Cleveland Jewish News
Dec. 3, 2020
BECKY RASPE
Children tend to learn best by doing and playing.
While early childhood programs offer opportunities inside the classroom, Noelle Marotta, educational director at Hanna Perkins Center for Child Development in Shaker Heights; Eppie Miller, pre-K teacher and outdoor learning coordinator at the Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School in Beachwood; and Claire Wilson, first step teacher and early childhood faculty member at Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, suggest focusing outside of the physical classroom….
Outdoor activities … tap into a child’s natural creativity and curiosity, Marotta said, as they offer open-ended opportunities. This allows students to develop skills and generate questions they might have about something they are experiencing.
“It encourages creativity and critical thinking and allows them to develop skills that they need,” she noted. “It makes a difference because it allows students to not only choose the activities they want but when they’re outside, it allows them the freedom of space and to explore with other children.”
Marotta said outdoor play also facilitates a natural flow to learning, allowing for discussion to occur naturally.
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DEC
2020
About the Author:
Bob Rosenbaum manages the website and other communications functions for Hanna Perkins Center.