When a dead robin was found in the outdoor area at The Grove Nursery School in Camberwell, south east London, staff recognised it as a valuable learning opportunity.
‘Our philosophy is that we aim to make all learning experiences meaningful and have context, so rather than dispose of the robin, we thought it would be an interesting experience for the children to see it,’ says teacher Claire Navaie.
‘We felt that the death of a bird was a gentle introduction to the concept of death and something they could cope with. It is an important conversation to have with children because some time in their lives they will become aware of someone dying. Studying the robin in the way we did made it a thoughtful rather than an upsetting experience and gave us an opportunity to explore the topic of death in a real and recognisable way.’
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