3.2 Planning environments for learning
The Reggio Emilia programs in Italy introduced the concept of the environment as the “third teacher” besides the two adult educators in an early years classroom. This can be a useful concept for thinking about the design of environments for children. The play space, whether it is indoors or outdoors, can provide multi-sensory experiences, information, provocations to explore, meaningful opportunities to use a wide variety of interesting materials and tools, time and spaces to practice and develop skills – both as individuals and with other children and adults.
Watch as Melanie Walters describes how the staff at Kittiwake Daycare in Vancouver implement the idea of the environment as the third teacher.
What qualities are important for an environment to function as the third teacher?
The classroom environment can help shape a child’s identity as a powerful player in his or her own life and the lives of others. To foster such an environment, teachers must go deeper than what is merely seen at eye level and develop a deep understanding of the underlying principles and of children’s thinking, questions, and curiosities” (Biermeier, 2015, para. 3).
As you watch the video, which shows play areas in the Lab School at the University of Minnesota, consider the attention to detail and what values are communicated to children.
Now watch the next video to hear the director Sheila Williams-Ridge explain how intentionality and predictability factor into the educators’ decisions about how to set up the environment.
You learned about reflective practice on the previous page. Now Dr. Christine McLean provides an example of how adults can use reflective practice to plan environments for learning.
Listen to Deb Curtis describe the concept of “invitations”.
View the following slide show highlighting samples of invitations at Robertson Early Enrichment Program (now known as Inspired by Wonder), a centre in Winnipeg Manitoba.
In order to get a slightly different perspective of this same environment, the next interactive activity allows you a unique opportunity to explore various rooms. Click on the interact icon below to get a 360 degree view of each room. You can use your mouse/cursor to move around rooms, zoom in and have a closer look at equipment or materials, and explore areas of interest.
Imagine young children in this environment. What do you think would catch their interest?
What type of play and interactions do you think you would observe?
What inspires you?
Looking at these beautiful and inviting environments can remind us of what is possible. Programs for children should be emotionally and intellectually nurturing and avoid becoming institutional in nature. Environments that are engaging, varied, and well-organized, rather than chaotic and stressful or dull and under-stimulating, help children become interested and focused in their play.
In programs for young children, spaces for small and large group activities can be suggested in a variety of ways such as mats on the floor, signs or posters on the walls and the way in which materials are set out.
Think about a play space you are familiar with:
- Does it provide opportunities for creative expression, choices and exploration?
- Is it predictable, calm and attractive or cluttered and chaotic?
- Is there an atmosphere of respect and caring?
- Does it facilitate children using materials in unique ways and are children allowed to combine materials from different areas?
- Does it engage children intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically?
Dr. Janette Pelletier, professor emerita at the University of Toronto, describes the difference between classrooms that do not encourage play-based learning and those that do.
In the next video, tables are used to organize the different activities available for children at the Zanzibar SOS Village Preschool.
Setting up the environment to encourage play and exploration does not have to be costly. Natural items such as small stones, sea shells, leaves, sticks and seeds can be collected and used for a variety of activities. Review examples of low-cost, no-cost materials for young children to manipulate and play with in the following slide presentation.
In the next video, watch as children in Tajikistan use a variety of natural materials in their play.
What opportunities for language and mathematical learning did you notice?
The resource sheet below, from the Canadian Child Care Federation, has easy to implement suggestions for creating an environment and play opportunities that support language development.
Inclusion
For some children, being an active participant means that the environment needs to be adapted in some way. Listen to Pat Furman, executive director of Inspired by Wonder in Winnipeg, describe how the staff at her centre strive to create an environment that supports inclusion of children. Then, watch the “parent perspective” video to hear from a parent whose child attends this centre. Consider how their perspectives compare.
Pat Furman discusses the centre’s inclusion philosophy, and lists examples of how staff intentionally and purposefully attempt to ensure every child feels a sense of belonging.
