More on Aboriginal Perspectives. An interview.

As I've mentioned before, I'm very interested in how the concept and ethos around natural learning and connecting to nature is relevant to Aboriginal communities. I'm looking for insights, trying to ascertain the connection and importance that having time in a natural space can contribute to a child's connection to land, to place and to their Aboriginal heritage. I interviewed Lee Hinton, an Indigenous Employment Consultant with Australia Post. I was introduced to Lee through a family contact and he very graciously gave me his time to share his insights. 

Lee wasn't brought up on the traditional land where his ancestors trod. He grew up in suburban Sydney. His Aboriginality was something that his family nurtured and was pronounced in his roots, but it wasn't until he reached his teenage years that he discovered what this meant for himself, for his identity. Being raised in an urban, multicultural society he described the pressures of juggling modern day as having a large impact in how he connected to land, to place. "The connection to land and place  that urban Aboriginal people experience is vastly different to that of those in more rural places"

I asked Lee if he had a natural childhood space that was special to him growing up and he told me about a large oval, a broad open expanse where he had the freedom to be himself, free of restrictions. He shared this place with his mates. "We liked playing sports, building cubbies and sometimes just laying around on the grass". I was reminded of the many times overseas that I saw young children close to the earth, laying and lolling about, not doing anything that an adult might interpret as constructive or educative. Children having the freedom to 'just be'. I recall watching one of the children at the John Brotchie Bush School flat in the grass, hands outstretched and head down in a patch of sunshine. Being still is so important, especially when it's voluntary. 

I asked Lee if he felt it was important to give Urban Aboriginal children an opportunity to connect to nature and he agreed that it's vital. "It's vital to connect to nature, as it helps in the indigenous development of their own beliefs as a child, in understanding their connection to land and to place. Country kids pick it up because they are more isolated from all the distractions in an urban environment. They come to terms with who they are and their surrounding area. Aboriginal children need to learn with all of their senses. They need to be able to touch, to feel. They need to hear the birds and see. They might even be able to taste some things" I get a sense that in providing urban Aboriginal children with opportunities to connect to nature we have a part in developing their identities, their sense of where they belong in their Aboriginality as well as providing them with an engaging learning environment. 

Lee shared that he found the class room a restrictive place. He told a story of a time when he was struggling at school. There were family pressures and the learning from books, at a desk, the overhead projector shining onto the screen, was hard for him. He didn't feel a part of the lessons. He had the courage to talk to his teacher about it and this very wise teacher listened. He took the boys outdoors and had them play active games, sports and the like. Every now and again he'd stop them to ask a question from something they needed to learn or know. He combined active play with academic learning. It gave the boys a break from the stifled aspect of classroom life, and I imagine it freed their brains for the sort of thinking they needed to do. "He engaged us" Lee said. How refreshing! I was touched by the benefit this would have had not only for Lee and his classmates but also for the teacher. "Yes, he was ahead of his time that teacher, I wished I could have had him for longer". That teacher was open to listening, and would have learnt from his students as much as they learnt from him. 

I asked Lee what he thought about a nature preschool that incorporated Aboriginal Learning, and asked his advice on how it should be done. Often we meet this challenge in tokenistic ways, like incorporating a bush tucker activity or listening to dream time stories as one off experiences. He suggested that elders hold the knowledge of their community and that this involvement and endorsement would help to build community trust. Without this, communities are more likely to hang back, not participate. He also reiterated that just having the opportunity to connect to nature, play in bush settings and learn with all of their senses was an important part of building Aboriginal identity and engaging their learning. 

I'd like to thank Lee for his time, his insights and his personal stories. It all helps to build a picture of what this could mean in our own local contexts. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it too. 

Bye for now. 

Parent perspectives first installment: a good start for life and learning

I was very interested in the perspectives of parents at each of the venues I visited. While in the UK I was often able to meet parents and was even able to ask some to a formal interview. The short duration at each centre in Denmark and the language differences made this a difficulty in Denmark, which was a shame. 

Whenever I got the opportunity I would ask parents why they had chosen this centre for their child's prior to school experience, what were their aspirations for their child and how they expected that this type of learning environment would foster this. I was also interested in their perspectives on schooling and how their children would go as they entered formal education. 

Their insights seemed to fall into four main categories: 

1. Giving their child a good start for life and learning

2. The way of teaching

3. Connecting to nature

4. Concerns regarding the school system

I'll be adding to this over the next few days, but let's start on how parents saw this type of early education as a good start for their child's life and learning. 

1. A GOOD START FOR LIFE AND LEARNING

This was by far the main source of insight that parents communicated to me. They spoke with passion about the types of dispositions they saw nurtured in their children through the learning environments and the style of teaching. 

