This toolkit is filled with practical ideas and resources to plan a mud day celebration or support the use of mud as a valuable teaching and learning tool. Explore the history of International Mud Day, health benefits, curriculum links, resource lists, and more.
World Environment Day 2020: a practical guide for individuals, faith groups, businesses, cities, governments, schools & universities, youth groups and civil society. This guide is a call to action to combat accelerating species loss and degradation of the natural world, listing practical measures that all levels of society can take to encourage and support biodiversity across our planet.
Subject Area: World Environment Day
Rich play and learning opportunities need to be influenced by considered design, planning and construction and by the pedagogy and risk/benefit philosophy of educators. This cross-sector resource provides tools and information to highlight the value of self-exploration, discovery and challenge for children’s development. Case Studies from South Australian sites offer stories of experience and conviction, helping children navigate risk and challenge and optimise learning opportunities.
Subject Area: Risk
A straightforward resource from the US that details what makes great nature play, why it is important, and how you can restore it to your children’s daily lives.
This 84-page guide has a strong focus on nurturing the mental health and wellbeing of families, including providing accessible, nature-based methods that can be practiced at home, your neighbourhood and nearby nature.
This excellent resource from Scotland, clearly explains the Reggio Emilia approach in early years settings and asks what the Scottish early years education system can learn from this. Whilst relevant to Scotland, the reflective content can easily be applied to our own education system. The document explains why direct replication of the Reggio Approach would be both difficult and not recommended, yet can undoubtedly serve as a stimulus for much needed change within our own system.
Subject Area: Reggio Emilia
This toolkit from the World Forum Foundation’s Nature Action Collaborative and Nature Explore contains over 80 pages of activities to use with children ages 3-8 years old in early childhood and school settings. The guide is focused on positive actions that teachers and children can take together to make the world a “greener” and healthier place.
Year Level: Early Years, Primary
Sharing Nature author and speaker Joseph Cornell takes us through the wonders of a Forest Bathing exercise. Find out why the tranquil experience of Forest Bathing can be a relief from modern urban life’s stresses. Suitable for both adults and children.
This Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play was developed in Canada in conjunction with a cross-sectorial group of partners, stakeholders and researchers from around the world seeking an evidence-informed Position Statement on active outdoor play for children aged 3–12 years. The Position Statement was created in response to practitioner, academic, legal, insurance and public debate, dialogue and disagreement on the relative benefits and harms of active (including risky) outdoor play. The final Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play states: “Access to active play in nature and outdoors—with its risks— is essential for healthy child development. We recommend increasing children’s opportunities for self-directed play outdoors in all settings—at home, at school, in child care, the community and nature.” The full Position Statement provides context for the statement, evidence supporting it, and a series of recommendations to increase active outdoor play opportunities to promote healthy child development.
Excellent resource full of great ideas and imagery to help families and care providers restore nature to children’s everyday outdoor play and learning environments. Includes information on the developmental benefits of nature play,the importance of risk taking, where to start and how to implement change in your play space. Includes a list of suggested materials to introduce, different types of settings, how to manage a nature play space and the importance of getting children’s input right from the beginning.