Leigh’s background is in inclusive early childhood education. She was a preschool teacher and childcare center director before going into post-secondary education, and, since 2006, has been a professor in the School of Education at SUNY Geneseo, United States. Her scholarly interests include nature-based early education, diversity and education, and education for social change.
Biography: Dr Lone Hattingh
Lone is senior lecturer and award leader for MA Education: Early Childhood Studies at Bath Spa University. Her research interests include early literacy and outdoor play, and she is currently leading a research project about perspectives of forest and outdoor play in England, Denmark, and United States in collaboration with Dr. Leigh O’Brien from SUNY Geneseo, NY.
Workshop Details:
In her part of the workshop, tentatively titled Who benefits from outdoor education & play experiences? Variations in access to ‘Forest School’ and Nature Preschools in North America, Leigh will share data from visits to three outdoor early education sites in the U.S. (and one in Canada) to raise questions about access to the purported benefits of such settings. There is much evidence to show that being outdoors has a positive effect on young children’s learning and well-being (e.g., Louv, 2016; NAAEE, 2017). Outdoor experiences also provide a context for the development of self-esteem and self-confidence (Gill, 2007), among other possible benefits. However, a growing concern in the U.S. is who is able to access these potential benefits (see, e.g., Leather, 2016); this will be the focus of her proposed presentation. She will conclude her presentation by asking, don’t all young children have the right to access programs with such a range of benefits?
Lone’s presentation, Perspectives on outdoor play – exploring through space and time, reports on a case study that explores varied perspectives on outdoor play. She examines perspectives from four outdoor forest kindergartens in Denmark: two researchers and a group of university students studying Early Childhood Education in England data gathered data during three field trips to Copenhagen. Findings show that children’s right to play and to have access to outdoor environments is central to developing ethical and trusting relationships with each other, with educators, and with the natural world.