Saumya Fernando, Montessori Educator at Hills Montessori School
“I found a feather! I think it belongs to Chick Chick. I want to put it back in the garden so she can come and find it.”
The innocent words of a four-year-old girl diagnosed ASD stage 2. She is referring to one of our school pet chickens, Chick Chick. The other is named Cow, a name that, as one can guess, sparks many an interesting conversation.
The neurotypical, the neurodiverse, everyone loves the outdoors. They each find their own solace in the fresh air. Even adults come outside to take in some fresh air, reset and head back indoors.
The Outdoor Classroom at Hills Montessori
The outdoor classroom and the vast garden at Hills Montessori are always buzzing with excitement. Even on quiet days, there is such a powerful positive energy that envelops the space, blanketing the children and staff in a warm embrace as we go about our day.
Maria Montessori said, “When children come into contact with nature, they reveal their strength…” (Montessori, Discovery of the Child, p. 70)
At Hills, we see this every day in the outdoor space where children thrive. Some would be watching birds through binoculars, learning their names from a reference chart of Aussie Backyard Birds. Some would be engaged in yoga, challenging their little bodies to bend, stretch and balance in the warm autumn sunshine.
Some might be digging the garden to get a closer look at earthworms or giggle as slater bugs walk along their arms. Some will be busy cleaning the chicken coop, placing chicken droppings into the compost bin or watering the garden with the rich worm tea extracted from the worm farm.
Some children might use the outdoor space to lay out the very long mat for the Thousand Chain or read Action Words, enjoying performing the actions as they read the words: jump, hop, skip or roll.
Discovering an Interrelated Collection of Life
“There is no description, no image in any book that is capable of replacing the sight of real trees, and all the life to be found around them, in a real forest… The wood reveals that it is not only the trees that exist, but a whole, interrelated collection of lives.” (Montessori, From Childhood to Adolescence, p. 19)
Children at Hills Montessori witness the ‘interrelated collection of life’ that Maria Montessori talks about firsthand. These hands-on experiences of exploring creatures, tending to the chickens and caring for them, disposing of their waste purposefully and seeing the fruits of their labour by tasting the fruits from the food forest is the full cycle of life they see and understand.
They are encouraged to explore their surroundings with respect for all plants and creatures. The worms and slater bugs are handled with care and returned to their natural habitats. They are taught how to stay a safe distance away to watch fuzzy bees collect honey as they roll around ecstatically in the yellow pollen of a giant magnolia flower.
They like to spy on a leaf spider who has very cleverly rolled up a leaf as its home, most probably spying on the world around it too! The sheer wonder in their eyes as they witness these wonderful events of nature is truly priceless.
Seeing the World Through a Child’s Eyes
We are fortunate to be able to witness these wonders of nature along with the children. We have this incredibly important and humbling job to instil that wonder in them; to look at the world with curiosity, to observe and read the signs of nature as First Nations people so cleverly do.
It is almost as if we have a second chance to see the world through the eyes of a child again. It is true what Maria Montessori says: that no book or description can be compared to these real natural events unfolding in front of their eyes.
Connecting Children to Land
The 8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning that was compiled in 2009 includes an outcome called ‘Land Links’. All the above-mentioned experiences link children to the land they are on. It makes them appreciate what they have and feel a sense of connection and belonging to the land they live on.
They help children understand their place in the world and make them embrace their responsibilities as citizens of this world. The Acknowledgement of Country that children recite every day is not done merely to tick a box. It is meaningful to them as they understand and feel that connection to land in their bones.
From Outdoor Exploration to Independent Learning
When a child who has truly enjoyed their time in the outdoors transitions back indoors, they feel emotionally energised, happy and relaxed, ready to make more independent choices in the classroom.
Children are allowed to explore safely, while treating their natural environment with respect and genuine care. They learn why they should not pick leaves off the trees, because leaves provide food for the plant to grow. Instead, they remember to use already fallen leaves to decorate their cupcakes in the sandpit.
They learn about root rot and place special signs around the garden to let everyone know that the plants are not thirsty during rainy days.
Setting Children Free in Nature
“Set the children free, let them have fair play, let them run out when it is raining, take off their shoes when they find pools of water, and when the grass of the meadows is damp with dew, let them run about with bare feet and trample on it; let them rest quietly when the tree invites them to sleep in its shade; let them shout and laugh when the sun wakes them up in the morning, as it wakes up every other living creature, which divides its day between waking and sleeping.” (Montessori, 1997, p. 71)
Creating Opportunities for Outdoor Learning
Outdoor spaces can be created with the tiniest of actions. Could you take a group outside to play the Eye Spy game? Could you pull out a weed to show them the parts of a tree? Could you add some herb beds to explore the olfactory sense?
Would you notice lillypillies falling and know that it’s time to mend your warm clothes just like our First Nations people do?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Saumya Fernando
Saumya’s inspiration for becoming a Montessori teacher came from her own Montessori teacher in Sri Lanka, whom she admired so much that she wanted to follow in her footsteps.
Saumya received her AMI qualifications in Sri Lanka and was fortunate to undertake training and gain work experience at Joyce Goonesekara Montessori, which was opened by Dr Maria Montessori herself during her travels to Sri Lanka.
After a long journey to find her place as an educator in an authentic Montessori environment in Sydney, Saumya found a strong sense of belonging at Hills Montessori School. She is grateful to be part of a community of equally passionate educators who share her commitment to Montessori education.
