Whilst our services differ in environmental contexts, our commitment to exposing children to nature remains at the philosophical heart of the Imagine Group.
As well as having outdoor play spaces in our services that afford elements of risky play such as “climbing at heights, playing at high speeds, using tools and exposing children to the natural elements like water and fire” (Sandseter, 2007), we ensure to take children into the natural spaces of the local community on excursions and planned outings.
Nature is a part of our holistic curriculum. Children have opportunities to explore natural spaces both indoors and outdoors, as materials and experiences reflective of nature are planned as parts of both indoor and outdoor curricula.
Nature-based experiences that may take place at your local Imagine service include:
- Sand play
- Tree climbing
- Water play
- Exposure to Fire (in designated fire pit areas)
- Stick play
- Natural materials used for creative play, i.e. rocks, bark, leaves, grass, branches, logs and so on
