Enjoying the 简单的天气
This post originally appeared in Dr. 瑞秋一. Larimore’s weekly Samara newsletter on April 2, 2024. 如果你’re interested in receiving these emails, scroll to the bottom of this page to subscribe.
Here in Michigan we’re starting to move into more “简单的天气” days–those days where we need less gear to stay warm and/or dry. These 简单的天气 days make it much easier to extend the amount of time we spend outdoors.
How about snack time outside today?
We could have our group meeting outside!
Hmm, maybe we should just stay outside all day?!
是的，是的，是的! Yet, sometimes programs find these changes in schedule difficult. There are two key things that can make it easier to move the class day outside–1) keep the routine and 2) ensure the outdoor play area is an extension of the classroom.
保持例行公事& 传达事实!)
Moving your class day outside will feel like a huge shift to some children and this can be dysregulating. That’s why it’s important to keep the same order of activities and simply change the location. 例如, 我们有选择的时间, 然后是小组会议, 然后是零食, but today each of those will be outside. Another important part of maintaining the routine is sharing that 与 children. We can communicate the change in routine to children during drop-off, 在小组会议上, and any other time children are needing clarification or reassurance.
Ensure the outdoor play area is an extension of the classroom
While maintaining a routine will help the group be successful entirely outdoors, I find the biggest challenge is the play space itself. Traditional playgrounds 与 mostly physical play and limited open-ended materials can lose their interest for children fairly quickly. This is a challenge when you want to spend as much as 6 hours outside!
A way to combat boredom and potential behavioral challenges is to move towards the outdoors being an extension of the Inside classroom. This doesn’t mean doing the exact same activities, but rather engaging 与 children in the same holistic ways Outside as Inside. The first step to this engagement is providing a rich physical learning environment.
Do children have access to lots of loose parts? (理想情况下是 both natural and manufactured materials)
Are all types of play available to children? (Not just physical, but imaginative play, art play, etc.)
Are there play opportunities related to all learning domains (literacy, math, etc.)?
To help educators create a natural outdoor play area that 真正的 serves as an extension of the classroom, we created the Examining the Natural Play Area: An extension of the indoor classroom? 工作簿.
This 工作簿 指南 you through a quick check of the materials, 特性, and play opportunities available in your outdoor play area. It also provides prompts to reflect on how the natural play area is used in children’s play. Check it out if you’re looking to dig deeper into making the 简单的天气 days even easier!
再一次。, the goal of a natural play area is to provide children 与 opportunities for deep and extensive play and interactions—just like when they're indoors!
As the weather gets easier, I hope you’ll consider spending even more of your day outdoors. While I can’t guarantee the experience will be perfect, I can assure you that a clear routine and a rich learning space will make the experience much, much better for everyone!
顺便说一下, if you’re where the weather is starting to get harder for you, I hope you’ll still consider more of your day outdoors!
不断改变生活，
瑞秋
瑞秋一. Larimore, Ph值.D., Chief Visionary of Samara Learning
P.S.–The Examining the Natural Play Area 工作簿 is one of the more than 50 templates, 指南, and ready-to-print flyers available to members of 格罗夫购物中心. 不是会员? Learn more and join here.
