Winter has arrived in Sydney, and with it Early Childhood Educators start to ask themselves the question:
"Should we let the children play outside in the cold (wet, mud, rain)?"
I can hear our friends in the Northern parts of the globe laughing at us already.
It's a rainy day over at The Treehouse Preschool in Maryland, and the children are outside - wait for it - playing with water:
Winter in Canada is not exactly known for its warmth, but does that stop the children at Stomping in the Mud enjoying a walk?
Or heading outside for a spot of alfresco painting?
The children from Learning For Life in Ireland play outdoors whatever the weather. In fact, their motto is:
"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, and snow is exhilarating; there is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather."
- John Ruskin
Look, it is snowing! When was the last time it snowed in Sydney? But do the Happy Hooligans let a little thing like snow stop them from having fun and learning outside?
So come on Sydney people. What is stopping us?
Lets rug up and say "yes" to outdoor play in winter.
You might enjoy reading:
Learning in the Rain @ Squiggle Mum
Playing Whatever the Weather @ Squiggle Mum
Why Getting Outside Whatever the Weather is Important @ Mud Mud Marvellous Mud
Enabling Environments: Outside Whatever the Weather @ NurseryWorld
Over to you. How have you overcome barriers at your setting to playing outdoors during the winter months?