Many comments referred to children being able to be themselves, to remain as children without the pressures of responsibility bearing down on them too early. Comments such as "What I want for him right now is just to be and he can just be here. I want him to just be a child and not rush into all the responsibility that you have when you start school" clearly indicates this parents desire for her child to enjoy that special time of being four. Another parent followed a similar statement with this "They are lucky to have no responsibilities.  It's such a gift to be able to be spontaneous and free and come up with wild ideas and then just do them" 

Children's confidence was found to be an important factor. Children who may have entered the nursery as shy, withdrawn or unsure were described as developing greatly in confidence and becoming more assured and assertive. The learning environment was seen to promote confidence, as shown in the following; "My child's confidence is ten fold. He's using language much more, his attention span has improved. He's building strong relationships with the staff and other kids. This environment allows him that and he's stronger and more confident for it. This will make him capable for the future". 

Opportunities for decision making were also commented on with great positivity. "He's able to choose and control his own play and experiences. He can come here and get dirty and make it what he wants to make it that day". Parents valued the autonomy that their children were given, seeing it as developing life skills. "They're independence is encouraged and they are given choices. When they are cooking the children are encouraged to say what they think, they're involved. Their opinions are valued. Little by little they've encouraged him to work out what he wants himself whereas before he'd need an adult to tell him". One parent commented on the way children are consulted at every point in the day. "It's not just about being free and just doing what you want, it's about knowing why and how it's going to effect everyone else. Helping them to shape their decision making process instead of a command" 

The natural outdoor environment provides much opportunity for children to be imaginative, curious and exploratory. For parents this was an important aspect. "If he's got a stick it might be a sword, it might be a magic wand, it could be a motor bike or a witches broom. That stick is such a rich object while he's here because he's constantly imagining. He's not being given a toy or an object and being told well this is how you play with it." Parents saw the value in children being imaginative and as an educator I know that it is vital for children to develop these skills as a means of understanding symbolism, as a precursor to formal literacy learning. 

I'll be writing about the other aspects from parent interviews over the next few days. This is enough for me for one sitting, and I imagine it's enough for you too. I'll leave you with this question. If you're an educator, do you know what your parents know about the sorts of dispositions that foster learning? What do you do to make parents aware of this? 

Day two at the Secret Garden

The children attending The Secret Garden begin at 8:30 at a local park. This green space is very much a part of the local community, there having been a project in partnership with the nursery to develop it, adding challenging play equipment in additional to the old merry go round, ancient slippery dip and swings from the sixties. I was pretty excited to see a merry go round, as they have been absent from Australian playgrounds for many years. The park also boasts a shelter built from straw and mud, which was provided by the nursery and is used as their 'headquarters' and as an additional shelter. 

The children are brought to the park by their parents and released into the care of the three practitioners. A half hour walk up a hill along a country lane begins the day, as the children make their way to the woods carrying on their backs the necessities for the day. The three staff also carry packs, or rucksacks as they call them here. These are filled with afternoon tea, a laptop, note books and their own provisions. 

Again I sat quietly observing the children as the staff do here. I curbed my usual tenancy to join play or suggest possible options for learning. I sat quietly, a little withdrawn and if children approached me I responded as sensitively as I could. It was hard. It was also peaceful and I found myself watching with great interest the play choices, the socializing and the imaginations of the children flowing through the day. It was in a way a kind of meditation. Perhaps I was learning to engage in what Cathy calls mindfulness. It would take more practice to perfect it, as I was often drawn in where other educators stood back, respecting the children's competence and confidence where I tended to want to scaffold, 'teach'. 

Behaviour guidance is practiced here in a way that I aspire too. Children are sometimes corrected but it comes with great respect, firm guidance and high expectations. The practitioners, while standing back, are highly aware of the ebb and flow of the children's play and are ready to intervene and guide when it's needed. Children know the limits and are responsive to correction as it is respectfully and sensitively delivered. For instance, yesterday when a little boy helped himself to my iPad in my back pack I responded with disappointment that he hadn't asked first. His teacher was there in a flash. She bent to his level, a look of concern and openness on her face and explained the importance of respecting other peoples belongings. I couldn't hear the exchange, but the little fellow approached me once his teacher had finished with a stricken look of apology on his face and said "I'm very sorry that I didn't ask you for the iPad and I promise that it won't happen again". I was moved by his sincerity. He then asked very politely if he could use it and I had to explain that the woods offered all he needed for the day and it was put away securely and safely in my back back. 

So today I took paper to write on and record some of the play that was occurring. 

