play and pedagogy: Outdoor Play in Australia: Undervalued and Underadvocated
An exceptionally interesting and insightful piece by Emily Clark.
Emily states she asked educators, "What barriers do you face in your context that prevent or limit children from engaging in outdoor/nature play?
".... I was convinced that the key barrier would be aligned with attributes of physical environments, such as; artificial play spaces, limited space, building structures, lack of shade etc. While these issues were raised in the responses, I was surprised to discover that the dominant barriers were the attitudes of families and staff, which prevented using the outdoor space to its full potential. Some of the staff and parental concerns expressed included;
".... I was convinced that the key barrier would be aligned with attributes of physical environments, such as; artificial play spaces, limited space, building structures, lack of shade etc. While these issues were raised in the responses, I was surprised to discover that the dominant barriers were the attitudes of families and staff, which prevented using the outdoor space to its full potential. Some of the staff and parental concerns expressed included;
· Children getting dirty.
· A belief that children should not access the outdoors in certain types of weather (e.g. rain, wind, cold).
· A belief that children should not access the outdoors in certain types of weather (e.g. rain, wind, cold).
· A belief that illnesses are caused from being outside.
· Aspects of outdoor play perceived as ‘too risky’
· Difficulties in ensuring children are appropriately dressed
· Aspects of outdoor play perceived as ‘too risky’
· Difficulties in ensuring children are appropriately dressed
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