“Let nature be your teacher.

” William Wordsworth

Our school places special emphasis on inquiry, utilizing place-based, outdoor and experiential

learning, with opportunities for nature immersion, play using the scientific method, and ecological

education. We designed our school environment with holistic wellness in mind to exceed the typical

learning environment in terms of the organic food grown on-site, the yoga studio area, and the quiet areas

where students nap, can have 1:1 conferences with the teacher or work alone. We offer a huge variety of

activities such as an outdoor science centre, forest theatre, an organic garden, an outdoor fitness centre,

and a special events tent, which borrows from the sensory Snoezelen environment when the starlight

lights are turned on, and that can be used as outdoor space in alternative weather. We place special

emphasis on inquiry learning using techniques like the scientific method free play and nature immersion.

Our philosophy is to satisfy the “the human desire to connect and be with nature” and to design a

“magical, natural environment full of awe and wonder”, an arena for inquisitive thinking and creative

expression, as well as “naturalistic outdoor play”. Borrowing many ideas from the book Nurture through

Nature, we wanted to cultivate a special bond between the adult teacher, child, and nature in “a place of

space, changing light, temperature and sense”, so we also used a blend of three spaces: the indoor space,

the outdoor environment, and the wilder wood and tent area. The use of outdoor space is important to our

teaching space “because of the freedom the outdoors offers to move on a large scale, to be active, noisy

and messy and to use all their senses with their whole body”. In addition to the quiet space mentioned

above, the other half of the indoor space is a more lively direct instruction space, a collaborative art area

where work can be displayed or music can be shared, a dramatic arts centre with costumes and props, and

a larger more comfortable conference-style table for dining together and for group bonding. It was

important for us that the mini centers and sections of our indoor space would be “versatile, open-ended

and flexible” and there are lots of windows so that ecological education can continue even during rainy

days. There are many animals living around the school and the windows are also placed near feeders so

that children can come to respect and learn more about animals and share the space instilling the

importance of living things and global citizenship.

“Let nature be your teacher.” William Wordsworth

We wanted to ensure we were cautious of what Humberstone calls perpetuating the “ideologies

underpinning outdoor traditions” that are in danger of promoting “specific forms of masculinity” and

heterosexism promoted in sport. We will be encouraging girls to engage in the same risky play as boys.

Risky play has been defined in outdoor education literature as an “exciting activity that involves a risk of

physical injury, and play that provides opportunities for challenge, testing limits, exploring boundaries

and learning about injury risk (Sandseter (2007; Little & Wyver, 2008). The outdoor

space is designed with an element of risky play with an aim to avoid what Sandseter

(2010a, pg. 8) calls a ‘safety-obsessed society’, resulting in children whom are “less

physically fit, have little control over motor skills, and are less able to manage risk” (see

image at left from Free Spirit Forest School link)

Sensory Considerations | Peppermint and citrus is known to encourage focused and

engagement, and lavender is known for its calming effect. Essential oils will be used in

an essential oil diffuser, and in our arts and sensory stations. Since we will have excellent relationships

with the families and children, we will be aware of severe chemical sensitivities or asthma before

bringing scents into any centre. Once we are sure the children and parents are on board, we introduce

scents in our classroom, for example, adding lavender essential oil to our play dough recipe to create a

calming sensory play based experience or by using a diffuser for a specific scent during dramatic arts for

a heightened experience. Some students will benefit from sensory environments where light and texture is

critical in deescalating behaviors. Although there is not a great deal of research since becoming popular in

the 1990s, the general consensus from the literature is that positive outcomes result from exposure to

Snoezelen environments. The light in the tent symbolized the use of this space as a Snoelezelen

environment.

Outdoor/Experiential Science and Math

“Let nature be your teacher.” William Wordsworth

Outside we have a station set up for math and science resources for student-centre inquiry based play as

well as for free time. The outdoor garden is a place-based centre activities for learning. We want to

encourage our students to begin thinking “like scientists and better understand the role of science” in their

everyday lives and activities will be adapted from the book Place-Based Science Teaching and Learning:

40 Activities for K–8 Classrooms (2012).

References

Warden, C. H. Nurture Through Nature.

Humberstone, B. (2000). The ‘outdoor industry’ as social and educational phenomena: Gender
and outdoor adventure/education. Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor
Learning, 1(1), 21-35. doi:10.1080/14729670085200041
Buxton, C. A., and Provenzo, Jr., E. F. Place-Based Science Teaching and Learning: 40
Activities for K–8 Classrooms. (2012).

McCue, H. (2010). The Learning Circle: Classroom Activities on First Nations in Canada - Ages
4 to 7

McCurdy, L., Winterbottom, K., Mehta, S. & Roberts, J. (2010). Using nature and outdoor
activity to improve children’s health. Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health
Care, 40, 102–117. Retrieved 17th April 2014
from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1538544210000441

Mount H., Cavet J. Multi-sensory environments:An explo-ration of their potential for young
people with profound and multiple learning difficulties. British Journal of Special Education
1995; 22: 52 – 55

Sandseter, E. B. H. (2007). Categorizing risky play – How can we identify risk-taking in

children’s play? European Early Child Education Research Journal, 15(2), 237-252. Retrieved
27th September 2017 from
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13502930701321733#.UygSNM6YcRA.

Free Spirit Forest School. Retrieved 27th September 2017 from

http://fsforestschool.com/2017/09/18/risky-play/

Seven Ways to Make Your Classroom Smell Amazing. By Vanessa Levin. Retrieved 27th
September 2017 from https://www.pre-kpages.com/7-ways-to-make-your-classroom-smell-
amazing/