Bringing nature inside
The outdoor environment has an abundance of development and learning potential for children. Natural parts of the environment can be the classroom, a natural way for children to discover the world around them. Being surrounded by greenery helps children identify with nature, boosts physical and mental health, and helps children gain self-confidence and respect for the world around them. The following shows an example of how outdoor elements can be presented indoors to create a space that is inviting, stimulating and evokes curiosity. This space became our planting station where our Kindergarten children could take care and tend to their plants.
A Montessori approach
Maria Montessori felt that children learn through real work and advocated for child-sized tools for use in the classroom. She was an advocate of beautiful spaces for children and saw the outdoor inspired environments as a place that naturally stimulated the senses. She noted that natural settings invigorate children’s senses, and gardening results in many rich learning opportunities for children because it allows children to choose their work based on their interests. Montessori believed that proper physical and psychological development could only come from immersion in nature, and that children should be given large blocks of open-ended time to experience and engage with the world around them. When teachers consciously make an effort to allow children to demonstrate their competence and use real tools in their explorations, true learning can take place and connections with the environment can be established.
Froebels perspective
In Froebel’s kindergarten, every child was given a small plot of land in which they could plant and garden goods to benefit society. Froebel’s kindergarten was both a garden of, and a garden for, children, with an emphasis placed on child initiation of activities and learning through real experiences. In addition, children took part in daily excursions into the farms, fields, and forests surrounding them, affording them the opportunity to both experience and form a connection with nature. These connections to the natural world promoted holistic development in the form of play, which Froebel saw as children’s work.
By allowing children to plant and develop their own gardens, as well as by allowing children countless experiences within their natural environment, both Montessori and Froebel awarded children the opportunity to develop initiative, trusting children to take their learning and experiences into their own hands.
There are numerous benefits of contact with nature for children including cognitive development, social/emotional development (including the development of autonomy), and physical development, assisting children in managing stress, and facilitating the development of an environmental ethic. In my reflection, I have noticed that my children displayed more positive responses, increased their concentration, engagement, focus, and perseverance, and were more cooperative with peers when engaged in child-initiated learning within this space. If we are to teach children how to save the world, we must first teach them how to love it. Education should be approached in a way that develops children’s academic and social competencies while simultaneously fostering their love for the earth.
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