Children have a natural affinity with the outdoor world. Under the sky, with the fresh air filling their lungs and the natural light on their faces, there is a sense of space and freedom. They can move around on a large scale, be active and work out what their bodies can do. They can touch, move and create things with natural materials in ways that are not possible indoors. They can be noisy and messy as they investigate the world with all their senses and their whole bodies.
Jan White, consultant for outdoor provision in the early years, says that daily opportunity to spend time in rich outdoor environments is of 'crucial' importance for babies and toddlers. 'The child is intensely driven to explore and is hugely disadvantaged if this is restricted to a range of indoor environments, however varied.'
Education consultant and author Marjorie Ouvry says that being outside provides the perfect stimuli to help babies 'build their own brains'. She adds, 'Let babies have tummy-time on picnic blankets outdoors. Allow them to crawl under the trees or lie and watch the leaves and the clouds while singing to them under the tree.'
Move it
For children in their second year, the opportunity for movement and exploration is 'vital', says White, who is working on a series of training DVDs with Siren Films about outdoor provision for under-threes.
'Movement wires the brain and makes the body function well. The development of walking enables children to explore under their own steam, and to have their hands available while doing so.'
The first film, Toddlers Outdoors, looks closely at what children get from being outside.
White says, 'One-year-olds love to push and pull trolleys and wheelbarrows, and they like to move materials such as sand, water and stones around by hand. They also need uneven surfaces to build balance and control in their bodies.'
Child psychologist Jennie Lindon says that when thinking about what experiences to offer a child outdoors, there needs to be an 'awareness of space and movement'. She adds, 'Think about wide open spaces and hideaway spaces for the youngest children. Also, think about an area just for digging and for planting for the two-year-olds.'
It's only natural
The ideal outdoor area for young children should be like a garden. There should be lots of textures for little feet to walk on and leaves to crawl on. There should be hills or gradients, sandpits and water.
Children should be able to move natural materials around freely with pots, pans, buckets and trolleys. There should be balls, stones, natural treasures and resources for exploration on offer. Children should also have access to wheeled vehicles.
When it comes to deciding what resources to offer outdoors, Ouvry says they should 'complement' what's inside. 'Practitioners should think about using the space. For example, if there is a cosy book corner inside, why not have a larger area outside where children can act out the stories. If there's a small easel inside, why not hang huge pieces of paper on the wall outside or get them to paint with water.'
Appropriate clothing and shelter to protect children from the elements is essential when taking children outdoors. A sun canopy, gazebo or natural foliage may protect them from the glaring sun, for example.
Little scientists
At the age of two, a child's ability to transform one thing into another is burgeoning. Practitioners can support this stage of development by providing plenty of open-ended resources. For example, blocks and open bread crates can become boats, trains or buses in a child's mind.
Ms Lindon says milk crates are great storage containers and useful for construction at the age of three. But low wooden pallets or tree stumps are ideal for two-year-olds, who love to step on and jump off things.
Ms Ouvry urges practitioners to make time for children to be 'little scientists'. She says, 'Simple tasks like plopping stones into water are endlessly interesting for a two-year-old.'
She explains, 'There are lots of ways to expand children's intellectual and physical development without spending money. Natural and junk stuff is better - cardboard boxes, old pots and pans, and big and little balls.'
For example, practitioners can hang tin lids or saucepans on a fence and provide different types of banging instruments - lollipops, wooden spoons and metal spoons - for the children to explore noise.
Liz Knowles, the owner of www.muddyfaces.co.uk, a company that specialises in outdoor equipment for forest schools, is inundated with orders from nurseries for bags of wood, wooden discs, den poles and cobbles. She says, 'It seems that practitioners have problems sourcing these basic, natural products.'
Rich materials
Practitioners have to work hard to keep children entertained in a non-stimulating outdoor environment. But it is easier if there are lots of rich natural materials - sand, water, mud and earth - and smells, sounds and textures to stimulate the senses.
In the film Toddlers Outdoors, a one-year-old girl is intently comparing two puddles. She is touching the water, putting her hands inside the puddles and splashing them around. She is not dressed appropriately, but the practitioners do not take her away; they allow her to explore the puddles and get messy.
Ms White says, 'One of the aims of the film is to help practitioners understand that the outdoors can offer something that is special and unique. A practitioner who is in tune with the child and their needs is key to getting the maximum from the experience.'
She adds, 'The outdoors matters so much to children. It adds enormously to what the indoors can provide.'
CASE STUDY
Children at Blyth Valley Children's Centre Central, a 26-place nursery in Northumberland, spend time outside in the garden every day, whatever the weather. Despite being situated in an urban area, the nursery garden has been designed to allow babies and toddlers to experience the wonders of the natural world - long wavy grass with logs where they can search for wildlife; muddy puddles; a hill to climb up and slide down; and even a wooden house with sleeping bags and a lantern for pretend camping.
The garden has a willow tunnel that is lined with bark and has ribbons, musical instruments and chimes hanging from it. There are also blankets and mats available so that children can make cosy dens. The hill has a wooden arched bridge running into it. Babies love to crawl up it and the older children have fun wheeling down it on small wooden buses and trucks.
The wooden zig-zag balancing beam, on five different levels, can be used by crawlers as well as the more competent three-year-olds. On one side of the garden is a purpose-built sand pit with a sliding lid that, when covered, can be used as a stage. The setting also has a water barrel with a tap so the children have access to running water. There are lots of buckets, water holders and tea sets that the children can use to transport water around the garden and to the raised flower beds.
Every day the staff wheel out a large trolley containing boxes of equipment for exploration - lanterns and torches for camping; magnifying glasses for minibeast hunts; large syringes and plastic tubes and funnels for water play; plastic tools for building; paper and pencils for mark-making, and umbrellas.
Manager Julie Scott says, 'We endeavour for all children to have access to the outdoors every day, to allow them to experience the rain on their faces, the noise of the wind, the pleasure of jumping in puddles, exploring mud in their hands and planting and caring for plants and flowers. We provide staff and children with appropriate clothing and footwear throughout the year, from wellies and waterproofs to sun cream and sun hats.'
BEST BUYS
- Noggins - bags of 100 pieces of wood cut to different lengths and sizes from www.muddyfaces.co.uk that can be used to build or make pictures with. Priced at £20.56
- Gardener's apprentice hand tool range - stainless steel fork and trowel for children from www.crocus.co.uk. Priced at £4.99 each
