Play in Nature and the Developing Child
“If getting our kids out into nature is a search for perfection, or is one more chore, then the belief in perfection and the chore defeats the joy. It's a good thing to learn more about nature in order to share this knowledge with children; it's even better if the adult and child learn about nature together. And it's a lot more fun.”
― Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
Did you know that nature is good for people?
I imagine the answer is a resounding YES!
Why is Nature-led education especially valuable for the children's development? What is emergent with science and research in this area currently? What are the benefits? Did you know we are finding children require contact, connection and engagement with nature, in various ways, to reach their full developmental potential? How can we access this potential for our children? How is play involved in Nature-led education?
It has been researched that play is invaluable for the developing child. We see play, in our Nature-led programs, as integral opportunities for learning, for every child, at any age.
"Children's occupation is play...." listen here on more....described here by a colleague of mine Kathleen Lockyer
BEan IN NATURE's philosophy:
BEan In Nature mentors facilitate kids to love, care and connect to nature not by using a ‘teach at the child’ didactic model, instead we use the skillful art of questioning, creative guiding and mentoring, experiential child-led focus and facilitate learning by doing, where we share our contagious enthusiasm, our imagination, and our own love of nature.
We believe that connecting to nature with the guidance of a creative nature mentor, who skillfully facilitates nature awareness, ancestral skills and crafts, while out in nature’s classroom, allows children to develop a strong sense of self and a natural love of science. In this design children are naturally accessing their whole imaginations, incorporating their whole focus, all the while growing into amazing earth stewards.
What will they learn?
At BEan In Nature, we fill each day building relationships and engaging with the earth.
Children become naturalists, scientists, artists, earth stewards, regenerative farmers, writers, journalists, and more! As they develop their innate curiosity and discover their passions they develop a strong sense of place, anchor in their sense of self, and connect to nature in a safe community environment with BEan. At the end of the day, in our Nature-led day camp nature community, we collect our epic adventures together, sharing our experiences with each other in our closing circles.
Join us on this adventure in BEan IN NATURE programs this summer and during our yearly sessions!
An Excerpt from a child, on listening
“Time in nature is not leisure time; it's an essential investment in our children's health (and also, by the way, in our own).”
― Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
