Making a Difference: Outdoor Education in Early Childhood Education

This paper is based on a small scale research project undertaken at the University of Northampton (UK) involving students studying on the BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies degree and children and staff from a local urban nursery. The purpose of the project was to explore the benefits of outdoor education with young children and challenge current pedagogical approaches to the teaching of Environmental Education in both the National Curriculum and the Foundation Stage (early years, 3-5 years). ... The context for this study is set within the recent proliferation of health and safety regulations for schools, which has resulted in increasing constraints on practitioners to allow children access to the outside environment, resulting in their lack of confidence in, and alienation from, their natural surroundings. It is argued that children are having the opportunities for taking risks and making meaningful decisions reduced as a result of the 'diminishing outdoors'. With the current international focus on sustainable development, and the recognition that children need to develop a greater awareness of, and respect for their natural environments, the research project was also set within the context of growing interest in the United Kingdom in Forest School and outdoor education. The research project set out to investigate the impact of regular weekly access (irrespective of the weather) to the outside, natural environment for a group of 3-4 year olds who did not normally have this opportunity. The responses and reactions of the children were noted and recorded by trained observers, both students and nursery staff, who shared their perceptions in a series of regular meetings. The benefits for the children's understanding and empathy for their environment were evident in their developing observational skills, increasingly sensitive responses to natural events and phenomena and greater confidence and imagination in their play, with the use of natural materials rather than manufactured. In addition, the collaborative links between the University and the local nursery had a positive impact on the curriculum and practice in the nursery and a deeper insight into the impact of such experiences on young children's learning for all participants.