Philosophy
EarthChild Explorers was developed based on the inspiration of the Forest School and the Nature School Philosophies' where children engage with the outdoor world to construct knowledge while taking the lead in the learning process and building relationships along the way.
The many benefits of outdoor learning environments include the opportunity to build important physical, social, cognitive, and life skills that pave the way and support pathway connections in the brain for academic learning to take place. While the children at EarthChild Explorers are taught literacy, math, science, social studies, the arts, and physical development it takes place organically through play using hands-on explorations. The teachers are equipped with the background to support in providing both planned learning opportunities and the ability to follow the lead of the children where teachable moments can occur. The various curriculum that guides our rhythm include Exploring Nature with Children, Wild Reading, and Wild Math.
Nature is the fundamental tool used in daily activities where child-led exploration is encouraged. Through observations and teacher interactions, planned and intentional activities are introduced to expand on the interest of learning of each and every child. Writing in the dirt, using rocks to make letters, problem solving how to move a tree branch, creating patterns using the natural elements, and observing the changes in the sky are just a few activities one might find in the outdoor learning space.
What the research tells us
Research has found a range of remarkable positive impacts to the development of young children who are exposed to frequent, unstructured play in diverse natural settings. Some of these developmental gains include the ability to think critically, problem solve, collaborate, take risks, and build resiliency. Studies have found that children who attend outdoor schools have improved self-confidence, social skills, language development, communication, motivation, and concentration (O'Brien 2007).
Social and emotional development is the foundation to early childhood development and is embedded in all that we do at EarthChild Explorers. Learning in outdoor environments also improves health by reducing stress and increases physical activity while building skills such as agility, balance, and coordination (Fjortoft, 2014).