INVITATION

Two boys spy the paper I'm writing on and asked for a piece. I was a little concerned because I didn't have a lot to spare so I tore a piece in half and scrounged around in my back pack for some pens. They enthusiastically find a log with a smooth surface and write on the paper, sharing the limited space and conferring with each other what it was about. They told me it was an invitation in Indian and then one read it to me in his own made up foreign language. Before leaving this task, which took a good half hour, they tore it in two to share the finished product. Later I saw these scraps of paper in other children's hands. Perhaps they had been invited to the party. 

SLUG

I see two children crouched low over a rock. 

This pose is a common sight here and you can see the intensity of their interest, the 'being in the moment' is communicated in the bend of their bodies, their heads inclined to the subject, hands freed to investigate tentatively, gently. 

"A slug" he exclaims and she comes over to join in the investigation. She draws back a little, "ooh" she says.

"It's ok, I'll show you" he encourages. He finds a very small stick and gently pokes it. The long slugs curls into a protective ball, still clinging to the rock. He then touches it with his finger.

"You touched it" she says

"It's slimy" he responds. "Look, it was big and I made it smaller"

She runs over to tell me. "We found a slug and it's not slimy, just a bit wet"

"No", he corrects. It was slimy.

CLIMBING BRANCHES

There is a fallen tree with its branches spread horizontal to the ground. Two boys spend hours here. They bend limbs and bodies, twist and pull, clutching one branch after another to change to a new spot, legs and feet negotiating, testing, bouncing, as they explore every possible branch that will accommodate their bodies. They see what that tree can provide, testing it's potential bit by bit. They return to it regularly throughout the day, exploring further, higher, but not where the drying branches won't support them. I imagine when it first fell they would have enjoyed springy green branches, perhaps complete with leaves. Now it is dry and bare and I often hear a crack as a branch gives way. They are ready though, holding on and ready for it. I wonder what they know of this tree, of its demise and slow deterioration. Their long hours of time spent within it giving them a certain intimacy with the earth. 

WHEELBARROW 

A wheelbarrow is used by the practitioners to transport supplies for the day. Two boys ask if they can use it and they are given permission as long as they empty it carefully and replace everything when they're finished. They agree and get to work. I saw it being used in various ways with different children throughout the afternoon; it was a mixing bowl, a mulch mover, a taxi, a rocker, a bed and a hide. Children shared it with little conflict and turns to use it came and went. Again the term 'ebb and flow' comes to mind as the wheelbarrows uses were transitioned seamlessly. We often talk about giving children open ended materials to use, and this wheelbarrow is the perfect example. 

I caught some of the language of the children as they played. 

"I'm the mechanic"

"Ok it's fixed, let's go"

"No wait, it's not working"

"Put the oil in. That's it"

"Ready to go"

"No it's not"

"Yes it is, it's fixed now"

"We just need to check. There's rust inside now"

"And I've out the electricity in so it can go now"

"I can give you a lift to Edinburgh"

"Do you know where Dundee is?"

At one point another child squeezed in the front of the driver. He was told "hey! Noooo!" And was pushed from behind. He turns and says "Well that's not nice" and the driver explains "Well you didn't even ask". The interloper gets off and is told "You can sit at the back though", which he does and the play commences peacefully. 

PARENT CONVERSATIONS

I met Rachel and her daughter Sophia today. Sophia is about to start coming one day a week and today was a short introductory visit with her mum. I asked Rachel what is was about this nursery that she chose it for Sophia. She doesn't hesitate and tells me that she likes that there are no toys, no plastics and that really appeals to her. The children in the woods get to use their imaginations and make use of what the woods provide as their inspiration, not have it dictated to by plastic reproductions. It's hard to do this at home, although she tries. Rachel also feels that this is the last chance for Sophia to enjoy her childhood before being in school. Rachel perceives the school system as being a place where children sit from 9 till 3 at a desk. 

I later watch these two bending over something on the ground. There it is again, that 'in-the-moment' pose that I see so often. There is obvious curiosity and delight in their body language, heads bent close to the ground and to each other. Mother and child sharing a moment. The object is carefully picked up and brought over to Cathy. Sophia is holding up a small slug in both hands, smiling broadly as Cathy comments and encourages. 

In the afternoon I meet the parents and I get the opportunity to ask a few more about what they chose this nursery. Each time their eyes light up with enthusiasm as they talk about it allowing children to be children, giving them opportunities to play freely in a natural environment. One spoke about her child's struggles to begin with but that she can see he's stronger now, more resilient. Another told me that when looking for an area to move to she chose this area because of the proximity to the Secret Garden. Cathy told me that the local health care centre recognises 'Secret Gardeners' when they come in for their immunizations. They don't cry with from the jab. 

Well I'll leave you with this for now. It's time to get up and get moving for another day. I'd just like to leave you with this image of delighted children getting to know each other within the arms of a unique tree. 

