One snowy morning a group of children took a walk to the forest to see the changes that happened over the weekend! There was lots of snow on the ground and the children wanted to go explore the forest in its winter state. As soon as the children entered the forest they noticed all the animal prints on the ground! They decided to follow the footprints to see where it led them. As they continued to follow the prints, it brought them deeper and deeper into the forest. Once the children arrived, they took a moment to look around at all the changes that had occurred due to the snowfall. They noticed they could no longer see the dirt ground, some branches and trees were covered in snow. They also mention that the ground sounded crunchy as they took steps forward.
The forest is a place where the children has the opportunity to be creative with how they choose to interact with the forest. Through the process of direct play in the forest, the children are also learning how to appreciate nature and the habitat of animals that may live in it. The educators encourage the children to explore everything that forest has to offer and to also respect that forest itself. The educators remind the children that we want to respect the forest because we want to see it bloom again once the warm weather comes back.
The Environment
The environment is the context in which learning takes place. The environment was described by Loris Malaguzzi as “the third teacher” and is valued for its power to organize, promote relationships, and educate. It mirrors the ideas, values, attitudes, and cultures of those who use the space.” (HDLH, 2014. Pg. 20)
Opportunities to experience nature enhance children’s sense of wonder and joy in the world around them, whether programs are located in large urban centres with small patches of green space, gardens, and trees or in vast fields and forests. HDLH, 2014. Pg, 21
The children will continue to visit the forest to discover different things. The children can continue and expand their learning by bringing it back to school and discussing what they found, where they found it, its purpose in the forest, etc.
