Alphablocks Nursery School | Ofsted Outstanding | Hadley WoodDuring the previous term, we noticed that our children were showing a strong interest in light and shadows, as well as colours and space. As usual, we followed the children’s interests and ideas, and we decided to have a whole half term dedicated to the theme “Colour and Light”.
There is little doubt that physical activity (PA) is essential in early childhood health and development. The officially recommended level of PA for most children is 180 minutes, distributed throughout the day. But the majority of children do not reach this level and, in some cases, the actual activity during the day amounts to much less than this. We are acutely aware of this at Alphablocks Nursery School, and we have always taken a pragmatic approach. In particular, various activities throughout the day are geared towards increasing PA, going beyond the usual sports and physical education sessions – such as Music & Movement, Yoga, Drama, ‘Daily Mile‘ activities, and of course our Forest School sessions. Our approach has now been validated by a new analysis of what can contribute to children’s PA.
Research from University College London’s Institute of Education has shown that between 1995 and 2019, the amount of break time afforded to children between the ages of 5 and 7 had reduced by 45 minutes per week. More recently, the pandemic, and the consequent school closures, has left many children without the opportunity to play at all.
British Psychological Society, 2021 (source)
Written by Laura Rodemeyer, EYTS, Qualified Forest School Practitioner
We want our children to feel a sense of belonging and responsibility towards their environment, have a sound knowledge of the flora and fauna that surrounds them and to be able to recognise the beauty and importance of the natural world. The Forest School approach is a useful tool to achieve these goals, giving children opportunities to learn about and explore the world they live in.
It is crucially important that an early learning curriculum is responsive to the changing needs of children so that opportunities for growth and development are not missed.