Setting up an Active Learning Environment (Part 2)

In my post, Setting up an Active Learning Environment (Part 1), I detailed how I would plan and execute the outdoor activities for the children. This gets changed either on a daily or on a weekly basis, depending on the level of engagement of the children with the activities or equipment that are set up. Therefore, a constant environment makeover is necessary to create a learning environment that encourages the children to be engaged, be curious, solve problems, explore their surroundings independently and take appropriate risks.

In the same post, I also explained how children could benefit from those activities that I set up. I don't place toys and equipment as part of the environment just for the sake of "setting up something", or "just because". I need to take into account the individual goals we have for each child, as well as training them to become more independent, have a sense of agency and gain ability to take responsibility of their own health, such as personal hygiene and self-regulation (when they're feeling hungry or thirsty, or even when they're feeling upset).

According to the Early Years Learning Framework, as children develop a sense of agency, they begin to be able to make their own decisions and to control their own lives.

The "Early Years Learning Framework" is used by Australian preschool teachers and early childhood educators/workers as a curriculum framework that guides them in their practice in developing quality programmes and delivering quality service and care to the children.

How did the children explore the active learning environment this week?

First of all, it is a blessing that we have a wide open space to implement activities that are play-based and that encourage the children to engage in large amounts of physical activity. They enjoyed and actively engaged in all of the areas of the environment:

obstacle course
imaginative play opportunities in the cubby house, boat, sandpit area and dolls/dollhouse
open space for ball games
train tracks construction
bikes / bike tracks
painting, arts and crafts

Because we are also situated next to the school vegetable garden, the children get to visit the garden every day as we need to put our food scraps into the compost bay. It's also a learning opportunity for them to be responsible and show respect to the environment.

Obstacle Course

Some of the children still find it difficult to balance themselves on the stepping stones and climbing frames, however, they still challenged themselves in the obstacle course. They celebrated their achievements when they got through and they did this repeatedly.

The 3-year-olds made attempts and quite enjoyed the challenge. Some children requested for hula-hoops so I got some from the storage shed and gave it to them. They placed the hula-hoops on the ground as additional items in the obstacle course, where they had to jump into the hoops without touching or stepping on them.

Ball Games

The children also enjoyed the ball game whilst practicing their kicking skills and chasing after the ball. Whilst some have quite improved in their hand-eye-feet coordination and kicking abilities, others are still practicing their throwing and catching skills. It is good to see the children getting so engaged in physical play, and they seem to enjoy it more when the Teachers/Educators are also participating in the sports with them.

In my other post, Benefits of Physical Activity to Young Children, I explained that:

Children need exercise, lots of physical movements, music and more time outdoors. They should be given more opportunities to develop their physical skills, such as locomotor, stability or balance and manipulative, in order to achieve their maximum potential.

When children grow up and are used to developing these skills, they can become confident and physically active adults. Through experiences that involve physical activities, children are also learning cooperative learning skills and important social and emotional skills that are necessary for building relationships with other children. Furthermore, because they are not confined within the four corners of their house, they can become more in tune with their environment and can connect to the natural world.

Imaginative play or "pretend-play"

The cubby house, at one stage, was transformed into a plane, and children enjoyed the experience of being on the plane and taking the roles of pilot and flight attendants. Some were happy to be just the passengers.

Since the beginning of the school year, their imagination and creativity have come into play when they have turned the cubby house and the boat into a library, shop, restaurant, spider web, and music corner. The children's creative ideas are endless and they all enjoy the "simple pleasure of inhabiting a space."

The cubby house and the boat, and even the sandpit area, allowed the children to reflect on their own lives and their families, and their local community. As mentioned earlier, when the cubby house was transformed into a plane, the plane was called "Air India" which was a product of two children's interests. These two children have connected with each other and have become instant buddies. One of them loves aeroplanes (in fact, he can name all of the airline companies just by looking at the logos). The other child is Indian. Every time they play together, they call the cubby house as the "India house."

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Summary:

It is important that children are active regardless of their level of ability. When they are active, their brains are stimulated and it is not just the physical body that is working but also their mental faculties. It helps them to develop their imagination and creativity, at the same time, encourages them to have self-confidence and independence.

Being active also promotes social skills as they interact with one another. Children, who did not use to play together, have become part of shared play experiences. All the children in a particular group are giving their ideas, and so their language and communication skills are being developed as well. When everybody is working together, physical activity becomes an enjoyment whilst developing holistic wellbeing of the children.