Finding the Way Through The Trees: Shining Light on Young Children’s Play Dates with Nature

Abstract

Nature-based play environments offer children an important source of interactions and engagement with nature. This research in a local context, adds to a growing body of research and accumulating evidence on the influences of nature play. In responding to the question: In what ways does nature-based play enhance children’s learning opportunities in New Zealand early childhood settings, the aim was to shed light on play dates in nature within these particular settings. Qualitative descriptive data was gathered to address how these regular play dates with nature influence children’s learning. The tools of storytelling, narrative, interpretation and poetry were chosen to illuminate the findings of this research. These stories and poems unfurled in parks, gardens, farmland, woods, reserves, neighbourhoods and communities that are distinctly New Zealand. The evolving research story looked at finding the way through common worlds of play and learning, children and adults, flora and fauna, nature and nature-based settings. The research findings expose five key ‘F’ words as recurring conceptual themes in the multi-site case study. The key factors are children looking at nature through ‘fresh eyes’, when given ‘frequent’ access to ‘familiar’ natural places. The ‘freedom’ to explore the natural world of ‘flora and fauna’, with time and space and adults as significant others, compels us towards new understandings of these experiences. These important factors of nature play have been observed as having a positive influence on learning. Strong links to the principles, strands and goals of Te Whāriki, the New Zealand early childhood curriculum place further value on nature experiences in early childhood settings. This research story concludes that children need to have regular access to diverse natural elements, whether in small natural settings, large naturalised play spaces or anything natural in between. Natural elements and multi-sensory natural environments are the key factor in igniting children’s curiosity, wonder, fascination and exploration that enhances and enriches developing learning.