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"Misconceptions about outdoor learning are fairly commonplace, especially in places where the climate or culture is less conducive to it. But it’s possible to get parents off the proverbial fence about outdoor learning in early childhood education."![]()
My latest piece for the Famly blog is a guide for early childhood educators who encounter skepticism about outdoor learning from parents and other caregivers.
Getting caregivers on board for outdoor learning
www.famly.co
What makes parents support outdoor play in early education?
All learning begins with the body - this is why it's crucial to protect and promote outdoor play in childhood🤸🏽♂️ Enough with the worksheets and wall words and pressuring young children to reach academic milestones before they are physically, mentally and emotionally ready. If we truly want our children to succeed in school - and in life - we must understand how the brain works and how children learn. And this is what brain science tells us:![]()
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🧠 Children learn by building connections between brain cells called neural pathways.![]()
🧠 As many as 90% of the neural pathways are set in the first years of life, making early childhood the fastest period of brain growth in a person's life.![]()
🧠 Some of the chemicals that are needed for these neural pathways to grow are only released when children move.![]()
🧠 The more the neural pathways are used, the stronger they get.![]()
🧠 Being physically active outside is crucial to growing children's networks of neural pathways and, as a result, improving memory and learning.![]()
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For more interesting insights on the connection between outdoor play and brain development, check out this white paper by the Institute for Child Success: www.instituteforchildsuccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Childhood-Unplugged-Outdoor-Learning.pdf
This is hysterical🤣🤣 And probably applicable to a lot of moms in other mountain states as well - I used to live in Montana and I can definitely relate😅
To all the parents who are worried about not providing enough enriching and educational activities for your children - this quote is for you. The fact that you're even anxious about it tells me that you're probably doing more than enough to stimulate your child's growth and development🙌🏽 Remember that the most important thing you can do for a young child, aside from providing a loving and supporting home, is to allow ample time and space for free play, preferably outside🌿![]()
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All mammals, including humans, learn by playing, moving their bodies and mimicking older individuals.![]()
So go outside and feel the joy of connecting with the trees and the earth and the birds and the sky. Follow your child's curiosity and see where it takes you. Get excited about their discoveries. Let them climb, crawl, roll, jump, run, cartwheel. Let them fall and get back up and fall again. Dare to say 'yes' and embrace the mess. Let them get bored. Take a step back and trust in the power of nature play.![]()
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Quote by @themainenanny
