I hear and I forget I see and I remember I do and I understand -Confucius

Character of Outdoor Learning Spaces for Children

Compiled byShikha Baheti Tenth Sem. B.Arch NU/A8/37982 Guide- Prof. Nishant Manapure Priyadarshini Institute of Architecture and Design Studies, Nagpur

If a child cant learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn. -Ignacio Estrada
INTRODUCTION

Play and learning that flow seamlessly between indoors and outdoors enable children to make the most of the resource and materials available to them and develop their ideas without unnecessary interruption. Outdoor learning encompasses all that children do, see, hear or feel in their outdoor space. This includes the experiences that practitioners create and plan for, the spontaneous activities that children initiate, and the naturally occurring cyclical opportunities linked to the seasons, weather and nature.
METHODOLOGY

Importance and relevance of the subject. Understanding the psychologyWhat a child perceives from a play area How outdoor learning relates to children of different ages Factors that are essential to render character to the outdoor learning space

Derivation of tangible elements to be incorporated

References, Bibliography

I would rather entertain and hope that people learn something than educate people and hope they were entertained. -Walt Disney
IMPORTANCE

Outdoor learning in early years is important because it: Supports the development of healthy and active lifestyles by giving opportunities for physical activity, freedom and movement. Promotes a sense of confidence and well-being by providing safe and supervised opportunities for children to experience new challenges, develop creativity, assess risk and develop skills to manage difficult situations.

Provides opportunities for developing harmonious relationships with others, through negotiation, taking turns and cooperation.
Gives children contact with the natural world and offers them unique experiences, such as direct contact with the weather and seasons. Because of growing interest in media equipment, such as television, videos and computer games has contributed to the creation of a society where many children live sedentary lives with few opportunities to access outdoor spaces.

UNDERSTANDING THE PSYCHOLOGY

Perception of play area Once children become aware of separateness from mother, they inhabit a world between self and environment, between fact and fantasy. Through imaginative fantasies, they organize thoughts and learn to manage feelings.

Combining experience and feelings, fantasy forms a bridge between the objective factual outer-world and what is developing within the child.

The more magical their environment, the more fully can they live in their in-between world. The longer they do so, the better can they learn to manage the unfamiliar material world. Gender-wise choice: Where boys fancy superior things like being kings of jungle or powers of flight and fighting skills; girls on the other hand, prefer subtler things like healing powers and are more closer to nature.

UNDERSTANDING THE PSYCHOLOGY

Perception of play area The more secure they feel, the more confidently do they grow towards independence. Security progresses from parental (or similar trusted adult) proximity to having a secure physical base trustworthy, durable and anchored.(solid buildings, private sanctuaries with window seats, niches etc)

Children progress from exploring the world around them, to trying to manipulate it, physically, socially and emotionally. Children dont need the same mood-environment all the time. They do endlessly different things: investigate, adventure, imagine, create and destroy; withdraw, sulk, run-around, chat, collaborate and fight. To suit, balance or heal state and activity, they need a palette of moodplaces: darker and lighter, warmer and cooler, active and dreamy. Different ages, times-of-day, seasons and weather bring different activity

UNDERSTANDING THE PSYCHOLOGY

How outdoor learning relates to children(age-wise) Birth11 months The outdoors is full of rich stimulus and sources of learning for very young babies and even the very youngest will respond to the difference in the outdoor environment. The sights, smells and sounds of outdoors will interest and intrigue them.

820 months They express their interests outdoors through their emerging language and communication skills and will rapidly absorb new words, signs and concepts relating to outdoor experiences. Outdoor learning provides a different perspective on the indoor world and extends their interests to its distinctive features such as leaves, trees, butterflies, birds and natural objects such as stones, rocks and logs.

UNDERSTANDING THE PSYCHOLOGY

How outdoor learning relates to children(age-wise) 1626 months They will delight in opportunities to experiment and combine materials, such as sand or soil and water. They are often enthusiastic transporters, endlessly carrying objects from one place to another.

2236 months Children can learn to make decisions, solve problems and grow in confidence. They will make predictions about what may happen based on their previous play experiences and test out these ideas and theories.

30 months and above Mounting and dismounting from fixed and mobile equipment forms an interest in itself as children try out ways of travelling across a low bench on a safe surface or crawling along a suitably safe makeshift assault course.

FACTORS RENDERING CHARACTER TO THE OUTDOOR SPACE

Enclosure/ Sense of Safety The sense of safety enables the child to think and act freely according to his will. Very small children want parental (or similar) company to feel safe. More independent and adventurous, they nonetheless still need adults within occasional view or earshot to be safe.

