Knowledgeable and enthusiastic adults are crucial to unlocking the potential of outdoors.’ This statement is one of three Visions and Values for Outdoor Play in the Early Years agreed by outdoor learning experts in 2004 for the organisation Learning Through Landscapes. Professor Jan White, an early years outdoor provision consultant who helped write the statement, says to deliver effective outdoor education, practitioners should ‘deeply believe themselves that children must be outdoors’.
She says conducting action research projects in the outdoors is a simple way for early years staff to develop their knowledge and refresh their enthusiasm. ‘Action research is where you look at what’s happening in your outdoor provision, you identify an area you’d like to work on, and how you would work on it,’ she says. ‘Then you try it and see how well that’s worked: what impact has this change had? Is it more engaging for children? Is it meeting everyone’s needs?’
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