Once again the tension is high in the Robertson household. Today I arrived home from an interesting meeting with Elaine and John Stephen with one of their award winning Walkodiles on my back.
My husband was completely aghast. “Do children really need to be put in this in order to leave their school?” he demands to know, shaking his head when he saw the contraption. “What is the world coming to?”
His comments are not out of the ordinary. Walkodiles seem to raise debate amongst early years and outdoor professionals. I deliberated long and hard before getting in touch with John and Elaine Stephen who are passionate about their product. It is their baby, having taken years of designing, patents and patience to develop, not to mention a frightening financial outlay.
In theory I am not keen on children being strapped into a gadget to get outdoors. The whole point of being outside is for children to be allowed to run free, enjoy the space and learn to manage the risk. A Curriculum for Excellence frequently refers to children getting to know their local area, both natural and man-made. Walkodiles, by their very nature, seem to go against the ethos of freedom in which I strongly believe.
However, a quote by Yogi Berra, an American baseball play and manager makes a pertinent point: "In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is."
In other words, I need a reality check. Whilst my principles may be wholesome and politically right-on, these do not match the fears and concerns that the majority of pre-school staff have about taking children off-site. I know this from undertaking the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Forest Kindergarten Feasibility Study in Spring 2009. The survey suggests that more than 90% of pre-school staff believe that it was very important or vital for young children to be able to regularly visit woodland or greenspace. Yet only 16% of settings are taking children off-site to their local greenspace on a weekly or more frequent basis. In other words, the actions of staff do not match their beliefs.
So one way forward is to look at ways of addressing the fears and concerns staff have. Provision of suitable outdoor clothing can help mitigate concerns about weather. Straightforward explanations about how to go to the toilet outside or the use of portable potties aids understanding here. Practical games and strategies to reduce the chances of a child getting lost can be taught to staff and children. Thus common sense says that in a setting which is close to very busy roads or where there are very real or perceived fears and concerns about child safety when walking in the local vicinity, then using a Walkodile may make a difference. It’s a solution which may get more children outside more often. Now there’s a thought!
Saturday, 26 September 2009
Friday, 18 September 2009
Turning Passion into Achievement
I’m on the mailing list of Puget Sound Community School. It has about 40 students on its roll and is a combined middle and high school based in Seattle. Along with 200 other people world-wide I’ve signed up to the online kindness class as an experiment. I also get various tidbits of information.
During this past week, the students, staff and volunteers have been organising their Friday sessions. This day is allocated to getting out and about exploring Seattle. To give you an idea, you can sign up for organic gardening, bouldering and Parkour. This has me wondering if this is the only school in the world where Parkour is taught.
What fascinates me is that this school has the philosophy of a Curriculum for Excellence. It lives and breathes the principles of students directing their own learning facilitated by adults who are passionate about what they teach. When I visited 18 months ago, I saw quality lesson after quality lesson. I met young people who truly valued the opportunity to learn. The teenagers attend a school that capitalizes on its community and local environment on a weekly basis, thus debunking the myth that timetabling restricts what a school can offer in terms of outdoor activities. The joy of freedom to live and learn in a community that truly values all who belong.
During this past week, the students, staff and volunteers have been organising their Friday sessions. This day is allocated to getting out and about exploring Seattle. To give you an idea, you can sign up for organic gardening, bouldering and Parkour. This has me wondering if this is the only school in the world where Parkour is taught.
What fascinates me is that this school has the philosophy of a Curriculum for Excellence. It lives and breathes the principles of students directing their own learning facilitated by adults who are passionate about what they teach. When I visited 18 months ago, I saw quality lesson after quality lesson. I met young people who truly valued the opportunity to learn. The teenagers attend a school that capitalizes on its community and local environment on a weekly basis, thus debunking the myth that timetabling restricts what a school can offer in terms of outdoor activities. The joy of freedom to live and learn in a community that truly values all who belong.
Sunday, 13 September 2009
Ambulatory Activities to Go
Ambulatory activities are simply those you can do on the move. Most children are quite happy to walk along and find this is more than enough. They will chat to their friends and comment on what’s happening around them and in their lives However, if you have time on your hands and don’t need the group to walk at a brisk pace then some of these can be fun to introduce to children.
As general rule of thumb, expect walking with a group of children aged 3-5 years old at least twice as long as an adult walking on their own. So a 5-minute walk becomes more than 10 minutes.
With younger children, especially those who have just learned to walk, it can take a long time just to get to the end of a street. The children may be interested in everything: drains, kerbs, grass, stones on the ground. This may well be the focus of your walk rather than a particular destination.
