Health, Nutrition, And Safety

Finally, I work hard to create an indoor and outdoor environment that enriches, challenges, and encourages children to develop interests, connect with each other, have alone time, and learn through play. I accomplish this goal by continually assessing my play materials, adding new things, gauging my children’s interests and needs, and adjusting my environment accordingly.

Children need to experiment outdoors as there is so much to learn. Children can learn in each of the areas and develop their skills. During play children are learning to socialise with each other, playing in small groups and taking turns which builds there confidence up. They also develop their motor skills through playing outdoors, running, jumping, walking and crawling. Children will learn to take risks

The place of the activities should be planned in consideration of the desired outcome. Outdoor environment should be considered whenever possible if the type of the activity and the weather allows it.

Security: Any outside area used by children should be secured and boundaries regularly inspected, to ensure the safety of all pupils.

Their main objective is to create a safe educational environment for the children to learn in to help them develop in all areas. The setting offers a variety of activities for the children to take part in which will develop areas of their holistic development which will work with the children to reach the goals set for them.

When planning healthy and safe indoor and outdoor environments or activities with children and young people you must take into consideration these principles:

Whatever age group or setting you are working with, you must plan an environment that encourages the development of the whole child. First of all you think about the different settings that children and young people aged 0-16 years may experience. These settings have both indoor and outdoor physical spaces that need to be considered. The layout of the physical environment is your team’s responsibility and contributes to giving each child positive outcomes in their learning, and development. The available space will influence the way the furniture and equipment is set out.

I believe that each child is unique individual who needs a secure, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically, and socially. It is my desire as an educator to help students meet their fullest potential in these areas by providing an environment that is safe, supports risk-taking, and invite a sharing of ideas. There are three elements that I believe are conducive to establishing such an environment namely, the teacher acting guide, allowing the child’s natural curiosity to direct his/her learning, promoting respect for all the things and all the people.

Natural outdoor environment has positive effects on children's social development and motor skills development.Outdoor play is less structured so it gives children more opportunity to discover, learn about different textures, sounds and children also gain important physical skills.Children feel more free and they use their whole bodies to explore.Natural environments stimulate children's imagination and engage their sense of curiosity.

It is important when planning and setting up learning activities that indoor and outdoor environments are hazard free and that staff and pupils will be able to work safely. The following factors must be taken into account when planning healthy and safe indoor and outdoor environments and services;

“Outdoor education is in line with current thinking, but also echo’s the philosophy of the McMillan sisters. Practitioners today should be aware of the opportunities afforded by outdoor provision, not only in terms of developing children’s learning, but also with positive benefits to their health” (Cooper 2004)

All learning and exploring is positive and nurturing. The environment needs to encourage children’s development. It’s how children feel positive and confident about their sense of self and their individual accomplishments. Their space needs to provide a balance of challenge, risk and safety.

Equipment and Environment: The lesson will take place in a large area outside of the school free of any obstruction. There will be bright orange place markers so the children know not to wonder out of the designated areas.

Children through play and leisure, children and young people explore their physical and social environment, test out ideas and concepts.

With the expansion in technology, children are hastily becoming more and more inactive. In the past century, kids would play outside from sunrise to sunset. Little did they realize, that playtime served