Acting on the world
Exploring ecologies
In shortRock pools, ponds and woods follow patterns a child can discover, with movement and close looking.
The idea
Rock pools, ponds, gardens, woods and parks are full of living things that follow patterns: tides, seasons, what lives under which stone. Exploring them combines movement, close looking and the pleasure of finding things out. Children learn that the world is varied but follows rules, which is a good lesson about uncertainty.
How to start
- Pick one place and go back in different seasons; notice what changed and what stayed.
- Bring a magnifying glass, a jar or a notebook, and let the child lead.
- Grow something: seeds give a slow, predictable, rewarding sequence.
What to look for
What to look for: no provider needed. Nature clubs, forest schools, beach schools and community gardens exist in many areas; small groups and a known plan help.
The common mistake
Turning every outing into a lesson with questions to answer.
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Short, plain pieces by the researchers and good writers.
The science behind itHow strong the evidence is, the model, videos and references.
How strong the evidence is
A way of thinking A lens for interpreting what a child does, not a rule from trials.
Bruineberg and Rietveld (2014) describe skilled action as tending towards an optimal grip on a field of affordances; natural environments offer many, of graded difficulty. Kaplan and Kaplan (1989) proposed that nature holds a ‘soft’ attention that takes no effort. Ecological settings also show variability within structure, which may help calibrate estimates of volatility (see ‘When the world seems more changeable than it is’). Evidence on specific outcomes of nature programmes for children is of variable quality.
References
- Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. (1989). The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective. Cambridge University Press.
- Bruineberg, J., & Rietveld, E. (2014). Self-organization, free energy minimization, and optimal grip on a field of affordances. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8, 599.
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