Nature groups of daycare centres go out in all weathers
In nature, the richness of imagination is manifested in a different way and self-esteem is strengthened. Many daycare centres in Espoo have nature groups. Usually, these groups go on excursions and explore the surroundings on at least three days per week. Thus, most of the pedagogical activities takes place in nature. Mathematics, music, manual skills, social skills and emotional skills can just as well be learnt outdoors as indoors.
The Espoo Story states that local nature of the city is accessible to everyone. Strengthening the relation to nature is an important part of a child’s growth and development, and it also affects their future lifestyle. For this reason, many daycare centres in Espoo also have nature groups.
One of the objectives of early childhood education is to promote children’s ability to explore and understand their surroundings and support children’s physical activity. Children are also encouraged to take action in nature. Personal experiences and outdoor experiences are an important part of children’s learning environment and help to understand cause and effect relationships. When a child spends a lot of time outdoors, the child makes observations about the changes taking place in their environment. Also human relations are experienced more strongly in nature.
“Self-regulation is an important skill throughout a person’s life and that is why practising it starts in early childhood education. Learning these skills at an early age makes it easier to adjust to school. Practising is just as successful on forest excursions as it is inside a daycare centre. Self-regulation skills also support the strengthening of the child’s self-esteem,” says Sanna Hiltunen, early childhood education teacher at Paapuuri Daycare Centre.
Educators also enjoy spending time in nature.
“Nature makes you feel calm,” Sanna continues.
In the case of the nature group of Paapuuri Daycare Centre, going to the forest is more about exploring and learning than building huts – although building a hut can also be a fruitful activity. Together with educators, the children explore anthills and tree holes with a magnifying glass, identify animals and their sounds as well as think of ways to utilise nature without burdening it. The children’s natural way of exploring and wondering plays a key role in nature. This way, the principles of sustainable development also become familiar from the beginning of the learning path.
Clothes to match the weather
The nature group of Papuuri Daycare Centre goes out regardless of the weather. After breakfast, the children pack a change of clothes, water bottle and sit pad in their backpacks independently.
The group has one main excursion site, which is visited about twice a week. The group also explores the surrounding environment more widely in order not to overburden a specific site. Within about one kilometre from the daycare centre, there are, among other things, the seaside, Central Park, playgrounds, rock and old historical trenches for anyone to explore these days.
The morning meeting is held in the forest or at some other nature site and plans for the day are reviewed. Often, the day includes small group activities, in which case the children are divided into adult-led groups with different themes. The themes can include mathematics, an art workshop with what the nature offers and drama education.
The idea is to use natural materials and take as little materials from the daycare centre as possible. The children learn new things through playful activities. They collect and count cones, paint with berries, sort branches from the biggest to the smallest and from the thickest to the thinnest.
“We use natural materials for crafts, but we tend to leave them in nature. For example, we have made wind chimes with sticks, cotton string and cones. Now, they hang in the forest. We also make sure that if we have taken packed lunches or snacks with us that all trash is always brought back with us,” Sanna says.
The richness of imagination is manifested in nature in a different way. At the daycare centre, a child may say that they cannot play without a car, but when the group goes to the forest, the children build a car themselves with the things they find in nature.
“The children have also served me a stone hamburger. It was bark in between two stones. Pine needles were French fries.”
The children also pick berries and mushrooms. Then, the group can make, for example, a bilberry pie, rowanberry jam or jelly. Sometimes, such gifts of nature can also be taken home.
After an excursion, all the children get some rest at the daycare centre so that they can enjoy the rest of the day. In the summer, the group sometimes has a rest in a lean-to in the forest, which is a great experience for the children.