Children take time to build up the stamina to walk a long way at a brisk pace. But do not underestimate their capabilities. Each group is different and experimenting is part of the process. Yesterday I met a lovely nursery teacher in Shetland who had recently climbed a local hill with her nursery class. The children were so pleased that half of them insisted on climbing it again with their parents.
The suggestions below are a small selection from an Early Years Literacy Outdoors course that I’m delivering next week.
1) Try to avoid stepping on the cracks in the pavement. Otherwise a bear might come out!
2) Have a colour walk. See how many different green objects you can see. Talk about the different shades and tones of colours and introduce vocabulary such as light, dark, mid, bottle, pale, etc.
3) Go on a penny walk. At each junction you come to, flip a coin. Heads you turn right, tails you turn left. The fun is seeing where you end up.
4) Pick an object to count and see how many you collect on your journey. Possibilities include:
• Cars
• Fence posts
• Sheep
• Squares or other shapes
• Gates
5) A variation on this game is for a child to silently choose an object to count. Whenever this object is passed the child counts out aloud. The others in the group have to guess what he is counting. With young children start with simple objects such as trees. Then move onto more specific categories such as wooden gates or black cars.
6) Smiles. Every child has to smile the biggest widest nicest smile every time someone passes by.
7) The quiet game. Who can be the quietest the longest? Time the group, if they are very excitable.
8) Safety Spies. The children look out for unsafe behaviour by drivers or pedestrians. It’s important to have a chat about each behaviour identified to clarify the nature of the danger and how to behave appropriately.
9) Questions. Children take it in turns to ask a question to another child. About anything. This can create some interesting discussions.
Friday, 4 September 2009
Primary One Outdoors!
With a Curriculum for Excellence now in place, children in Primary 1 are expected to follow a more traditional nursery curriculum. One of the greatest changes therefore is considering how outdoor play can be integrated into a Primary 1 day. At the very least time outdoors will be a valuable “brain break” for children and staff where the work focus is less intense. Helen Bilton (2002) suggests that children and adults are much more successful if they do have periods of time away from “work”.
Bilton (2002) also states that for outdoor learning to be a successful component of the Primary 1 day there are three key factors:
1) Staff have to believe in the value of outdoor play. Commitment and motivation is required to see this happen. Where there is a will, there is a way.
2) Both the indoor and the outdoor environments have to work simultaneously. Ideally:
• The outdoor space needs to be just outside the classroom.
• The space needs to be fenced. If this is not possible, it may be necessary to create some kind of boundary in the form of a chalk line, or a foldaway fence, or with careful placing of outdoor furniture.
3) The area needs to be well thought out and planned alongside indoor play and in such a way that it is not seen as an area to play in once the work has been done, but as part and parcel of whole learning and teaching setting, otherwise this can lead to behavioural problems.
Some Strategies to Consider
1) If nursery and primary 1 staff work together to plan and implement the early stage curriculum then this can help ensure Primary 1 children have a more play-based approach to learning.
2) Share resources between Primary 1 and Nursery. This could include creative use of staff and volunteers.
3) Remember to let Primary 1 children have lots of access to an outdoor area, preferably on a free flow basis and whatever the weather. This may be shared with the nursery children, if there is enough space. Ensure children have appropriate outdoor clothing.
4) Where space is limited, groups of children from Primary 1 may be able to visit the nursery outdoor area. They can be given specific tasks or activities to complete.
5) Primary 1 may need its own outdoor space. If space is limited, it may be that only part of the curriculum is offered in this area. For example skipping or ball skills development. It may be that the area has to be structured so that it is only for a limited number of children at a time, and offered on a rotational basis, as part of one of the activities for that day. In some schools it may be possible to house two or three activities at a time.
6) Children can be taught how to walk independently from an indoor area to an outdoor space that is not directly connected. This can be done by using arrows or footsteps to mark the way along the corridor. If there are other doors, children can be taught not to enter. The ability to move independently between the areas can be viewed as an acknowledgement for children who can demonstrate responsible behaviour. Rules can be put in place such as going in pairs so that if a child has an accident the other knows where and how to seek assistance.
7) A limited outdoor area can be very effective for imaginative play as it gives children space. This sort of area can have its own resource boxes and equipment with children also being able to access the indoor equipment.
8) It is essential for an adult to work alongside children in the area, observe how they are getting on and assess their learning. Research from Cleave and Brown (1991) found that where there was no adult outside children were less likely to move out of doors.
