Opening up the outdoors: a reappraisal of young children's outdoor experiences

Abstract

Young children's outdoor play in a childcare centre setting was studied using ethnographic methods, and this thesis provides in-depth qualitative information on an aspect of early childhood education for which there is relatively little research. The centre, chosen as representing a model of high quality curriculum provision, catered from children 0 to 5, and the child-centred programme provided for free flow between the indoor and outdoor environments for most of the day. Observations revealed qualitative differences between the indoor and outdoor environments, differences which included the experiences provided, the behaviour of children and adults, and the relative change/stability of the environment itself. The outdoor is described as the 'open' environment, and the indoor as the 'encompassing' environment. A dialectic relationship between the two environments is proposed and explored. Other notable features include the varied factors motivating children to go outside, the multi-faceted nature of the outdoor play, the extensive use made by four year old boys of the outdoors, the passion of the one year olds to go outside and the empowering quality of their experiences in that environment, and the responsive and supportive role taken by adults outside. The study is supported by an extensive literature review covering all aspects of young children's outdoor play, and this provides the context in which the theoretical implications are discussed. Practical implications are related to the current social-political New Zealand context, where a diminishing policy emphasis on the provision of sustained access to outdoor play is identified. An historical perspective on outdoor play in early childhood education is also provided.