BENEFITS OF OUTDOOR LEARNING
by Natalie Gafford (2017)
What are your earliest memories? Think back to when you were a child and playing with your friends. In those memories, are you playing outside, or sitting at a desk in a classroom?
When we decided to set up Wigwam, this is exactly where we started - we wanted to recreate the happy memories we had of our own childhoods. The more we remembered, the more we realised that nearly all of our memories were of being outside; nature walks, playing in the Autumn leaves, having picnics and visiting farms.
When we asked friends and family for their thoughts, we kept finding the same thing - floods of positive memories in outdoor environments, and only a handful of memories of being indoors.
Being outdoors in natural light and fresh air allows us to use all our senses to engage in the world around us; we listen, we see, we feel, we smell - and this gives us so many more ways to remember.
We have time and again observed children's attraction to the space and freedom provided by outside spaces; environments where they can move around without restriction, and where opportunities to practice and master their gross and fine motor skills are unlimited; Where imaginative play is purely reliant on a child's own creativity rather than prescribed by equipment and resources.
A recent survey by Persil found that three out of four children in the UK play outside for an hour or less on average a day'(Persil, 2016). This is less than the UN daily recommended outdoor exercise time for prisoners!
In 2012 the National Trust released the Natural Childhood Report, claiming that the UK is experiencing a 'Nature Deficit Disorder' .
It is interesting to note is that while the UK falls to 32nd position on the World Happiness Report, Scandanavian countries claim the very highest marks (The World Happiness Report, 2016).
The PISA Scale (Programme For International Student Assessment) also shows the UK falling below the vast proportion of European countries in academic achievement - again with Scandinavian countries having remained at the top of Europe's ranking for 16 years (Lopez, A 2012)
We are pretty certain of the correlation between the Nature Deficit Disorder, Academic Achievement, and Social and Emotional resilience.
by Natalie Gafford (2017)
What are your earliest memories? Think back to when you were a child and playing with your friends. In those memories, are you playing outside, or sitting at a desk in a classroom?
When we decided to set up Wigwam, this is exactly where we started - we wanted to recreate the happy memories we had of our own childhoods. The more we remembered, the more we realised that nearly all of our memories were of being outside; nature walks, playing in the Autumn leaves, having picnics and visiting farms.
When we asked friends and family for their thoughts, we kept finding the same thing - floods of positive memories in outdoor environments, and only a handful of memories of being indoors.
Being outdoors in natural light and fresh air allows us to use all our senses to engage in the world around us; we listen, we see, we feel, we smell - and this gives us so many more ways to remember.
We have time and again observed children's attraction to the space and freedom provided by outside spaces; environments where they can move around without restriction, and where opportunities to practice and master their gross and fine motor skills are unlimited; Where imaginative play is purely reliant on a child's own creativity rather than prescribed by equipment and resources.
A recent survey by Persil found that three out of four children in the UK play outside for an hour or less on average a day'(Persil, 2016). This is less than the UN daily recommended outdoor exercise time for prisoners!
In 2012 the National Trust released the Natural Childhood Report, claiming that the UK is experiencing a 'Nature Deficit Disorder' .
It is interesting to note is that while the UK falls to 32nd position on the World Happiness Report, Scandanavian countries claim the very highest marks (The World Happiness Report, 2016).
The PISA Scale (Programme For International Student Assessment) also shows the UK falling below the vast proportion of European countries in academic achievement - again with Scandinavian countries having remained at the top of Europe's ranking for 16 years (Lopez, A 2012)
We are pretty certain of the correlation between the Nature Deficit Disorder, Academic Achievement, and Social and Emotional resilience.
SO HOW DO SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES APPROACH EARLY YEARS EDUCATION?
Scandinavian countries place great value on outdoor based play, it is recognised as essential and the underpinning for later learning.
The Scandinavian education system bases their learning around direct experiences in the natural world. The Norwegians call this Friluftsliv (fir-loofas-live) meaning 'free air life'. Put simply - time to play outside.
During the 20th century, friluftsliv became educational policy for Norway and it's neighbours.
Scandinavian countries place great value on outdoor based play, it is recognised as essential and the underpinning for later learning.
The Scandinavian education system bases their learning around direct experiences in the natural world. The Norwegians call this Friluftsliv (fir-loofas-live) meaning 'free air life'. Put simply - time to play outside.
During the 20th century, friluftsliv became educational policy for Norway and it's neighbours.
OUR APPROACH
Wigwam is based on the principles of Scandinavian outdoor learning. Working within natural spaces where children are encouraged to challenge themselves to appropriate risk, explore and discover the world around them and develop meaningful friendships. We believe that children enjoy learning best when they are making the most of their own ‘Free Air Life’.
Wigwam is based on the principles of Scandinavian outdoor learning. Working within natural spaces where children are encouraged to challenge themselves to appropriate risk, explore and discover the world around them and develop meaningful friendships. We believe that children enjoy learning best when they are making the most of their own ‘Free Air Life’.
FURTHER READING
Last Child in the Woods; Saving our children from the Nature Deficit Disorder - By Richard Louv
No Fear: Growing up in a Risk Adverse Society- Tim Gill
Toxic Childhood - Sue Palmer
www.forestschoolassociation.org/what-is-forest-school/
www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2012/apr/09/finish-school-system
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lopez, A, 2012
www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2012/apr/09/finish-school-system
Compulsory school age in Europe, 2014/2015
eacea.ec.europa.eu/Education/eurydice/documents/facts_and_figures/compulsory_education_EN.pdf
PISA, 2012
https://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012-results-overview.pdf
Shonstrom, E 2014
http://www.childrenandnature.org/2014/05/19/what-the-finns-know-friluftsliv-gets-big-results-in-finlands-schools/
Persil 2016
https://www.persil.co.uk/why-dirt-is-good/
National Trust, 2012
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/documents/read-our-natural-childhood-report.pdf
Harrington, D 2016
www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/25/three-quarters-of-uk-children-spend-less-time-outdoors-than-prison-inmates-survey
The World Happiness Report, 2016, pg20
https://templatearchive.com/world-happiness-report/
Lopez, A, 2012
www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2012/apr/09/finish-school-system
Compulsory school age in Europe, 2014/2015
eacea.ec.europa.eu/Education/eurydice/documents/facts_and_figures/compulsory_education_EN.pdf
PISA, 2012
https://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012-results-overview.pdf
Shonstrom, E 2014
http://www.childrenandnature.org/2014/05/19/what-the-finns-know-friluftsliv-gets-big-results-in-finlands-schools/
Persil 2016
https://www.persil.co.uk/why-dirt-is-good/
National Trust, 2012
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/documents/read-our-natural-childhood-report.pdf
Harrington, D 2016
www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/25/three-quarters-of-uk-children-spend-less-time-outdoors-than-prison-inmates-survey
The World Happiness Report, 2016, pg20
https://templatearchive.com/world-happiness-report/