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The Palgrave International Handbook of Women and Outdoor Learning pp 607–621Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Singing in the Forest: Outdoor Education as Early Childhood Curriculum

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Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Gender and Education ((GED))

Abstract

Outdoor pedagogy comes in many forms and with varying underlying purposes. This chapter demonstrates the author’s journey as a primary school educator whose programme was underpinned by belief in the value of outdoor learning. It begins by highlighting her teaching practice with young children at schools in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales (NSW) using a “postmodern emergence” approach to curriculum. Using art-based pedagogies alongside outdoor experiential education, this programme scaffolded children’s developing sense of place/belonging and econnection to the natural world, assisting them to understand the properties, ecosystems, and habitats of the environment. It positions this practice as a legitimate form of outdoor education by invoking a radical feminist definition that includes intra-action with the natural world through relationships with self, the natural environment, and others.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Educational Research, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia

    Kumara Ward

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  1. Kumara Ward
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia

    Tonia Gray

  2. Prescott College, Prescott, AZ, USA

    Denise Mitten

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Ward, K. (2018). Singing in the Forest: Outdoor Education as Early Childhood Curriculum. In: Gray, T., Mitten, D. (eds) The Palgrave International Handbook of Women and Outdoor Learning. Palgrave Studies in Gender and Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53550-0_41

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53550-0_41

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-53550-0

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