Take twos - an outdoors experience
Friday, September 20, 2013
Providing rich outdoor environments is really important for all children and this is especially true for the least advantaged two-year-olds. James Hempsall describes how one rural setting is ensuring its twos get the most out of the natural world.
At two, most children want to explore, run around and experience life, but this can be inhibited by poverty, parenting and a whole range of environmental factors - whether children are living in a rural or urban location.
South Hills Nursery School is a Christian foundation, established in 1993 by the Countess of Pembroke and taken over by the current owners in 1997. The school buildings at the main site in Wilton were originally part of a farm and have been developed to offer a unique farm setting. In 2009, South Hills opened a further two nurseries in Hindon and Salisbury, and Burcombe joined the group in the summer of 2012. All four nurseries offer early learning places for two-year-olds.
The philosophy at South Hills is 'Children learn what they live', that learning should always be fun and so children are given the opportunity, both indoors and outdoors, to develop their experiences and understanding of the world. The outdoor space at South Hills is extensive, as the school benefits from a number of fields and paddocks suitable for energetic play. The children are encouraged to care for animals at the school farm and in doing so learn responsibility while gaining a caring attitude towards nature.
Living in a rural area does not always mean children and families take advantage of the countryside, so South Hills uses the resources it has to provide opportunities for two-year-olds and their families to engage with wildlife, animals and the countryside through stay and play, open days and family days. Two-year-olds accessing places at one of the other sites are transported using the nursery minibus so they can take advantage of the farm facilities.
The nursery has unique resources in the farm and is clear that outdoor learning does not require lots of expensive equipment, soft surface play areas and toys. The learning that happens during the outdoor experience is more important. The mud kitchen and sensory garden are well used by the two-year-olds and they could easily be replicated in any outdoor area, whatever its size or location.
James Hempsall is director of Hempsall's
