Outdoor Play Space Rotation
Outdoor Natural Play Spaces
Our outdoor natural play spaces are an important part of our emergent curriculum. The educators and children enjoy exploring and making discoveries about the world in the environment that nature provides. Being in nature enhances all areas of a child's development as well as the health and well-being of both children and educators. We aim to be outdoors as much as we can throughout our day to reap these benefits.
Nature provides wonderful, hands-on opportunities for children to learn through their senses. It's both an environment for active play and a place for peaceful tranquility.
Children learn to be creative, develop language, become leaders, and work in teams as they lead group projects, building dams, bridges, spaceships, and forts. They learn about life cycles, relationships, as well as systemic and divergent thinking, as they take care of the plants, vegetables and wildlife that visit the gardens. Our gardens, pathways, loose parts (logs, stones, bark, wheels etc), trees, teepee, outdoor musical instruments, and water feature provide a hands-on learning environment that instills a lifelong love of learning and respect for nature – a unique experience in the core of the city.
“I love all aspects of Emmanuel, however I am particularly pleased with the amount of outside play and Experiential play that is offered to students. The connections to nature, environment and family are extremely valuable in today’s quickly changing world. The caring ‘Emmanuel family’ environment is also really important to us.”