The parent talks about her child being included, making friends, having fun and being happy. What examples does the parent provide that illustrate the inclusion philosophy as it relates to her son? How do they demonstrate intention on the part of the staff?
Think about a children’s program you are familiar with. How does the environment support inclusion? Think about the overall environment, including the equipment, materials and arrangement of space. How else could staff support children’s sense of belonging, their relationships with others, and their participation in play experiences and routines?
Outdoor environments
While people tend to picture the indoor classroom space when they think about environments for learning, it is important to pay equal attention to the outdoor environment and the rich opportunities it provides for learning and development. In the next video, Williams-Ridge discusses outdoor play at the Shirley G. Moore Laboratory School.
The next video is of the outdoor area of the Kittiwake Children’s Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was filmed with special equipment that allows for 360° viewing. As you watch, use your cursor, or finger on a track pad, to rotate the angle that you see. N.B. Internet Explorer and many versions of Safari do not allow 360° viewing so you will have to use an alternate internet browser to see this properly (e.g., Firefox, Chrome).
From what Williams-Ridge says, and the outdoor play area that you saw in the Kittiwake footage, can you think about possible opportunities for children that are more readily available outdoors as compared to indoors?
The next video, filmed at two child care centres in Winnipeg, Manitoba, shows children enjoying a variety of outdoor activities on a cold winter day.
The next video is from the series, Our Children Our Ways. It features First Nations child care programs and was filmed in a variety of locations and seasons throughout Canada.
How do different climate, geographical, and community factors affect the implementation of outdoor programming?
Can you think of some children’s activities, which typically occur indoors, that could provide additional learning opportunities if they were “moved” outdoors?
Are there any ideas from this video that inspire you to try something new to facilitate children’s connections with nature?
Learn more about outdoor play opportunities with this resource sheet from the Canadian Child Care Federation.
In the next video, Dr. Mariana Brussoni, an academic scientist with the British Columbia Injury Research and Prevention Unit, discusses a study of children’s outdoor play spaces in Vancouver. She describes the changes that were made in two centres that received very low scores for outdoor play areas. The video shows many before and after images. Brussoni discusses the playground enhancements and how they impacted the children and the early childhood educators. For example, after the changes were in place the children showed increases in prosocial behaviour, independent play and physical movement.
As Brussoni says, the two playgrounds were changed in substantial ways with relatively limited budgets. If there are outdoor play areas where you work, are there ideas from this playground study that you can incorporate?
Learn more about the 7 C’s of Play Space Design.
The Alliance for Childhood has developed the following fact sheet for “play workers” who provide adventure play opportunities in some parts of the world.
The approach to environmental education for early childhood learners is less about organization of graduated achievements and more about free discovery on each child’s own terms. Personal perceptions, attitudes, and connections with nature are the key goals at this stage. . . . Particularly for very young children, environmental education should incorporate exploring woodlands, getting wet feet, climbing rocks, building with sticks, running on grass, turning over rocks, following insects, stomping in puddles, and so forth” (North American Association for Environmental Education, 2010, p. 3).
For more information on environmental education, read the following Guidelines for Excellence document published by the North American Association for Environmental Education. It provides details on six key characteristics of high quality early childhood environmental education programs.
To see more of their publications, explore the Guidelines for Excellence section of the website of the North American Association for Environmental Education.
Forest schools use the outdoors as the classroom for all or most of each day. What does this mean for daily routines? Discovery Children’s Centre in Winnipeg Manitoba offers a Field and Forest Nature School, a part time program for 3 and 4 year old children. Watch the next video to see how children enjoy snack outside on a cold winter day!
The next videos are with Marlene Power, executive director at Child and Nature Alliance Canada. In the first video, she explains that the two main components of a forest school are:
- regular and repeated visits to the same natural space; and
- a pedagogical approach that is play-based and emergent.
In the second video she discusses the importance of nature play.
Are you familiar with any forest schools in your community? What have you noticed about the environment and how it supports children’s play? How about your daily routines?
