ABSTRACT
When you have finished the chapter you will:
Understand why outdoor play is so central to holistic Early Years practice.
Be prepared to contribute to and lead innovative activities within the setting.
Be prepared for assignments in which the outdoors is explored as an ‘enabling environment’, with ideas for resourcing and planning the rich child-led activities which sit at the heart of Early Years ‘best practice’.
Recognise the potential of the outdoors to offer a rich experiential environment in which all children, from birth to seven years, can develop holistically, emotionally, socially, linguistically, cognitively and physically.
Understand the potential of the outdoors in offering the ideal situation in which to create free narrative, particularly settings provided by natural environments.
Recognise some gender differences in outdoor play.
Appreciate the special role of the adult in providing high quality experiential learning in the outdoors.
