ABSTRACT

Are the four elements just convenient labels? Or do they mean something to children? What children aren’t irresistibly drawn to sand, water and fire? Or don’t enjoy balloons, streamers and kites? The classic children’s holiday is elementally rich: sun, sea, sand and open air. The 1930s social reformer Alva Myrdal considered experience of the elements a primary need for children. She advocated that all schools provide access to wind, water, earth and fire.1 But is this any more than a ‘nice’ idea?