Venturing beyond
This post originally appeared in Dr. Rachel A. Larimore’s weekly Samara newsletter on February 28, 2022. If you’re interested in receiving these emails, scroll to the bottom of this page to subscribe.
The temperatures are slowly warming and spring is getting closer (particularly for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere 😉).
With these warmer temperatures I’ve found that many early childhood educators start thinking about spending more time outdoors. For some this includes leaving the fenced play area. I call this visiting the Beyond.
So, what is the Beyond? A term coined by Dr. Claire Warden of Scotland, the Beyond is the space outside (beyond) the boundaries of the typical fenced play area. The Beyond is a space where the pace slows, the noise of the human-built world is reduced, and the wonders of the natural world are amplified.
Natural, wild ecosystems are ideal for the Beyond, but that isn’t always possible. Sometimes the Beyond is a neighboring natural area, local park, courtyard outside a nearby apartment building, or a walk around the block. Remember, even a less-than-perfect space is better than no Beyond experience at all. Going to the Beyond does require some forethought. We can’t just open the gate and see what happens.
Wherever you venture, the goal is to find a space where children feel as though they are in another space separate from the teacher-built play area. Of the three learning spaces in nature-based pedagogy, this is the least teacher- and child-structured. As a result, teachers are more likely to be co-learners alongside children—we’ll see what we see!
To make the Beyond experience a positive one for everyone involved, consider the following:
Identify a destination
Consider all of the safety aspects of getting to, being at, and returning from your destination
Have a general idea of what you’ll do when you get to the destination & materials you will need
Check the weather leading up to and the day of your trip
Prepare the children leading up to and the day of the excursion–what should they expect?
While traveling, be sure to allow for breaks, time to observe, and take advantage of teachable moments as they arise
Safety! (I know I mentioned it earlier, but it can never be considered too often.)
Keep changing lives,
Rachel
Rachel A. Larimore, Ph.D., Chief Visionary of Samara Learning
