Green Room

NATURE - THEATRE - PLAY

THE GREEN ROOM has articles and discussions on theatre, nature, ecology, the environment, stories and play.

December 2003

NATURE AND PLAY: our children's heritage

For many children, their first encounter with the 'big wide world' is when they toddle outside in the garden or the park. However much we re-create outdoors indoors, through sand and water play, and farm and wild animals, or by having nature murals on the walls and animals in bowls and cages, it cannot match the real experience of being outside. I visited a nursery once where they had plastic grass for an indoor lawn.

Outdoor play and adventures are essential in a child's development at several different levels, and it is an issue that needs to be addressed in planning, building and all types of educational provision. Many playing fields have been sold off as building land and I am sure it is not unrelated to the very high proportion of inactive, obese children and adults that currently cause concern to health practitioners.

Infants and children need to come into contact with the natural world as early in their lives as possible. I know this is not easy for inner-city settings but it can be possible. Nurseries and playgroups can have outings, whatever the weather, even as far as the local park or nearby beach. I am sure we can all remember the sheer delight of puddle jumping and splashing, laughing as the wind blew us along, and making caves and creating castles with sea-side sand, shells and stone.

The outdoor world is one of extremes for young children: it is either much larger than they are and they gaze at enormous trees, animals and the expanse of sky; or, it is infinitely smaller than they are, and their sharp eyes see ladybirds, ants and spiders in all their minute detail.

It is important for children to learn about the four seasons and the four elements. Being aware of the seasons and the passing of the year creates the cycle of nature and weather together with the celebrations that go with the seasons. It is less easy to be aware of the seasons through the fruit and vegetables because with the advent of the freezer we are not reliant on things being 'in season'. It is less usual now for us to preserve and store things for the winter, and the rituals surrounding the making of seasonal food happen less and less. For example the mixing of the Christmas puddings once autumn is here, the harvesting of fruits for making jam in certain months, and the cutting and boiling the ingredients for chutney and pickles.

Children can become involved in the harvesting and preparation and feel part of the cycle of nature.

The four elements are an important part of a child's experience, and we can see children responding to the elements in quite a primitive way. They run and scream as the wind carries them along; they love getting wet in rain and running water; they feel supported by the earth and explore it in many ways; they are kept warm by fire but are also in awe of it on the one hand and fascinated by it on the other. Air, water, earth and fire can also be associated with the seasons and we can observe how the different elements change with the seasons.

By experiencing the natural world, in so far as it is still natural, children will become aware of the environment. They will understand the importance of the environment around them, not only animals in distant places. A child then develops a sense of their place in the natural world, as a part of the whole rather than someone who will be in control. Indeed some of the magnificence is the enormity of the world around us: the carpet of stars on a clear night, and the resounding thunderstorm.

Apart from organised sports and games, it is healthy for a child to be able to create their own play in the nature and even in the wild! It serves to stimulate and stretch the imagination. However it is also important that children learn early on to care for the environment in their play.

Outdoor play helps to build a child's confidence and gives them a sense of belonging. Let us hold on to our play spaces before it is too late and we all have to make do with plastic grass!