Day one at The Secret Garden

http://www.secretgardenoutdoor-nursery.co.uk/contact.htm

A small group of three boys are sitting astride a fallen log. Some large sticks (or small logs) are placed in front of them to be the dashboard, levers and a steering wheel. They have all that's needed to drive on a great adventure. 

Another group of four are on a mat with books. One of the children is reading and confidently leading her peers, suggesting 

"You might as well read these books"

"Look at all these butterflies. Butterflies can even walk" another points out and she shows the page to the group. 

"Well" calls another loudly and in a sing song voice to the children scattered. "Would you like to come and read a book?"  

The children leaf through the books. They are guide books of all the things that might be found in the forest. Trees, plants, insects, birds, animals. 

"I think we should just put them in order. Just put that one down there. Ok you can read any book like"

A small boy is looking intently at a leaf, lying down, face close the earth. 

In the distance a group of excavators are banging on rocks with hammers, or on sticks to prepare them for the fire. They take off bark and put these in baskets for kindling. A child brings her broken rocks, held in her hands to proudly show us. 

I hear singing. "Who'd like to come to the library

Who'd like to come to the library

Who like to come to the library

Today" 

It's from the children sitting amongst the books. 

Four children walk past me with baskets.  They are collecting leaves in one, grass in another and then sticks. "We need little sticks. I'll show you where to get the little sticks. Here put them in my basket"

These collections are all for a fairy den, I am told on enquiry, which is going to be constructed at the base of a tree that has many trunks growing from the ground. A perfect place for fairies to visit.  

A child is pushing a branch, using his body weight to push it down low. He gets off and it springs up. His companions nearby say "hey, that hurt me!"

"Sorry" he says. "How about if I push it this way?" And he demonstrates pulling it in a different way. His companion nods and gets on with collecting sticks for the fairy den.

The fairy den is progressing, a carpet of grass. "I want to get more sticks, because there's too much grass". Leaves are placed strategically. "Ok here's the carpet we're making"

Someone approaches his friends climbing a tree, basket in hand and reports "The fairy den is going good". 

A springy branch provides a great place for a group of three girls to balance, bounce and hang from. Together they make it bounce low and feel it spring them back up. This is their trapeze. Underneath are rocks and the girls are about 1.5 m from the ground. Nobody warns them to be careful, or hovers protectively. The practitioners stand away, ready to respond, guide or interact if needed, but mostly they leave the children to their own excellent choices of amusement and learning. 

Another huddle is gathered in a circle with a practitioner, I'm too lazy and comfortable here in the sun under my tree to go and investigate, but I can see even  from this distance that they are engaged, purposeful and interested, heads bent, all low as they examine something in their midst.

A practitioner begins a song, calling children over to go and use the toilet, clean their hands with wipes, and walk to a spot for lunch. The toilet area is a tarp strung between trees, a toilet seat for poos to be collected in a bucket and later composted. Wees are a simple process of peeing on the ground under the tarp. Wipes are provided for hand washing. Children who need more privacy are provided for. Adults wander to a private spot of their own. Today I peed in the woods, which was a bit novel for a working day, but then this whole experience is certainly novel. 

The children sit together in a circle for lunch. They have everything they need in their napsacks, including a mat to sit on. Wipes are handed around and I ask Louis who I'm seated next to what I'm to do with it. He explains that they will sing a song and he can't really tell me how to do it until the song begins. So we wait and when everyone has a wipe the practitioner starts to sing. Those hands were given a thorough clean as the adults modeled and demonstrated with a little song to guide them. Louis kept and eye on me to make sure I was getting it. Once done they were collected in a bag for later disposal and eating began. 

As children were finishing one of the practitioners sang a new song, encouraging the children's participation, and then another told the story of the three billy goats gruff. Both the singing and the story are presented in a calm and relaxed way. The beautiful Scottish accent is music to my ears and I find myself just as transfixed as the children into the telling of this familiar and well loved tale. 

After lunch comes more play and many return to their previous  activities. Their play is long, purposeful, constructive and uninterrupted except for a few more routines. These include an afternoon snack, then a reflection time in small groups and finally the afternoon pack up. Pack up mostly involves the children in gathering their things and putting their packs on, no easy task with all the things they need to bring with them. Because it was a warm sunny day, they are carrying all their warm and protective gear including waterproofs, jackets and woolen accessories. They are now ready to walk the half hour along the lane back to the centre. 

Tomorrow I will meet them at the centre and walk with them to the woods early in the morning, and return late in the afternoon. The day goes from 8:30 till 4:30. It's a long day, one I'm looking forward to experiencing in full. 

http://www.theecologist.org/campaigning/schools/984512/the_secret_garden_nursery_a_unique_daycare_where_children_spend_all_day_outdoors.html