Nature-Based Curriculum for Childcare: A Complete Guide

This podcast explores nature-based early childhood education, a comprehensive educational philosophy that deeply integrates the outdoor environment into children's learning experiences. It views children as inherently competent, curious, and full of potential, emphasizing child-directed play, emergent curriculum, and inquiry-based learning within natural settings. Key elements include ensuring daily, substantial periods of outdoor exploration throughout all seasons and weather, making powerful use of natural materials and loose parts for open-ended play, and adopting a thoughtful risk-benefit assessment approach that supports healthy development. This approach transforms the educator's role to that of a facilitator, co-learner, and observer, guiding children's deep engagement with the natural world. Supported by research, this pedagogical direction offers profound and holistic benefits for children's development, including gains in cognitive growth, social-emotional flourishing, physical health, and the cultivation of environmental literacy and stewardship, and it is gaining growing momentum in Canadian early childhood education, aligning strongly with frameworks like Ontario's How Does Learning Happen?

Resource: https://kinderpage.ca/blogs/nature-based-curriculum-for-childcar

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