Outdoor nursery
Introduction
This video allows learners to follow the experiences of young children who attend an outdoor nursery, where the focus is on the natural environment and outdoor play.
The children have opportunities to visit the beach and go on nature walks, and are encouraged to explore the world around them. They spend a lot of time in the garden, where they can play, grow vegetables, experience insects, and the weather. They often have lunch outdoors, cooked by staff over the safe fire pit, which fuels interest and excitement.
The children are encouraged to participate in the planning and evaluation of activities. This is considered essential in helping them build bonds and relationships with all the children and people involved in the life of the nursery.
Key themes
- outdoor play
- a key worker's role
- influences on development (eg parents, siblings, opportunities, outdoor nursery, healthy eating, ability to make choices, new experiences, play)
- opportunity for play and new experiences
- childcare services
- expected sequence of development relevant to age of the child or children
- normative development
- observation and assessment methods
Additional themes
You might want to learn more about:
- services available to young children — education services, supporting services (including private and voluntary provision); and NHS, including specialist services
- professionals involved — nursery teachers, practitioners, key workers, health visitors, home link workers, educational visitors, speech and language therapists
Strategies/initiatives that support early learning and childcare include:
- identification of relevant theory, related to age
- theorists, such as Suzanne Zeedyk and Mia Kellmer Pringle
- social learning theory
Links to further information
- What happens at a Forest School
- Outdoor provision and play
- My World Outdoors
- Managing risk in play
- Transition to early learning
- Working with young people
- Building resilience
- Meeting needs/holistic development, including needs of children with additional support needs
- Scottish Government - the early years framework
- SHANARRI
- Every day's a learning day: birth to three
- Every day's a learning day: three to six
- How good is our early learning and childcare?
- Suzanne Zeedyk
These links are not exhaustive and there are other valuable learning resources available.
If you feel that there is a link that would be valuable to other learners, please contact us with further information or add to the Childcare Ushare web page