Outdoor Play
The benefits of outdoor play are endless and is highly valued at The Reggio Academy. We are nature enthusiasts and encourage children to climb trees, jump in puddles and emerge all five senses in nature play. When playing outside, children are given more opportunity to take appropriate risk in their play (carry heavy objects, climb trees, get muddy in the mud kitchen..etc) in comparison to playing indoors. It strengthens physical health and exposes children to the essential nutrition like Vitamin D (which has a list of health benefits including strengthening the immune system and better sleep). As their toes intertwine in the grass and their skin rubs on the bark of a tree children begin to feel grounded and connected to nature. This creates an appreciation for nature and children will grow up to be an adult who understands why we need to protect the world as we face problems like global warming.
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Each classroom spends an hour each morning outside and go back outside after nap time (2:30pm) until pick up. The only time outside play is effected is if it is below 32 degrees or above 95 degrees per licensing rules. Our favorite is when it’s raining and we require each student to have a raincoat, rain boots and change of clothes to be in their cubbies all year so we are always prepared!
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Our outdoor space looks very different from your traditional preschool. You will not see a giant play structure but instead find a mud kitchen, sand boxes, tires of various sizes, trees with a tree house, wood pieces for building and many other open ended materials. Similar to our indoor space, our outdoor classroom is a living organism that evolves and reflects the interest of the children.
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Living in Tennessee we all know the weather can be extreme which would prohibit us from being outdoors. When this happens we have an indoor gym to substitute for outside time. Our indoor gym is sensory friendly and includes swings, foam pits and other activities for children to further explore healthy risky play.
