Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/yes-you-can!/5021776/
Imagine outdoor places that would be wonderful to be in with a baby, that would enable you to enjoy the world outside the walls of your daily place of work, while taking pleasure in the growing power and competence of the child.Jim Greenman, 1991
The outdoors offers children what the indoors cannot. It’s more than ‘taking the indoors out.’ The outdoors is different from the indoors and this is why it matters for children. If we don’t harness this potential, we are missing the point �" and missing the huge capacity of the outdoors to help young children thrive and grow. This should be the focus for outdoor provision: complementing and extending what children can experience indoors (Learning through Landscapes, 2004).
A Good Outdoor Space Responds to What Children Want to Do
This is a good place to start thinking and team discussion. By considering the particular children in the setting and the overall goals, program staff can draw up a master list of what they want children to be able to do outdoors. This might include opportunities to:
• run, climb, pedal, throw . . .
• be excited, adventurous, energetic, messy, noisy . . .
• hide, be secret, relax, find calm, reflect, be alone ...