On a chilly, wet afternoon in February, pre-school practitioner and lecturer Nina Taylor attended an outdoor learning workshop offered by Hampshire County Council.
Ms Taylor reports that the three-hour session, delivered by outdoors expert Jan White, has had a lasting impact on her practice and her setting.
'Around 30 of us gathered at an outdoor centre in a local village and had a really brilliant afternoon,' she says. 'Jan offered insights on how outdoor learning provides a full and rich environment that satisfies young children's need for exploration and creativity.
'This is based on what she calls her six main ingredients, where children are afforded the chance to be physical, noisy, messy, interact with nature and engage in the type of spontaneous and creative play that might be frowned on indoors.
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