Cowgate Under 5s' Centre is based on the ideas of Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852) who saw children as capable individuals and believed that we should honor what is happening now in order to prepare the children for the next level. He stressed the importance of the free play and felt that in order to support the child’s development it is necessary to give the child freedom of play and creation.
We were very well received by both children and staff at Cowgate. The nursery’s building is warm and bright with light wooden furniture and offers the children access to open and reusable materials. Flowers, bast baskets, branches and light series as well as other decorations are seen all over the nursery. The yard is also attractive, rich of vegetation and designed to offer diverse challenges.
The nursery has access to two natural areas. The first one, called the Forest School, is a small enclosed garden in a short walk from the nursery. The other one is the Nature Kindergarten in 8 km distance from the nursery and the children and staff of Cowgate go there with a small bus. The Nature Kindergarten is an area of 20 acres of fields, forest, scouts camps, public campsite and area where sheep, horses and other animals are to be seen. The children have named the area “Stickland” because of the small branches lying on the ground everywhere. They also say that in “Stickland” we “stick together". This area offers diverse and different landscapes that give the children an opportunity to experience and investigate what nature has to offer and by doing so the children gain both experience and confidence. The children have daily access to both of these areas, 10 to 13 children at a time. Experienced outdoor teachers follow the children on these daily trips.
Our experience at Cowgate Under 5s' Centre has opened our eyes, even more than before, to the importance of outdoor education and the necessity of giving the children the opportunity to experience and enjoy various nature. In addition, we believe that the experience we have shared in the peer learning group in Iceland has been important in the preparation for the job shadowing itself. The visit to Cowgate strengthens our willingness to implement outdoor education in our preschool and confirms our opinion that creating various spaces and opportunities for the children is very important to enhance their personal development.
Thank you for the unique opportunity to encourage and strengthen us both personally and professionally,
Bryndís and Gróa Þórdís.