How does the outdoor environment support children to engage in considered risk and challenge?.Have you considered access to the outdoor space for children experiencing mobility challenges?.Do children have access to natural play spaces, including trees, plants, mud, sand and water?.What resources do you need to enable children’s exploration in the outdoor environment?.Are spaces stimulating and do they enable children to experiment with their ideas and theories?.How are children able to actively engage with natural elements of the outdoor environment?.How are opportunities for physical activity encouraged with children in the outdoor space?.Are there adequate trees for providing shade?.Have you made choices for drought-hardy plants, indigenous to the local area and low-allergenic plants that minimise the risk to children?.Have you consulted with the education and care service community and independent third-party organisations on the design of your outdoor space?.Are there spaces in the outdoors for children to retreat for quiet or relaxation time?.Are open-ended loose parts available for children and educators to use to resource play ideas?.Is there an opportunity to invite children to share their ideas for the design of the outdoor space?.Are spaces open-ended and flexible, enabling educators to be responsive to children’s interests?.The reflective questions below are designed to support approved providers and educators to consider how the design of their service supports a natural outdoor learning environment: The educator’s role is to then interact with children in these spaces to ‘scaffold’ play in support of exploring children’s ideas, providing provocations for learning and testing theories. The use of repurposed loose parts and open-ended resources allows children to enter and participate in play at their own level and to be guided by their own ideas. Permanent outdoor spaces should be flexible to enable educators to be responsive to children’s interests and development. It is this connection to nature that creates opportunities for sustainability education with very young children. Natural play spaces offer children a unique opportunity for considered risk-taking and challenge during physical activity that they are unable to access in other ways.Įxperimenting with perspective by climbing a tree or theorising about the properties of mud fosters a sense of connection to nature. Designing an outdoor environmentĮducators need to consider various aspects of design when developing an outdoor space to ensure it is accessible for all children.Ī good design will offer children choice and promote enough challenge for children to engage in considered risk-taking while balancing the need for safety. We recommended that services also consult with recognised authorities where appropriate. You can encourage safety by undertaking risk assessments throughout the design process, or when introducing something new to the environment. ![]() ![]() You should consider unintended consequences that may affect the safety of children and staff when designing the outdoor learning environment. Natural environments provide opportunities for children to understand and respect the natural environment and the interdependence between plants, people, animals and the land. ![]() Important features include unstructured spaces and activities for creative learning and spontaneous play. Outdoor natural play environments should provide a blend of natural areas, environmental features and plants to interest children in learning about nature and its elements. The National Quality Standard relating to Quality Area 3: ‘Physical environment’ requires services to provide outdoor environments that include natural materials and sustainable practices, can be used for multiple purposes and encourage active play and independent exploration. Natural environments under the National Quality FrameworkĪpproved providers must ensure outdoor spaces at their services allow children to explore and experience the natural environment. This fact sheet provides information on best-practice principles to consider when developing an outdoor learning environment for education and care services-one that supports the requirements of the National Quality Framework and provides an optimum learning environment for children. Learning is maximised when educators plan outdoor spaces thoughtfully to be reflective of children’s current interests and empower children to approach learning with a sense of agency. Play-based learning is most effective when children are able to pursue their interests across an array of environments, including outdoor learning spaces.
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