Holistic Learning- Spiritual Development Connecting with nature is one way to facilitate spiritual development in young children.

Painting outdoors provides a wonderful opportunity to connect with nature, be creativite and explore how paint and brushes work.

Painting on a mirror supports development of self awareness, fine motor control and spiritual development by encouraging creativity and the representation of ideas as well as have fun. (It’s also easy to clean up after!)

The sensory experience of playing with water is valuable for children of all ages. Why not take it outside when the weather allows? Closely supervise children in all explorations with water.

Educators use their knowledge about developmentally appropriate practice and the interests of the children to set up activities that children will enjoy exploring and provides opportunities to learn.

Invitations do not have to be complicated. A pile of leaves can be an invitation to explore and learn.

Children will point you in the right direction Observe to see what children are interested in and then supply materials to support that interest.

Multi-ages Many activities can be done with children of various ages Blowing bubbles is a time when older children can assist younger children

Bring the Outdoors In Connecting with nature is important for spiritual development and should be a part of daily activities.

The reality of living in Saskatchewan is there are some days when it is too cold to take children outside.

So try bringing the outdoors in…

Here is another opportunity to ‘dump and fill’ while also learning about “cold” and experimenting with different tools.

Opportunities to interact with nature are important.

Using natural materials inspires creativity.

Most children in this group of toddlers played for over 40 minutes with the dirt, shovels, potting soil and plastic bugs.

The bury-and-find play this child enjoyed is a variation of peek-a-boo. It involves the intellectual development of knowing that something is not gone simply because it can not be seen (object permanence).

The children were so engaged in this invitation! How could this be extended? Water could be made available Use a larger container where more children could play together Repeat the activity outdoors Plant seeds in the soil and watch them grow Go on a walk and observe real bugs What other ideas do you have?

An Invitation Examine the materials the educators have provided How might children interact with these materials?

Providing real tools such as magnifying glasses illustrates the principle of children as competent and capable learners.

Children may put materials in their mouth but through close supervision and use of nontoxic materials, educators can ensure the safety of the children.

This invitation conveys how many children should be present at one time based on the number of chairs provided.

Use the children’s interests and local events to inform your planning. This invitation for learning would be relevant at harvest time and could be used to spark interest in further exploration.

Invitations can be designed for more children if you think there will be many interested.

Invitations should be visually pleasing and use materials that tempt children to touch and explore.

Exploring fabric and light.

Allow the infant to explore the materials

Repeated Engagement Infants may appear to lose interest quickly but will often return to the activity many times, especially if the educator or other children draw attention to the materials

“With the children actively engaged, rather than dependent on your instructions for investigation, you will be able to initially stand back, observe, and make deliberate choices about your next actions” Curtis and Carter, Learning Together with Children, 2008 Educator Role