“The best classroom and the richest cupboard is roofed only by the sky” – so said nursery education pioneer Margaret McMillan, and almost 100 years later, her vision for young children’s learning through play is being realised across the UK, thanks to a new emphasis in the various 0-5 curriculums.
Outdoors, children can have the freedom to explore different ways of ‘being’, feeling, behaving and interacting; they have space – physical, mental and emotional. They may feel less controlled by adults and are able to learn in the way that comes naturally to them – through play.
There are play experiences that can only happen outdoors, where children have the space and the permission to be active, interactive, messy, noisy and to work on a grand scale. Research continually backs up the notion that young children (especially boys) learn best when engaged in physical activity, and Marjorie Ouvry’s book Exercising Muscles and Minds demonstrates how important access to outdoor play is to their development.
Outdoors supports movement, exploration and discovery and allows children to follow their own interests. Where settings are able to offer free-flow access to the outdoors, children can also continue their explorations when it suits them to do so.
