Morning session - Building Resilience in Nature
Taking risks, choosing and accepting challenges are all part of building and increasing resilience in our children. Mental health concerns such as anxiety, ADHD, depression and trauma are on the increase in even our youngest children. In this motivational session we will share the researched therapeutic and healing benefits of children spending time in nature as well as the vital importance of the educator as the enabling, supporting and nurturing adult. We will explore the benefits of risk and strategies to help differentiate the bad from the good hazards and risks to be able to support acceptable risk, not just physical risk but also emotional and social risk. This will enable children to build resilience and become confident and capable risk assessors and risk takers both in the outdoor and the indoor environments.
Afternoon session - STEAM
Science, technology, engineering, maths as well as the arts, creativity, literacy, research and so much more happens when children of all ages are provided with a rich play environment. In this session we will explore how adults can provide such enriched environments physically as well as through adult interactions and time. We will look at simple, meaningful documentation with and for children rather than ‘about’ children where educators identify the learning and development observed in children’s play and make the importance of such play visible