Jess Gardiner and Kathy McKrill, Bush Kids, Eaton, WA, Australia
At Bush Kids, Eaton, we have an Outdoor Classroom. Its title fits as it provides endless opportunities for learning for children. Our Outdoor Classroom is programmed for and designed with purpose and intent to promote inquiry and exploration for children just like an indoor classroom.
When we first created our Outdoor Classroom, it was an opportunity to utilize a place that was not being used- a vacant space attached to our Centre behind our Centre shed, that was mostly a large mound of built-up sand and dirt. The space has evolved throughout time and reflects the process and journey that we as a Centre have undertaken. It reflects how our own understandings and beliefs have evolved through research, professional development, observation, lots of critical reflection and seeing the benefits and feeling the benefits ourselves.
The space originally began with the dirt being leveled out, a patch of concrete being added for ball sports and some very simple garden added- a Grape Vine, and two Apple Trees. It then became a gathering space where we could have campfires with the children. One evening, our families came and chopped wood, set up little logs for the children to sit on, gathered water and sand in containers to extinguish our fires, bagged marshmallows and prepared a campfire environment for our children. I feel this was an important steppingstone for our team, in that it was the first time we really began to see the effect this space had on the children and educators. We would have campfires and sit for hours, singing songs, cooking, telling stories, and conversing with one another. It was amazing to see that the children could stay so focused and engaged in something for such a long period of time. The children appeared relaxed, happy, and content.
As our beliefs about children’s learning changed and developed our vision and potential for the Outdoor Classroom developed. It was an opportunity to create engaging outdoor play environments where children could have adventures and experience what “childhood” should look like- climbing trees, jumping in muddy puddles, building cubbies, going on treasure hunts, constructing, and engaging in dramatic play and telling stories- with fairies, dinosaurs, and many other wonderful elements of fantasy play.
With these changes, our role as educators changed. Our role was still to facilitate and scaffold the children’s learning, to be co-learners, however an important aspect of our role has become about being able to advocate for children to be able to have this experience, to be able to experience joy, nature, and “childhood” experiences.
Over time our Outdoor Classroom has developed into a space that has a “creek”, campfires, vegetable gardens, mud kitchens, gathering spaces, small world dramatic play environments and loose parts environments. There are places to get wet and places to stay dry – places to engage with others and places to be alone.
The Outdoor Classroom provides ample opportunities for learning and the skills that children can learn from the indoors they can learn from the outdoors. That has well and truly been evident over the years and is evident throughout our documentation. What I would like to write about though and share with people is something that is actually very hard to put into words- because it is a “feeling”. It is the feeling, and the essence of the space and how it has a positive impact on the wellbeing of our children and educators.
What this space has offered us is something so valuable- it has provided a sanctuary. There is an essence of calmness and tranquility in this space that is soaked up by the children and educators and leaves you with a feeling of contentment.
As an educator I have found myself reflecting on what makes this space special and so calming:
Is it that there are no clocks- dictating time, in a fast-paced life, where there is so much expectation? Or is it that once we enter this space there is limited movement of extra people around, limited transitions, no phones ringing and therefore it allows for mindfulness as you can be truly present and in the moment. I think for the children and Educators at our Service, the Outdoor Classroom seems to calm and clear the mind, as you focus on the outdoors and your senses are all engaged by nature you can focus on the present and it’s like taking a break.
Is it the ability for the body to ground itself? One of my favourite things to do is to walk barefoot and feel the firm surface beneath my feet, the sand between my toes, the rocky surfaces, and the water around my ankles as I wade through the creek. Throughout the years of visiting our Outdoor Classroom I have noted the effect of the outdoors on the children, in particular children who have had additional needs. Our Creek has provided a comfort with a couple of children who have been diagnosed with Autism- as they have immersed their bodies in the water and have sat in the water for the whole of their Outdoor Classroom time- calm and content. Nature engages all the senses in a way that the indoors can’t.
