IPLUSO students observed first-hand environments that foster children’s connection with nature
On 4 and 18 June, first-year students of the Professional Higher Technical Course in Child and Youth Care carried out a study visit to the nursery “Casa da Árvore” and the kindergarten “A Torre”, within the scope of the curricular units Methods, Dynamics and Techniques of Socio-Educational Intervention and Childhood Pedagogies.
The choice of these educational contexts was based on the quality education they provide, promoting play in outdoor spaces with natural elements from the earliest years of a child’s life. In this regard, observing these spaces and engaging in dialogue with teachers and coordinators had the following main objectives:
- To familiarise future education professionals with high-quality pedagogical practices, with particular emphasis on the use of outdoor spaces as meaningful educational contexts – a dimension highly valued and well documented in both national and international research;
- To learn about different approaches and educational models that stand as alternatives to traditional pedagogies;
- And to provide students with the opportunity to experience real practices, from work dynamics and organisation of the educational environment to children’s relationship with nature.
