Learning in Nature

Nature based learning can happen in natural settings, and in the built environments, such as classrooms, as long as there are elements of nature such as plants, animals and water. It can be planned or spontaneous. Our children benefit from learning about our natural world through incursions, excursions, and camps, as well as free play opportunities in the gardens and the grounds, and we are excited by the opportunity that presents with the impending opening of the newly acquired greenspace.

Our learning spaces are inviting, enhanced with timber, cane, and earthtone colours. Natural materials provide interesting sensory experiences in many areas of the school. Twigs, wood slices and small stones enhance sensory learning for our younger students. In the younger years, plastic manipulatives have been replaced with natural ones, such as acorns and large seeds, which are used to develop number and nature knowledge. Our indoor environments are calm, ensuring our students can focus on learning without too many distractions.

We are fortunate to have magnificent views of Launceston and its surrounds and an abundance of natural light. There are plenty of studies that indicate indoor plants provide a number of benefits for health and wellbeing.

We also know that getting students out of classrooms to play, learn, explore and engage first-hand with nature, not only develops new skills, it also fosters a sense of wellbeing and respect for our natural environment.

On the Junior Campus, our students are curious about the magnificent trees and have learned about what nature provides, right outside our classroom doors. Our school is a perfect environment to learn about the importance of trees. As budding environmentalists, our students learn how our trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and produce oxygen, how our trees cool the air and surface temperatures, how they are habitats for creatures and that their roots hold soil in place and help fight erosion. Even the fallen tree leaves create compost that enriches the soil.

stories which were then dramatised and performed outdoors, heightening the connection with nature. It was a magical experience for everyone!

Visitors to the Art House will see how natural materials are used to engage children with the diverse textures, shapes, and colours found in nature. Having an Indigenous artist-in-residence, Annie Hay, work outdoors with the students enabled them to appreciate the wonder of our local natural environment through the lens of an artist. The rivers and waterways, the land and skies were the source of inspiration for the beautiful artwork that depicts the land on which our Junior Campus is built. This artwork is a reminder to us that we pay our respects to the traditional custodians of this land, the Palawa people, and that we must look after it.

Beyond the Junior Campus, there is a strong focus on the cross-curriculum priority of personal and social learning as well as learning about sustainability and the environment. Our camps and incursions provide outdoor education opportunities to develop our students’ knowledge and understanding of the natural world, our place in it and our responsibility to preserve it for the future.

Our majestic trees are also a source of inspiration for our young authors and performers. Award-winning oral storyteller, Tamas, helped our Grade 2 to understand the awe of nature by sharing stories from a variety of cultures. Through this engaging experience in nature, our students’ knowledge about storytelling, culture, traditions, and global connections was extended. Excited by the giant oak tree which crowns the campus, the children created

Read on to find out more about how nature inspires wonder in the Early Years at Grammar. Early Learning Leader, Georgia Greig, explains how our Early Learning educators collaborate to ensure that learning for our younger students is a constant source of joy. Our Primary Years Programme Coordinator, Claire Calvert has written about the extensive programmes that enable our students to learn about the environment through immersive and engaging opportunities.

Georgia Greig Learning Area Leader – Early Childhood