Is it the natural ventilation, the breeze on your face, the sunlight, and the benefits of natural light such as Vitamin D exposure for children and educators? Is it being able to experience and be amongst the natural elements- the joy that rain brings, through dancing in it and jumping in the puddles, collecting it and even the children as they try to capture it by poking out their tongues to lick the rain? In our Outdoor Classroom we have also offered rest time and it is fascinating to see how quickly children have fallen asleep whilst being able to sleep outdoors. I have also noted that after being in this space the children seem more relaxed and fall asleep quicker and appear to sleep longer and more peacefully.
Is it the success and joy experienced at new discoveries, mastering new skills, being immersed amongst nature in its true form? The Outdoor Classroom provides learning opportunities in an open-ended way, through play (children’s natural way of learning). Open ended learning and play allow the children to experience success, which develops positive self-esteem and nurtures their confidence. In the Outdoor Classroom you are witness to many successes for children- their first time successfully climbing a tree, when they discover a new insect or bug, when something has grown in our Vegetable Garden, and observing new changes brought about by the changing seasons- leaves falling from the trees, flowers blooming, dry sand becoming wet sand. As an educator I have had so many rewarding experiences myself as I have learnt new skills in the Outdoor Classroom such as striking a fire steel to ignite a flame to start a fire, growing our Zucchinis and then many other vegetables and being able to incorporate them into our cooking, using new tools such as Whittling Tools and being able to witness children’s own magical moments.
Is it the opportunity to be active and release the endorphins?
Is it that you can find your own space to just be? It does not feel as though you are boxed in by walls – the sky is the ceiling. There are gardens to hide amongst, trees to sit under, and cubbies to play in.
Is it going back to our roots to a simpler way of being? It seems natural to be outdoors, it’s not false. As my own knowledge has developed regarding sustainability, I have seen the connections and the holisticness of how culture, the land and sustainability intertwine. The Aboriginal people were nomadic and lived off the land, they only used what they needed, and they cared for the land- in essence sustainability. Therefore, by connecting to the land and reaping the benefits of what the land provides for us we can sustain ourselves too. In our Outdoor Classroom I see the children connecting with nature- using natural media such as charcoal from our fires, creating paints such as from the juice of our Beetroots, and they nourish their bodies by picking an apple off the apple tree and finding a quiet space to eat it. When the children are tired or hot, they find a tree to sit under or a cubby, or they go and sit in the creek. The children can sustain themselves and look after their own wellbeing through connecting to the nature in our Outdoor Classroom.
Is it because the outdoors sustains our wellness by allowing us to move at our own pace? The Outdoor Classroom assists us to manage our own needs – I’m hungry-I eat, I’m hot – I find a shady spot, I’m tired – I can find a place to be by myself. This I believe supports self-regulation both in mind and body, and therefore the ability to manage feelings and emotions. Perhaps this why there are very few behavioral issues in this space because the child (and the adult) is in control of themselves, calm and mindful. We are exploring these ideas through the experiences we are offering now. Our experiences are purposeful and planned with intent including offering music, natural cubbies to seek refuge, and planting medicinal herbs that support wellbeing, and minimizing anxiety and stress.
Our Outdoor Classroom is a valuable part of our Centre. We believe it strives to meet the holistic needs of both child and adult. It continues to evolve and accommodate the changing needs of the times. If we can impart this outdoor experience to the benefit of one person, then we have truly succeeded!
Niki’s Reflection:
Over the past ten years I have had the privilege of working with Kathy and Jess, experiencing first hand the process of reflection and developing an exceptional space that constantly evolves as educators identify and respond to children’s needs. After they identified sensorial large-scale water play as important for children’s wellbeing, for example, what was initially a large black plastic sheet was replaced by what became a much loved large, shallow concrete pond. At the end of each day, the children help to drain the pond by watering the plants in the garden.
This space offers something so valuable at a time when so many children and educators are struggling – a sanctuary as the educators describe it. All children, including neurodiverse and traumatized children, deserve such sanctuaries where they feel safe, calm and able to engage in high quality play. I have used images of children using this space in chapter two and throughout this book.
