There are times in our work as educators, that call for us to slow down, take a breath and be in the moment with a child. Teaching in a Nature Explore Classroom can help us take that pause and gently wonder alongside a child. The pace and the questions we pose can directly impact the…
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What does a Nature Explore Classroom say to a child? A Nature Explore Classroom is nature arranged for children. The various activity areas and the overall designs draw investigations and expressions that are more varied than you’d find in an unstructured natural space. Loris Malaguzi, founder of the Reggio Emilia educational philosophy, said that children…
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Johnny had trouble speaking, making very short sentences, even words. Three syllable words were a challenge. He was often frustrated by seeing the ease with which other children his age could make their needs known to adults. And he saw this all day, every day. Johnny had the same wants and needs that the other…
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Blog originally posted on Jan 27,2015 NOTE TO READERS: We at Nature Explore are told many stories of children’s transformations through play in outdoor classrooms. Yet we rarely hear the back-story of the child’s original behaviors that change with exposure to nature. To know a behavior’s form is not to know its cause. You…
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We like to think of Dimensions Educational Research Foundation as a wise old oak tree with deep roots in research that feed the whole organization and inform the work of those in our broad network. At Dimensions we are serious about children’s learning. We understand the value of quality care and education during the early…
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Congratulations to our network of 400 Certified Nature Explore Classrooms! 10 years ago, we certified our first Nature Explore Classrooms. There were just a handful that first year but each year, as more and more people experience the benefits of allowing children to explore, play, learn and work in nature, our network grows. Nature Explore…
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He could have had a stellar career as a materials and mechanical engineer. In fact, he has. But in addition to experimenting with automobile sound systems and developing aircraft parts, Chris Nissen did something else—something that has changed the lives of children across the country. He made a drum. While working on a project for…
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The first time Sean Murphy and Anne Froning built a marimba, they were winging it. They’d never made an instrument—they really didn’t have woodworking experience at all—but, inspired to create a sturdy outdoor instrument that would work well in an outdoor classroom, they dove headfirst into the project. “We’re artists, and we don’t say no to work,”…
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“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” -George Bernard Shaw As a parent, watching my son experience the world around him is a true joy in my life. There is something so beautiful and humbling about the way a child can connect to a moment in life…
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From under the shelter of a tree, a six year old calls to her playmates. “Listen, come hear my song.” Her friends gather around. She sings of the sun rising high in the sky and the sparkling rivers connecting to the sea. Her refrain includes the melodic phrase, “because this beautiful day means everything to…
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