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American horticulturalist and botanist, Luther Burbank (1849 - 1926), said:
Every child should have mud pies, grasshoppers, water bugs, tadpoles, frogs, mud turtles, elderberries, wild strawberries, acorns, chestnuts, trees to climb, brooks to wade, water lilies, woodchucks, bats, bees, butterflies, various animals to pet, hayfields, pine-cones, rocks to roll, sand, snakes, huckleberries and hornets. And any child who has been deprived of these has been deprived of the best part of education.
What an colourful and descriptive way of describing some of the natural resources that children could explore and learn from!
The NQS Element 3.2.1 requires:
Inclusive Environment | Outdoor and indoor spaces are organised and adapted to support every child's participation and to engage every child in quality experiences in both built and natural environments.
And NQS 3.2.3 says that:
The service cares for the environment and supports children to become environmentally responsible.
So to save you some time we've collated this collection of ideas for using natural resources in your program, environments and experiences. You most likely already use many natural resources and so we hope you'll be able to find some new ideas to complement these. These could be used to spark children's curiosity and learning about nature and enhance your efforts to be environmentally friendly and sustainable in your practice.
This publication from the Government of South Australia talks about the theory of natural things and the advantages of using natural objects, has ideas for getting started including a list of natural objects, provides examples of how early childhood services have used natural objects, strategies for including parents and a list of related resource books and books to read to children.
Natural Things Resource, Natural Resources Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges, Government of South Australia, 2014
This blog from Optimus Education in the UK includes a list of natural materials to collect and practical ideas for using the items from nature.
Using Natural Materials To Enhance Children's Learning, Optimus Education, 2016
This play idea information sheet is from the Ministry of Education in New Zealand and incorporates a list of natural items and a list of how to use them in play and learning. Also includes an important reminder to consider health and safety when using natural objects.
For further individual or team learning both online and in-house at your service, click on the links below for more information.