New Training Topics

Maria Montessori, the groundbreaking child development theorist, said of children and their way of learning, “The things [they] see are not just remembered, they form a part of [their] soul.” Montessori, like many other practitioners in the field of early education, saw the value in incorporating nature play into children’s lives. She believed that children should have opportunities to “run outside when it is raining,…rest peacefully when a tree invites them to sleep beneath its shade, and shout and laugh when the sun wakes them in the morning.” This philosophy reflects the deep understanding of the relationship between nature play and children’s social-emotional well-being, which continues to be confirmed by modern psychological research.

Current research on the impact of nature play on children finds that time spent in nature provides many benefits to children, including improving social relations, self-discipline, creativity and problem solving, and buffering the impacts of life stress.[1] In this workshop, educators of young children can explore current research about the benefits of nature play for young children, refresh their understandings about best practices for supporting social-emotional development, and apply their understandings to create rich curriculum to support development in a nature-based or outdoor learning environment.

We are pleased to announce this new addition to our Nature-based curriculum series.

It should come as no surprise that healthy physical development for children and outdoor play go hand in hand. Anyone who spends time with young children can see the benefits of playing outdoors immediately: children can move their bodies with fewer restrictions, investigate the many wonders of the natural world, use big muscles to play, and raise their voices to shout with joy. However, even seasoned educators may be surprised to learn just how crucial outdoor play is, and the many surprising ways that time spent in nature can benefit physical development in children. And building curriculum outdoors is not without challenges, as teachers must navigate challenges presented by weather, safety, and curriculum demands.

In this workshop, educators will dive deep into the benefits of nature play for children, explore the relationship between outdoor curriculum and physical skill development, and experiment with building curriculum to meet the needs of the children they serve. Opportunities will be given for collaboration and discussion with other educators across the field of ECE, along with the sharing of new resources for rich curriculum development.