Blog
A week of Virtual Nature School - Thomas' story
Bubbles, marbles and dens in the Virtual Nature School. In response to the need for quality nature-based learning resources for families during the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Claire Warden and Living......
REALITY, PRECAUTION AND HOPE
Consider the soundscape that your child hears at the moment. What sounds do they hear when they wake up? What narrative is present in the background of their day? The......
A BLOG ABOUT BOGS
30 years ago, I fell into a bog. The day was cold and clagged in. I couldn’t see more than a few inches in front of me and I slipped......
FORGOTTEN SPACES - A CORNER OF THE PLAYGROUND
Trees - A movable forest In this second blog on forgotten spaces we explore the concept of a movable forest and how this small action can soften a landscape and......
MISSION MUD-POSSIBLE!
If you choose to accept the mission read on... The wonderful work of the World Forum for Early Childhood led to the creation of international working forums to support the......
HEALTHY DIRT
Playing in mud helps our bodies function because we are in fact, not individuals. We are ecosystems with microbial partners (microbiota) that are involved in the development (particularly in early......
TRANSITIONS - CREATING A PROCESS RATHER THAN AN EVENT
Children are constantly involved in transitions that involve a change of thinking or behaviour. Adults often do not even give them a passing thought until a child shows they cannot......
FORGOTTEN CORNERS - DANDELIONS
Many educational environments have a forgotten corner where nature is making a silent move to claim back and recolonise the space. These plants and tenacious inhabitants are to be celebrated.......
SHARED VISIONS AND VALUES FOR OUTDOOR PLAY IN THE EARLY YEARS
The vision for all young children is that: All children have the right to experience and enjoy the essential and special nature of being outdoors from a very young age.......
L.O.V.E - LIVING OUR VALUES AND ETHICS - THANKS TO MONSOON!
Some time ago I was buying a particular piece of clothing and I looked at the tag label to see the new abbreviation that Monsoon had adopted to demonstrate the......
RE-ENGAGE CHILDREN WITH FLOORBOOKS
Floorbooks are a part of the Talking and Thinking Floorbook Approach®, as developed by Claire Warden, and discussed in Claire's book "Talking and Thinking Floorbooks" (3rd Edn., 2015). Floorbooks are......
THE DARK WOODS - CHILDREN EXPLORING FEAR
I always try to spend as much time at Auchlone Nature Kindergarten as my other commitments allow, and on one of the days I was there, the children had a......
IT'S NOT THE BUILDING, IT'S THE PEOPLE!
Why do we see learning as an indoor thing? We still frequently see relatively large new nursery buildings with comparatively small outdoor areas. It always makes me wonder… Why are......
HOW TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE, REFLECT AND RECORD
TIP: You'll need a Floorbook! Floorbooks are a staple tool used in most of our work at our award-winning Auchlone Nature Kindergarten. They are a simple concept, but when used......
CHILD-LED PLANNING - STARTING OUT WITH THE FLOORBOOK APPROACH
One of the questions I'm asked a lot about the Floorbook Approach is "is there a set sequence?" Like any methodology I would argue that you have to be responsive......
CREATING FASCINATING TALKING TUBS TO SUPPORT CHILD-LED LEARNING
Talking Tubs are a key part of the Floorbooks Approach, which will allow you to identify and explore children’s interests. A Talking Tub is a box filled with a variety......
DO NATURE AND TECHNOLOGY GO TOGETHER?
I have been watching children play for over 30 years now, and I still see exuberance and joy. I do however also see a technologically connected world which has allowed......