Nursery World - Case studies:in their own way

Good outdoor provision can allow children to learn at their own pace and in their own way. Own goals

Own goals

Lured outside by the winter sunshine, three-year-old Abigail tries to walk along a plank. Initially, she is scared and asks a practitioner to help her. She states her intention to keep trying - 'You know, I'm going to do that climbing again today, you know like I did yesterday' - and she acknowledges her successes along the way - 'I did it, see, I did it.' When it is time to go inside, she says, 'I'm going to do that again tomorrow.' On subsequent days the practitioners extend the length of the planks, and every day Abigail returns to set herself new goals and test her skills - 'Today, right, I'm going to do two planks'. They all rejoice in her successes.

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