Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/wonder----nacc-newsletter/5022399/
Making Time for Learning in NatureThis edition of Wonder is focused on the Nature Action Collaborative for Children Universal Principle:
We believe it is important for educators to allow enough time each day for children to explore freely in nature-based spaces.
As you read the reflections that follow consider the intentional, thoughtful choices that you make as they relate to each aspect of this principle:
Enough time
Daily
Free Exploration
Nature-based space
Reflection: In the Flow of Their Day
from Ellen Veselack, United States
Picture this: You are at work, focused on a project and you feel like you are really making progress. Then after 20 minutes, a bell rings and you are required to pack up, move to a new space, and begin a new project. This continues throughout your day. Frustrating? You bet! Counterproductive? Absolutely! Yet many programs have schedules that mandate children move from activity to activity throughout the day. It is critically important to the process of learning that children have large blocks of uninterrupted time to fully engage in their work.
At Child Educational Center in La Canada, California, we have designed our daily routine and staffing models so that children can select their own experiences, based on their interests, on materials at hand ...