Bears in the Wild
Honeybear Nurseries have been practising Outdoor Learning, ‘Bears in the Wild’ for a little while. Here we tell you a little more about our approach and the benefits.
Nursery school pioneer, Margaret McMillan said in 1925: “The best classroom and the richest classroom is roofed only by the sky”. We recognise Outdoor Learning, as Margaret recognised it back in the 1920s, as having a positive impact on children, shaping their development, health and wellbeing. The benefits of Outdoor Learning including:
- The children have an opportunity to use movement freely, during more physical activities.
- Supports children who learn through more physical or movement activities. Who are always on the go, and it encourages healthy, active lifestyles.
- Offers unique experiences of the natural world such as considering the weather, seasons, and the growth and care of living things.
- Supports creativity and problem solving.
- Promotes wellbeing and confidence.
- Offers opportunities for imagination and resourcefulness.
- Helps develop relationships, turn-taking and co-operation.
- Allows risk-taking in safe and supervised environments, developing skills to manage more challenging situations.
Put simply, Outdoor Learning provides an opportunity for children to spend time outdoors, enjoying their surroundings – exploring and investigating the natural habitat around them. The children have the opportunity to use their imaginations, making leaf soup in the mud kitchen and fishing with sticks. They create art out of natural objects, make dens, make log piles to attract insects and plant up our raised vegetable beds.
