Nature-Based Programmes on the South Island

Our visits to nature-based programmes on the South Island were incredibly inspiring for my entire team, and led us to make some important changes, as well as many little tweaks, to our own nature-based programme. They have gone extremely well in the month since we've been back, and we're only going to keep growing and improving from here. I will not go into the technical details of the programmes or the nitty-gritty of the changes we've made. I'd like this post to be a celebration of the children and teachers we met, and the amazing things they're doing and learning.

I do think you need a bit of context so that you know what I mean by "nature-based programme." In NZ, these programmes involve taking groups of children out into the natural world, hopefully fairly near their ECE centre, and spending time exploring, developing understandings of plants, animals, weather, etc., and making connections. We would like children to have an ecological identity, which means that part of their sense of self is their relationship with the earth and their connection to their special place within it. Being out in nature is also a healthy way to support children's natural curiosity, their ability to take and manage risks, and their resilience. In today's busy world, it is also providing them time and space to be at peace, to be present in unhurried moments, to marvel at nature's beauty, and to lay in the grass and watch the clouds. I could go on and on about the benefits, but I did promise context. So these programmes are outside, regardless of the weather, for between 2 and 5 hours per day. The children go once a week, in groups of 8 to 12, and spend the other days in the centre. (I also have pictures of their amazing centres, which constitute a big part of nature-based programming, but I'll save them for their own post). The teachers help the children to gain confidence in these spaces, and to take ownership in their own learning there. Then, as the children become increasingly capable and comfortable, the teachers step back, giving them time and space to explore their own ideas and theories, make connections, find quiet moments to enjoy, and use their whole bodies and minds.

Note: I got generous permission from each place we visited to post my pictures here. I will put which centre each picture came from, as a sort of reference/tribute to their amazing work.

These girls spent ages together building (and smashing) mud creations. Notice their pants - all the programmes (including ours) provide the children with waterproof pants, so that they can get as wet or muddy as their want, without worrying about getting cold or ruining clothes.

(Arrowtown Preschool - Cotter Ave)

This was with a group of 3-year-olds, and I was amazed by their resilience and confidence in solving their own problems. Just after I took this picture, the child higher in the tree tried to come down, and got his hood hooked on a branch, so he couldn't go any further. One of his teachers was close by (as was I), but he didn't call out. He didn't even seem worried, just focused. He moved around, shifting this way and that, twisting, lifting, and shaking. Every moment I thought he would ask for help, but he never did. After several minutes and a few moments in which real concern crossed his face, he got unhooked and climbed down with a big grin on his face. What a wonderful sense of empowerment he got from this!

(Arrowtown Preschool - Cotter Ave)

We happened to be there for this 3-year-old's first excursion with the programme. She seemed a bit daunted by some of the more enthusiastic risk takers, and did a lot of observing from the sidelines, which is appropriate in a new situation. Part way through the morning, she bravely ventured into a little glade with just enough room for a couple people. (It's hard to tell because of the frame of the picture, but just outside it on all sides is pretty thick growth). She found a mostly buried stump, on which she is balancing in this picture. It was rounded and tricky to balance on, and I am thinking that she was eager to challenge herself, but on her own terms, and in her own space.

(Arrowtown Preschool - Cotter Ave)

I spent some wonderful time looking for sparkly rocks with this 4-year-old. He went down to the river to wash one off, and then became fascinated with his shadow on the water. He moved all around, watching it move with him. While this was lovely in-and-of itself, what really struck me is that he didn't say anything to me about it. Children this age spend a lot of time saying, "Look at this!" "Watch me!" "Come see what I found!" This is a great thing about them, and something I like, but it is great to see them so profoundly absorbed with something that they need no external input or validation. Nature is great for that.

(Arrowtown Preschool - Durham St)

Each of these programmes brought various resources with them, or kept them on site in a shed. This boy had a plan from the time we arrived at this particular location. He found just the right stick, then asked for a "whittler," which is actually a sharp peeler. He used it to whittle all the bark off of his stick (you can see it on the mat), then asked for a "sword" (saw), and went to work sawing it in half. He knew that if he sawed about halfway through, then he could break it from there, and used this strategy again when he cut it into quarters. The pieces then fit comfortably into his pocket, and he went off to his next adventure. I talked to his teachers, and they said that they had watched him build confidence and skill with these tools, and that at this point, they don't feel like they need to supervise him closely, because they trust him with them. We have these tools at my programme, but need more time and practice to get to this level of trust with our children.

