Nursery World - Space out (2)

A new booklet from Community Playthings explains how to plan a child-centred environment for under-threes Perceptive educators have always noted the impact of children's surroundings on their development. Friedrich Froebel compared designing an environment for children to planning an organic and ever-changing garden, which can inspire and guide children's imagination and behaviour.

Perceptive educators have always noted the impact of children's surroundings on their development. Friedrich Froebel compared designing an environment for children to planning an organic and ever-changing garden, which can inspire and guide children's imagination and behaviour.

A century later Margaret McMillan, pioneer of the British nursery school, said, 'We are trying to create an environment where education will be almost inevitable.' The Reggio Emilia approach recognises the environment as a 'third teacher' (parents and carers being the first two).

Julia Manning-Morton writes that 'the physical environment in a setting impacts directly on the quality of practice, making environment a critically important component of an under-threes curriculum and one that practitioners need to plan for and review regularly...'

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