Ignite Unlocking Potential ltd

! Did you know women are less likely to receive from bystanders ? What a fantastic bunch of ladies looking to remove stigma 🙌

Women are less likely to receive CPR from bystanders than men.
That's according to Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance which is organising the swim at Vobster Quay ➡️ https://bbc.in/4uDc4IZ

I was interested to read this article shared by Dr Stella Louis, whose work many early years practitioners will know and value.

A few years ago, members of our team at Ignite Unlocking Potential had the privilege of completing the year-long Froebel Trust Short Course with Stella, attending sessions at Guildford Nursery School. Seeing Froebelian principles lived so authentically in practice was as valuable as the course itself. The nursery remains one of the most inspiring examples of child-centred, relational and deeply thoughtful practice I have encountered.

This article offers a timely reminder that children’s repeated patterns of play are not simply habits to be redirected but often represent important intellectual work. Through transporting, enclosing, connecting, climbing, rotating, gathering and transforming, children are exploring ideas and relationships that help them make sense of themselves and the world around them.

In our work at Ignite Unlocking Potential, particularly through nature-based learning, Forest School and family programmes, we see these patterns emerge again and again. A child who repeatedly carries sticks across a site, spends weeks building dens, follows the same woodland path, or carefully arranges natural materials is often engaged in a deep process of meaning-making.

Froebel recognised that children learn through self-activity. Their play is not preparation for learning; it is learning itself. When we observe closely and with curiosity, these repeated explorations can offer valuable insights into what is capturing a child’s attention and where their thinking is unfolding.

Woodland environments seem particularly rich in opportunities for schematic exploration. The loose parts, changing seasons, varied terrain and freedom to revisit experiences allow children to return to ideas over time, refining and extending their understanding through direct encounter with the natural world.

For me, there is also a connection to belonging. When children are given time to pursue their interests, revisit experiences and follow their own lines of enquiry, they begin to feel that their ideas matter. They experience themselves as capable participants in a place and community, rather than simply recipients of adult-led activities.

Perhaps one of the challenges for us as educators is to resist the temptation to move children on too quickly. Sometimes growth requires repetition. Sometimes understanding develops through returning, revisiting and dwelling with an idea.

As Froebel reminded us, our role is not to shape the child into a predetermined form, but to provide the conditions in which growth can unfold.

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Two case studies show the power of schemas in early childhood development and why we must support them. By Dr. Stella Louis

Some fun!

🌿 Interesting read on the growing body of research linking nature connection with more positive body image and mental wellbeing. 🌿

This article highlights how time in nature may help shift attention away from unhealthy societal body standards and towards appreciation of what our bodies can do rather than simply how they look. 

What’s particularly interesting is that this connects with wider outdoor learning and Forest School research too. Studies have also shown that nature-based learning environments can help reduce gender gaps in physical activity participation, creating more equal and inclusive opportunities for movement, play and confidence-building outdoors.

In many ways, natural spaces seem to offer something modern environments often don’t and that’s is less comparison, less performance pressure, and more space for connection, competence, wellbeing and belonging. 🌲



Research links below 👇

https://www.outsideonline.com/health/wellness/nature-body-image/

https://owlscotland.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Physical_Activity_at_Forest_School_Research.pdf

owlscotland.org

🌳 Level 1 Forest School Training at Wibli Wobli with Ignite 🪾
Looking to develop your outdoor learning skills and connect children with nature? Join us for Level 1 Forest School training at Wibli Wobli with Ignite!
Contact Ignite for more information and to book your place 🌿

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🌳 Hyfforddiant Ysgol Goedwig Lefel 1 yn Wibli Wobli gydag Ignite 🪾
Ydych chi eisiau datblygu eich sgiliau dysgu awyr agored a helpu plant i gysylltu â natur? Ymunwch â ni ar gyfer hyfforddiant Ysgol Goedwig Lefel 1 yn Wibli Wobli gydag Ignite!
Cysylltwch ag Ignite am ragor o wybodaeth ac i archebu eich lle 🌿