(Arrowtown Preschool - Durham St)

As the children spread out and explored various parts of this lovely bank between two rivers, one teacher sat with a few children and taught them some basic skills about building rock towers. She provided information about finding relatively flat ones, and some strategies for getting them to balance. After a while, she and the other children moved on, but this girl stayed and peacefully made her own rock towers for quite a while.

(Arrowtown Preschool - Durham St)

One of my favourite things we did was climb up a very steep hill, with the help of a rope. It was a challenging climb even for the teachers, especially with slippery, wet autumn leaves sliding about underfoot. Again, I was amazed by the children's confidence and resilience. There were a few tumbles, and some frustrations getting over the hardest parts, but the children weathered them well, and we all made it to the top! I wish we had a picture that better shows the steepness and the use of the rope, but none of us used our cameras much, as we were hanging on tight just like the children! It's great to see children getting to take on real challenges - not things that we have safety-proofed and then pretend are challenges, but real ones. The children know the difference and really rise to the occasion when it's the latter. And it was great to see the beautiful balance the teachers maintained between giving them support and encouragement, and giving them space to struggle and then eventually succeed on their own.

(Arrowtown Preschool - Durham St)

These children are on their "Jumping Rocks" learning balance and risk management. They had another big rock that they would jump to, but the forestry people took it out - a reminder for all of us nature-based programme teachers to be liaising as much as possible with the people who tend to our natural spaces. Anyway, it must have been even cooler before, but it was still a great climbing place.

(Fiordland Kindergarten)

It drizzled a lot of this day, but with proper rain gear, that didn't put anyone off at all. At the end of the morning, we had a fire, on which the children could warm up any of the food packed in their lunchboxes. Some parents had obviously intentionally packed things like cheese sandwiches, to be turned into grilled cheese over the fire. Then we had something called "damper" which I'd never heard of, but was delicious. Apparently it's a bit like scone dough, and then you wrap it around a stick, cook it, pull it off, and fill it with something delicious, like nutella or marshmallows or jam or honey. 

Building and using fires with children is a wonderful part of many nature-based programmes, and something that we'd really like to do in ours. It takes some time to build comfort in the organization and with the parents, and to get policies approved, but I think we could do it.

(Fiordland Kindergarten)

We actually had two fires during this particular morning, and I build one of them. It was hard to find dry kindling, and then it turned out that the matches were wet, so it was a rough start. I was frustrated to not be able to get it going right away, as I pride myself on being good at starting fires, but everyone was patient, and we got there eventually. We then used the tube canister to the right of me to boil water so we could have milo (healthy version of hot chocolate).

(Fiordland Kindergarten)

As I was building the fire, the children were eating morning tea (snack) and spending time in one of their favourite places, which they've named Pine Cone World. They visit Pine Cone World almost every time, and over the years, they've constructed some amazing things together. This ladder was my favourite.

(Fiordland Kindergarten)

They had also built this hut, which I quite liked. I found that these creations gave the children an even stronger sense of ownership in this natural place, because they'd put thought and effort into building something that stayed and became a part of it.

(Fiordland Kindergarten)

There is a beautiful lake in the reserve where this programme takes place. It wasn't very windy that day, and we spend some lovely time examining our reflections and noticing how they changed when the ripples did come by.

(Fiordland Kindergarten)

Ah, the glories of autumn. We buried each other in leaves, then all got big handfulls to throw into the air at the same time. It was fantastic. I hope I never forget the delight we all find in something as simple as a blanket of fallen leaves.

(Fiordland Kindergarten)

I could go on and on about spending time in nature with children, and all the endless benefits and joys thereof, but I realize that it is not everyone's passion, and so that is probably enough for one dose. I will be posting indoor environment photos at some point, so if, by any chance, you're still looking for more, rest assured that it is coming.