Deakin University research has, for the first time, observed the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) learning benefits of ‘blue space’ education settings for pre-school aged children.
Beach kindergartens are similar to bush education programs but are hosted in coastal settings. The concept of providing a nature-based learning environment, in which children and educators experience the kindergarten program beyond the four walls of a traditional space was influenced by the forest kindergarten movement that began in Denmark in the 1950s.
Forest kindergarten is a type of pre-school education for children between the ages of three and six that is held almost exclusively outdoors – whatever the weather. Children are encouraged to play, explore and learn in a forest environment, with adult supervision that is about assisting, rather than leading.
A key feature of these kindergartens is the emphasis on play with objects found in nature, rather than commercial toys. Norway currently has close to 400 forest kindergartens operating across the country.
In Australia, the emergence of bush kinders – and more recently beach kinders – is much more recent but is growing in popularity.
In Victoria, the state government is investing $3.6 million over four years, in the form of $6000 grants, to enable bush kinder programs in 150 kindergartens each year. The grants aim to support more kindergartens to set up nature programs, giving children more opportunity to get outdoors.
Coastal areas provide unique learning spaces
Dr Chris Speldewinde of Deakin’s Centre for Research for Educational Impact says that although the STEM teaching and learning benefits of bush kindergartens were known – with his previous research finding Australian pre-school aged children who participated in bush kinder programs could have better STEM learning outcomes than those who remained indoors – he believes the learning potential of coastal or beach-based environments was less understood.
Speldewinde hopes to see that change and says Australia offered a unique setting to explore these, given its warmer climate.
“Swimming and going to the beach in summer are firmly embedded in Australian culture as a popular pastime. We are lucky to be blessed with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world,” Speldewinde says.
“Bush kindergartens have been growing in popularity in Australia, and we noticed some educators moving their programs to the beach. We wanted to find out the value that play in the sun, sand and surf had for children in exposing them to STEM concepts.”
Beach kindergarten sessions reviewed in the study involved pre-schoolers aged four to five years being allowed to explore and play creatively with unstructured nature-based materials in coastal settings.
Nature is a powerful teacher
Balls and buckets were left at home, with children instead encouraged to interact with seaweed, shells, sand, rocks, wildlife and water.
Speldewinde says youngsters experienced seasonal changes, learned about nature and the environment, food supplies sourced from the sea and the impact of the tides on erosion.
Exploring rock pools proved a great way to start early conversations around physics and biology. And educators helped children grasp engineering fundamentals by experimenting with natural materials to build sandcastles and bridges, while kids also learned about gravity, evaporation and how to categorise shells.
“Our research proves coastal environments can be rich learning contexts for youngsters and I would encourage early childhood educators and parents to dip their toe in the water this summer by turning their next trip to the beach into a learning experience,” Speldewinde says
“Going to the beach is a great low-cost way for families to spend quality time together. We also found blue spaces can act as a calming and enriching place to learn about the environment for children with behavioural, mental, emotional and social issues.”
Supporting educators to embrace nature-based play
Despite the proven learning benefits of bush and beach kindergarten, Speldewinde says there were still only limited agreed sets of curricula in Australian states for early years educators running beach and bush programs.
More guidance in this space was needed so educators could roll out their programs effectively, he says.
Speldewinde told EducationDaily that the learning opportunities presented in a beach kinder setting are wildly different than those explored in bush kinders – from the tactile learning as little hands and feet feel the different textures of sand, to the creatures that inhabit the water and the surrounding sand dunes and vegetation.
“You see a lot of different animals at the beach than you would in a parkland.”
At a beach kinder last year, he says a fur seal swam up “and plonked itself on the rock ledges” – providing a fantastic experience for both the educators and the young learners they were guiding through the experience.
“The teachers were as engaged as the children,” Speldewinde says.
“I’ve not seen an educator in a nature-based setting who hasn’t been enjoying it,” he says.
For Speldewinde, that genuine interest and engagement from the educators is key and is something he believes has a directly positive impact on the students.
His passion for nature-based learning opportunities began back in 2015 when bush kinders were very new to Victoria.
“A couple of parents on the surf coast wanted to get bush kinder up and running in their local area and my youngest daughter, who is now 14, was part of the pilot,” he says.
“So, the passion stemmed from being a parent but also a small research project stemmed from that. I didn’t really know what we were walking into.”
Changing conditions spark interesting conversations
Speldewinde told EducationDaily that a diverse range of incredible learning opportunities present themselves in coastal areas.
“Educators don’t have to set up LEGO to do engineering – there are things happening in nature all around them that offer the chance to support the learning of children in a fun and interesting way,” he says.
“Like, ‘let’s see what’s happening with that nest this week’ – the opportunities are endless, and they help kids create real connections with nature and care about it.”
Encountering the unexpected is also a rich vein – whether that’s a dead penguin that’s washed up on the shore, or the changing environment that tides create at different times of the day.
“There are so many things that give educators the chance to teach about lifecycles and weather and climate and how things are influenced by other events.
“The thing that I love about the beach is the variety,” Speldewinde told EducationDaily.
“Every time you get there, there’s something different – from sand worms, to sea snails, to seaweed, crabs and birdlife.
“For children, that’s a fantastic environment to learn about so many things, including important STEM concepts.”