Just as families picnic more by rocks than in mid-beach, few children play on featureless flat lawns by tower blocks.

Feeling safer near protective edges, they prefer playing near houses, trees or under porches. This edge-realm weaves between security and stimulation, the safe and the stretching.

FACTORS RENDERING CHARACTER TO THE OUTDOOR SPACE

Adventure Adventure is about stretching, frightening yourself an essential part of growing from dependent child to independent, self-directed adult.

Overcoming fear is central to this. Balancing on walls, climbing trees, swinging high and cycling fast are overcoming-fear tests.
So are babies peek-a-boo and toddlers hide-and-seek. These progress to real frights and real adventure.

The real issue, therefore, is how to maximize challenge, while minimizing injury risk.

FACTORS RENDERING CHARACTER TO THE OUTDOOR SPACE Movement

Movement quality reinforces make-believe, intensifying characters and stories. When acting every role requires a different character of movement and speech.

Childrens movement is full of variety: from crawling and rolling to hopping, skipping and running.
Joined-up activity opportunities as when slides or rope-bridges arent just dead ends but lead on to other things allow flow between activities. Movement helps disturbed children find ways to reconnect to the World.

FACTORS RENDERING CHARACTER TO THE OUTDOOR SPACE

Discovery Children are driven by curiosity. Mixing of materials, their multiple use combined with a creative adaptive imagination makes then reach new outcomes and findings. Unknown challenges stimulate creativity. This is vital in the psychological and creative growth of a child.

Babies and toddlers can have first-hand experience of nature through touching plants, smelling flowers, crawling on earth, and watching the movements of insects, spiders or beetles. Older children can note and record patterns in the natural and made environment, for example, through photographing leaves, or brickwork. The cycle of plant growth and the seasonal changes outdoors give children context and meaning to the concept of time.

FACTORS RENDERING CHARACTER TO THE OUTDOOR SPACE

Light and Shade or Light and Darkness Playing in the sun is nourishing to the body as well as the soul. But with the recent change in environment conditions and harsh sunlight, it is difficult for parents to allow children to play in mid-day sun. Evening north sun is favourable for children to play.

Colour scheme Children require warmth and cozy surrounding to feel relaxed and play. Shining, metallic, or too dark surfaces are a turn-off. Also heat absorbing colours and surfaces are not preferred. Colours complimenting water bodies, green areas so as to become a part of the landscape. Bright colours like red and ochre yellow are usually preferred for furniture.

ELEMENTS TO BE INCORPORATED

Water Water play is both enjoyable and educational and perfect for hot days that call for cooling off. Outdoor play, helps children develop eye-hand coordination and math and science concepts. It may also enhance social skills and encourage cooperation. There is no right or wrong way to play with this familiar, inexpensive "toy" that comes not from a package, but from our very own environment. Water tables, while great opportunities for children to compromise and work together.

ELEMENTS TO BE INCORPORATED

Plant Life and Loose Materials Through play with loose elements such as dirt, twigs, leaves etc, children develop skills in construction and creation. Plants should be hardy, interesting to children and safe for their environment. Some plants provide particular attraction to children often based on bright colour, unusual behavior, fruits, or plant parts that can be used creatively. Plants that are poisonous or have poisonous parts, or plants with hazardous parts, such as thorns, barbs or sharp blades are avoided.

ELEMENTS TO BE INCORPORATED

Height Heights give children a sense of escape, providing a unique and exciting perspective. There are safe ways to provide height exploration to children, such as well designed tree houses and play towers. Thoughtful design, paired with safety education for children minimizes risk

ELEMENTS TO BE INCORPORATED

Sculptures/Models/Sittings Sculptures and furniture form an important part of the outdoor space. They add character to the space. Sculptures may be informative, indicative or may be placed just for decoration. Sculptures can be made functional and their function can be manipulated as per the imagination of the child. Models and life size replicas can assist in the fantasy story building of child.

Sculptures also invigorate the thoughts towards the laws of nature and instills values like respect, tolerance and humility.

Conclusion

A childs garden should appeal to all five senses, and whenever possible. Such gardens are not only entertaining and educational, but instill in children a love of nature that will grow into environmental sensitivity.
References Day Christopher(2007) Environment , Elsevier Children and Environment-Passive Lessons from Everyday

Wike Jim (2005) Designing nature based outdoor spaces for children Bell Simon(1997) Design of Outdoor Recreation, Taylor & Francis Group