Relationships are at the heart of everything we do. We wouldn’t be able to go about our daily lives without having positive, purposeful relationships with others. We also wouldn’t get very far if we didn’t have the skills to be able to manage them effectively. It’s no different with children. Well, it is a little different, as they are JUST learning these skills and their importance in life. We’ve had years to hone, develop and understand them. These little people are only just figuring them out.
The environment that children learn in has the ability to give them every opportunity possible to learn, develop and negotiate these relationships in a safe space. Natural learning environments promote curiosity and engagement, support interest-led learning and allow for an emergent curriculum to unfold organically. Children are able to test, make a mistake, have an argument (yes, we value that!), fix problems on their own, and learn that having strong relationships can help you on your way.We don’t just value this in our children, but also our entire Little Nomads community. Building strong relationships with families and the community allows us to create a sense of belonging where everyone feels happy, positive and in a place where it’s OK to challenge and make a mistake. We actively seek out children’s interests through secure and positive relationships that have been built over time, allowing us as educators to intentionally engage children and create an environment that truly represents their interests and needs. We all know that children’s curiosities and wonder about the world are endless; you will, I’m sure, not need a reminder of the thousand WHY questions that are flung your way daily (or hourly if your little human is overly curious). Most often, their wonderings are about the world, nature and the great outdoors. Why not meet this wonder and curiosity by giving them all the tools they need to explore, examine, investigate and answer their many many ‘why’s’ for themselves.
Children are very capable communicators and collaborators and don’t have as many inhibitions or social ‘blocks’ that adults do when it comes to building relationships. They will happily wave at passers-by, chat to the person in the line in front of you at the supermarket, and much to your embarrassment, ask everyone you know many inappropriate questions (their social filter hasn’t developed yet!). It’s not just about the relationships they develop with people, but also their environment that is so important. When an environment is developed and set out for the children who are using it, they often find more interesting, intentional and purposeful ways to use it.
We value the relationships we build at Little Nomads and appreciate that the connections we make as a community allow our learners to develop a strong sense of who they are. Little Nomads learn in natural learning spaces, whether it’s the beach, forest, a park or the city, and with a strong sense of belonging, positive relationships, and armed with our many many ‘whys’, we embark on learning in our own unique ways.
