here in the UK:

http://www.gov.uk/early-years-foundation-stage

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Schools/curriculum/ACE

I hope someone will find my journey interesting and follow my blog as I indulge into my favourite pastime: discovering nature with children.

Angela in England.