9) Some children may feel more settled in the outdoor environment and for such children, more formal work can be incorporated into their play outdoors. Outside can also be an area where children can work quietly. Quiet corners can be very difficult to find in a classroom.
10) Periodic reviews and discussions with the children about issues which arise does help minimise behaviour concerns outside.
11) Where possible, ensure that:
• The Primary 1 and Nursery class are close together or next door.
• The Primary 1 class has direct access to an outdoor space
• Timetabling use of the school grounds to ensure Primary 1 has daily access, if a designated outdoor space is not possible.
12) EXPERIMENT. Try different things until you get a system in place which works in your setting, with your children and early years staff. Give yourself lots of time to build up routines – at least 3 months. Be positive and remember the sayings:
• “Never worry about falling flat on your face. At least you are moving forward.”
• “Experience is the toughest teacher. She gives the test first and the lessons come later.”
References
Bilton, H. (2002) Outdoor Play in the Early Years David Fulton Publishers ISBN 1-85346-952-1
Cleave, S. and Brown, S. (1991) Early to School. Four Year Olds in Infant Classes Windsor: NFER_Nelson Publishing
Bilton (2002) also states that for outdoor learning to be a successful component of the Primary 1 day there are three key factors:
1) Staff have to believe in the value of outdoor play. Commitment and motivation is required to see this happen. Where there is a will, there is a way.
2) Both the indoor and the outdoor environments have to work simultaneously. Ideally:
• The outdoor space needs to be just outside the classroom.
• The space needs to be fenced. If this is not possible, it may be necessary to create some kind of boundary in the form of a chalk line, or a foldaway fence, or with careful placing of outdoor furniture.
3) The area needs to be well thought out and planned alongside indoor play and in such a way that it is not seen as an area to play in once the work has been done, but as part and parcel of whole learning and teaching setting, otherwise this can lead to behavioural problems.
Some Strategies to Consider
1) If nursery and primary 1 staff work together to plan and implement the early stage curriculum then this can help ensure Primary 1 children have a more play-based approach to learning.
2) Share resources between Primary 1 and Nursery. This could include creative use of staff and volunteers.
3) Remember to let Primary 1 children have lots of access to an outdoor area, preferably on a free flow basis and whatever the weather. This may be shared with the nursery children, if there is enough space. Ensure children have appropriate outdoor clothing.
4) Where space is limited, groups of children from Primary 1 may be able to visit the nursery outdoor area. They can be given specific tasks or activities to complete.
5) Primary 1 may need its own outdoor space. If space is limited, it may be that only part of the curriculum is offered in this area. For example skipping or ball skills development. It may be that the area has to be structured so that it is only for a limited number of children at a time, and offered on a rotational basis, as part of one of the activities for that day. In some schools it may be possible to house two or three activities at a time.
6) Children can be taught how to walk independently from an indoor area to an outdoor space that is not directly connected. This can be done by using arrows or footsteps to mark the way along the corridor. If there are other doors, children can be taught not to enter. The ability to move independently between the areas can be viewed as an acknowledgement for children who can demonstrate responsible behaviour. Rules can be put in place such as going in pairs so that if a child has an accident the other knows where and how to seek assistance.
7) A limited outdoor area can be very effective for imaginative play as it gives children space. This sort of area can have its own resource boxes and equipment with children also being able to access the indoor equipment.
8) It is essential for an adult to work alongside children in the area, observe how they are getting on and assess their learning. Research from Cleave and Brown (1991) found that where there was no adult outside children were less likely to move out of doors.
9) Some children may feel more settled in the outdoor environment and for such children, more formal work can be incorporated into their play outdoors. Outside can also be an area where children can work quietly. Quiet corners can be very difficult to find in a classroom.
10) Periodic reviews and discussions with the children about issues which arise does help minimise behaviour concerns outside.
11) Where possible, ensure that:
• The Primary 1 and Nursery class are close together or next door.
• The Primary 1 class has direct access to an outdoor space
• Timetabling use of the school grounds to ensure Primary 1 has daily access, if a designated outdoor space is not possible.
12) EXPERIMENT. Try different things until you get a system in place which works in your setting, with your children and early years staff. Give yourself lots of time to build up routines – at least 3 months. Be positive and remember the sayings:
• “Never worry about falling flat on your face. At least you are moving forward.”
• “Experience is the toughest teacher. She gives the test first and the lessons come later.”
References
Bilton, H. (2002) Outdoor Play in the Early Years David Fulton Publishers ISBN 1-85346-952-1
Cleave, S. and Brown, S. (1991) Early to School. Four Year Olds in Infant Classes Windsor: NFER_Nelson Publishing
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