Political, spiritual and social leaders, artists, poets and inventors across the centuries have viewed nature as a source of inspiration, of comfort and solace, of creativity and renewal.
The importance of nature as a source of solace and inspiration to many of us was reiterated in a recent National Trust poll. It found that for many adults their favourite childhood memories are of the outdoors - building dens, playing in the park and observing wildlife.
But what of the generation of children who are now in early years settings? How many of them will, in later life, recall their experience of nature as an essential source of their learning and development?
The same National Trust research found that 79 per cent of today's children say they want to get outside more, as they spend too much time indoors, watching TV or playing computer games, activities which few adults (4 per cent) viewed as highlights of their childhood.
Many children spend so little time outdoors that common British wildlife is alien to them, and what they do know is learned from television programmes rather than first-hand experience.
EXPERIENCING NATURE
Outdoor play is every young child's entitlement. Experiencing nature may provide the important well-springs for children's present and future creativity.
Such experiences might include the sounds of the wind and the birds, the feel of rain or snow on their faces, the shapes of the clouds or the colours and smells of flowers and plants.
Most of us will recall times when 'nature took our breath away', such as seeing a brilliant sunset, a harvest moon, a powerful waterfall.
Such experiences cannot, of course, be experienced or recreated within a setting's outdoor area, though practitioners may be able to provide children with a richer 'immersion' in nature by developing a Forest School or by taking them on trips to the sea, a forest or high hill and allowing them to absorb such surroundings with all their senses - lying on their backs to watch the clouds, rolling down a grassy slope, skimming pebbles across a lake, building dams and bridges in a stream.
USING NATURE'S MATERIALS
Yet it is still possible for children with access to only the smallest of urban outdoor areas to gain direct experiences of nature, experiences that will inspire and nurture creativity.
This requires practitioners to consider to observe children's interests and to introduce materials and resources that will enable them to follow these interests and express themselves creatively with others.
To achieve this, children need to have access to mix of open-ended resources capable of combining to fire their imaginations and potentially providing endless opportunities for play.
Such resources are sometimes described as 'loose parts' - a term introduced by Simon Nicholson, who believed that the more flexible the 'loose parts', the more varied the play that they will inspire.
Writing in 1971, he noted, 'In any environment, both the degree of inventiveness and the creativity, and the possibility of discovery are directly proportional to the number and kind of variables in it.'
This theory of 'loose parts' has been adopted and adapted by many play theorists and early childhood educators.
Nature provides 'loose parts' in abundance: sticks, stones and shells for decoration, trail laying, treasure seeking; logs and boulders for creating story circles; clay, soil and sand for moulding and building; charcoal and chalk for drawing; plants for dying and making into 'brews' or 'perfume'; seeds for decoration.
'Loose parts' can also include tools for working with natural elements outside - buckets, spades, barrows and so forth.
When introducing such resources:
- bear in mind that children many need time to familiarise themselves with resources through play before they use them to 'make' something
- avoid over-cluttering an area, which can inhibit creativity
- provide accessible storage so that children know where to find materials when they need them.
THE CREATIVE PROCESS
Being outdoors gives children the space and time to develop their imagination and give expression to what is going on in their hearts and minds.
It is often easier to allow children to 'be messy' outdoors, or to do things on a big scale, whether it is using paint for a big mural or constructing dens.
Through the creative and expressive arts, children learn to externalise and make visible to others what they are thinking and feeling.
Opportunities for making marks, drawings, paintings, moulding shapes from wet sand or clay, laying trails or building dens will help consolidate thinking and inspire others to respond, which in turn takes children's thinking and imagination even further.
What is vital is that the early years practitioner should concentrate on the creative process rather than the end result.
Loris Malaguzzi (1920-1994), the inspiration behind the educational approach adopted in Reggio Emilia pre-schoools, reminds us, 'Creativity becomes more visible when adults try to be more attentive to the cognitive processes of children than to the results they achieve in various fields of doing and understanding.'
Important, too, is that children are given time to follow their lines of enquiry and become familiar with natural materials over a long period - sometimes days or weeks - and in an atmosphere of trust and respect. Only then will they feel safe enough to immerse themselves in creative expression.
Annie Davy, early years adviser, Learning Through Landscapes, is currently on secondment from Oxfordshire County Council, where she is Head of Early Learning and Childcare
NATURALLY INSPIRED
'Give me a spark of Nature's fire. That's all the learning I desire.'
Robert Burns (1759-1796), Scottish poet
'Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries.'
Jimmy Carter, former president of US, awarded 2002 Nobel Peace Prize
'All my life through, the new sights of nature made me rejoice like a child.'
Marie Curie (1867-1934), physicist, twice awarded the Nobel Prize
'Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.'
Rachel Carson (1907-1964), award-winning American marine biologist, environmentalist and author of Silent Spring
'I need no inspiration other than Nature's. She has never failed me yet. She mystifies me, bewilders me, sends me into ecstasies.'
Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), Indian political and spiritual leader
"There is not a sprig of grass that shoots uninteresting to me."
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) third president of the USA and principal author of the declaration of independence
SPARKING CREATIVITY
Outdoor area
- Provide plenty of 'loose parts'. Start with ones that nature provides for free, such as stones, sticks, pine cones, gravel and leaves. Encourage the children and parents to collect more on walks to the setting or if they go out with their families at weekends.
- Provide an outdoor environment with plenty of malleable materials, such as sand, mud and clay, on as large a scale as possible.
- Provide easy access to water and means to transport materials between areas, such as wheelbarrows, buckets and pulleys.
- Provide resources such as chalks, crayons, paints, brushes, pens, paper and cameras so that children can document their own work with ease and view this as an integral part of whatever project they are involved in.
- Try to give children different experiences of all the elements - earth, water, air, fire, animals, minerals and vegetation.
- Grow things, even if you are restricted to pots, planters and window boxes.
- Talk to wildlife trusts about developing habitats for insects and animals and birds in your outdoor area.
- Provide opportunities for projects to build over time and continue for as long as they hold the children's interest.
Local community
Seek out local places that will give children a different experience of nature and the living world - a farm, country park, nature reserve, woodland, river or beach. Encourage parents to do the same.
INFORMATION
- Nicholson,Simon (1971) 'How NOT to Cheat Children: The theory of loose parts'. Landscape Architecture, October 30-34
- Information on the Reggio Emilia approach is at: www.sightlines-initiative.com
- The National Trust research is at: www.nationaltrust.org.uk
- Nursery World London conference on Outdoor Learning and Play on 18 November. Visit: www.outdoor playconference.com
