There were two excited tourists who departed from Iceland on 5th of June 2016 on a job shadowing trip to Edinburgh. The Cowgate Under 5s' Centre is located in the city center and we stayed there four days, four to six hours a day. This was an interesting and pleasant experience and we are grateful for the opportunity to learn from our colleagues in Edinburgh. It was especially nice to have the opportunity to visit the natural areas the nursery has access to and to be able to enjoy and learn in the company of teachers and children. Furthermore, it was fun to have the opportunity to listen to the students presentation of the ideas of Friedrich Froebel at The University of Edinburgh.
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.
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.
During our job shadowing at Cowgate we observed the work in the nursery and went on two trips to “Stickland” and the Foresl School with a small group of children with two employees. To us it was very interesting to see how clearly the ideas of Froebel appear in the work with the children. The work is led by the child; it has the opportunity to choose what it wants to do and how it learns through the play of the moment. The role of the teacher is to encourage the child, offer trust and support. We experienced how the staff respects the children; how they talk to children in a low and calm voice and use a gentle smile and a positive attitude. In conversations with the children, teachers listen actively and use open questions. We think it was interesting to experience that when we wanted to assist a child the employee reminded us that by doing so we take away from the child the chance to practice and to strengthen its own independency.
,We learned a lot during the job shadowing in Cowgate and we realized there is some difference between Cowgate and the nursery where we work. E.g. the daily plan of the children is more flexible than we are used to, with much greater emphasis on the children enjoying freedom, moving between areas of the nursery and choosing their own challenges. We saw how the children are given more time and space to develop their play. Also, the children at Cowgate have free access to open and reusable materials that encourages independence and stimulates their learning. They are allowed to walk barefoot or in shoes, take their clothes on and off (not the underwear) and have permission to walk in and out of the building to the nursery’s garden. However, certain events are on the daily agenda, e.g. bread baking is a regular part of the morning routine, meal breaks are limited hours and a relaxing moment is always scheduled before lunch. The daily trip to the natural areas is also on a regular daily basis. But then again, the children’s own willingness is respected throughout the day, e.g. the child can choose if it eats at meal break or not.
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.
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.