Mighty Tree Curriculum 

Mighty Tree Nature School bases its curriculum on the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada, which is an organization whose sole mission is to foster meaningful connection to the outdoors for children and youth. This organization promotes Seven Relationships for outdoor education.

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Land   It is an important thing to go to the land as much as possible to let the children feel and learn from the land’s benefits. Do activities that the children can do on the land directly.

Learning     When the children play on the land all day, they will get learning based on unexpected experiences. We believe that we all learn in different ways and the best way that each of them can learn, they can choose.

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“The best education does not happen at a desk, but rather engaged in every living- hand on, exploring, in active relationship with life . -Vince Gowmon

The children will explore their own interests and attempt their new ideas. These are some activities that normally happen in our school:

Shelter building, starting fires, learning to cook foods from our garden, tool use, studying wildlife, playing team and group games, sensory activities, tracking games, rope and string work, art and sculpture work, woodland and traditional craft, developing stories and drama and meeting imaginary characters, physical movement activities.
 

Risk     Because we’re learning and playing outside, we might meet with risk. However, we value the benefits of risky play. Risky play is integral to whole-child development, well-being, and health. It helps children develop self-esteem, confidence, and their socio-emotional self.

At Mighty Tree Nature School, we realize this. We attach importance to safety, making the children aware of risks and try to instill in them a sense of risk management at an early age. We use a Daily Risk Assignment Checklist, Site Risk Assignment and Experience Risk Benefit Assessment which we check and note every day.

“The more risk you allow children to take, the better they learn to take care of themselves.” -Roald Dahl

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Trust     It’s important that we trust the children to go in the water, climb the trees, etc. There are many learning benefits that the children will get from these activities. A teacher will support and
suggest beside them.

 

Play   At Mighty Tree Nature School, we allow the children to play as kids naturally do. We support learning through play. Risky play is part of our program. It helps develop physical literacy in children and fosters cognitive skills. Moreover, it helps children learn how to independently manage risks and be safe.

In our Forest school we provide opportunities to engage kids in six categories of risky play.  (Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter, Queen Maud University College of Early Childhood Education, Research, 2007)

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1. Play with great heights -If there is anything to be climbed, kids will climb it. Example: playground, trees, slopes, or rock walls.

2. Play with high speed -The risk of crashing or flipping or just simply falling off. Example: Riding a bike. Running fast.

3. Play with sharp tools -These are potentially dangerous, and we learn to respect and use these tools with care and supervised. Example: whittling or cutting firewood, using saws, knives, hammers, and hand drills.

4. Play near possibly dangerous elements -This is where we play every day. They are part of our school. Example: creek, trails and forests.

5. Rough-and-tumble play -This type of play is a balance between play and real fighting. Example: fencing with sticks, rolling around, wrestling with friends.

6. Play where the children can 'disappear'/get lost. -This can happen when children are given a chance to feel as though they are alone. Example: Playing hide and seek, scavenger hunts, sit spot.

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The reliability of the analyzed categories was tested by another preschool teacher, who has long and varied experience with children's play in preschools. 

“Climbing trees, playing with knives, building fires and getting lost is critical to child development. But, sadly, kids are so rarely being allowed to do such things these days without free and risky play.

"Kid's sensory, motor and balance systems may not develop properly and they may not develop the confidence, resilience and problem-solving skills they need to thrive in their later years. The epidemic of anxiety in our adolescents, as well as extreme risk-taking in these vulnerable years, may also be related to the decline of risky outdoor play in early childhood." -Judy Klein in Ted Talk

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Power     Although our day follows student-led interests, the authority of the educator or teacher is something that children need to recognize and respect. As an example, when a child requests to use a tool at a time the teacher considers inappropriate, the teacher may decline to provide access to that tool with reasons. We remind the children to obey and be a good participant in the team.

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Story     Every morning at Rainbow Nature School there are opportunities for storytelling or poems and songs about creatures and cultures. We open the storytelling opportunity and take turns to speak about what each of them need to share. Students are encouraged to tell stories of their own as way to express their emotions and experiences.