Making the Most of Outdoor
Time with Preschool Children
I
Distributed in furtherance
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of May 8 and June 30, 1 91 4.
Emplo yment and program
opportunities are offered to
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North Carolina State University,
North Carolina A&T State
University, U.S. Department
of Agriculture, and local
governments cooperating.
Think back to your childhood. What did
you enjoy most when you played out¬
doors? Maybe you made messy mud
pies by the creekbed, swung on a vine,
or played hide-and-seekamong the
willow trees. Together, play and the
outdoors uniquely contribute to learning
in young children.
Therefore, it is critical to look at the
entire child care environment where
children learn, play, and grow. This
includes not only the classroom inside,
but also the outdoor space. Although the
field of early childhood education has
defined quality in child care settings, it
has given the greatest attention to indoor
space, group size, teacher qualifications,
and using developmentally appropriate
practices with young children. Now it is
time to turn our attention to the world of
learning opportunities waiting outdoors.
Recent work (DeBord, Moore,
Hestenes, Cosco, and McGinnis, 2002)
describes five domains for consideration
when planning outdoor play and learning
spaces for young children. These
domains include the physical outdoor
environment, interactions, play and
learning settings, program, and teacher/
caregiver role.
Physical Outdoor
Environment
The physical outdoor environment
provides a special stage for action and
can stimulate children’s play, learning, and
physical activity. The environment in¬
cludes both the context of the outdoor
play area and how the child care building
and play space sit on the lot. Outdoor
spaces, however, must be designed in a
way that allows children to take safe risks
while testing their emerging abilities. A
safe, well-planned environment provides
opportunities for children to seek new
challenges as they master old ones.
Natural play spaces can stimulate
children’s imaginations and engage their
sense of curiosity as they explore their
physical surroundings and learn in ways
beyond what they can experience indoors.
Often child care programs are located in
space that was designed neither for a
child care program nor for outdoor learn¬
ing. Certainly some barriers exist that
prohibit teachers from making major
changes, but envisioning an evolution of
the space is critical. Changes cannot
occur overnight, but certainly incremental
change can be incorporated into a long-
range plan.
A few factors should be considered
when evaluating the space for the outdoor
learning areas. Considerthese questions:
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