It was with much excitement here in Pippis that we were able to start our nature walks around Orana last week. It was perfect weather for visiting the old wooden boat and of course jumping in muddy puddles! The outing was also a lovely way to end our summer circle which revolves around the beach and sea.
We have practiced our road safety and ventured over to the lower campus of Orana where the whole group joined in for an impromptu game of hide and seek around the beautiful old trees. We did some simple mathematics – How many Pippis can you fit on a tree stump? And we counted backwards till there were no Pippis left on the tree stump to the children singing along to the tune of five in the bed.
We can’t wait to discover where our nature walks take us next!
Tracy McCormack – Pre-Preschool (Pippis) Teacher
Walking is something that unfortunately we practice less and less in our busy lives. However, it is vital for development of human beings; it helps us relax and ground, balances our emotions and extends our physical capabilities (all the balancing and climbing).
Helle Heckmann is a very experienced Steiner teacher from Denmark. Her children spend most of the day outside, in any weather (bear in mind that in Denmark it rains 80 percent of the time). She writes:
“There are many reasons why it is good for children to walk. When you walk, you make both the right and left sides of the body coordinate…Children practice their sense of equilibrium when walking…Walking causes deep breathing that goes all the way down into the diaphragm, and it is clear to us that this makes the children calm down.”
At Orana, our nature walks bring much more than only a banal exercise, it brings awareness of our surroundings, the ever-changing seasons, the richness of wildlife and a vast appreciation of our piece of the world.
Kate Lang – Early Childhood Coordinator
