The Irish Pre-Schools Where Kids Go ‘Free-Range’

I have the fondest memories of making mud cakes, jumping in puddles and building 'bird's nests' as a child. Studies now show that children who spend a lot of time in the Great Outdoors show increased coordination, agility, balance and better motor skills. It's also GREAT FUN! So it is no surprise that pre-schools and kindergartens are now beginning to design themselves around nature. The philosophy, inspired by our Scandinavian neighbours, is based around connecting your little explorer to the wonder of the natural world. After all, they are part of nature themselves. We spoke with three Irish pre-schools, dedicated to getting your wild thing back into the wild: 1. Nature Kindergarten,  Park Academy, Kilruddery House, Bray, Co Wicklow The Nature Kindergarten is the first of its kind in Ireland. It's a forest nursery in the heart of the 'garden of Ireland'. Here, the children spend all days outdoors, and the classroom walls change very day. It was set up to emphasize the importance of a child's development through sensory exploration. Here, the trees, leaves, and muck are the toys. Lessons at this unique classroom include; insect hunting, making nettle ice pops and plant identification. Music class consists of banging sticks, mimicking birdsong and tuning into the natural sounds of the forest. Education Coordinator at Nature Kindergarten is Sarah Quinn. She says the idea was inspired by trips abroad and consultation with similar concepts in Norway.

"The children are outside in the forest all day, but we do have a log cabin where the children can go inside if they are tired or to eat their meals. That is the only time of the day they could be inside. We also have some fixed play things like swings and a tyre, but the rest is very much just what the forest has to offer naturally. If a tree has fallen, it is left where it is, and it becomes a natural balance beam for the children to run up and down on. The children are constantly turning over logs and finding insects. It's a very child-led environment."

More information here 2. Free Range Kids, Limerick On the school curriculum at this barnyard school, is apple picking, growing vegetables and milking cows. Teacher, Liz Murphy, says more parents are choosing to educate their children with old-fashioned outdoor fun;

"When I was growing up it was all outdoors and learning from our environment - we have lost sight of that over the last few years. It seems that kids just don't experience good old-fashioned fun outdoors anymore because technology has taken over to a point. From a child's development point of view, I think parents are now starting to realise that being outdoors exploring, and doing all the things THEY did as a child is the way forward. We find that children learn better, and they socially interact better in this way."

The pre-school is based on the ethos that exposure to the natural environment, the outdoors, natural materials (sand, water, wood, clay, vegetables, grass, etc.), and exploratory play are hugely beneficial for the early development of kids of that age. Activities include building and construction, exploring the woods, cooking apple pies straight from the orchard and preparing vegetable soup from the vegetable patch. More information here 3. Ivy Lane, Fitzwilliam Street Upper, Dublin 2 Sister's and best friends, Sally and Aimee Breslin, set up this quirky Montessori together. The girls were determined to offer top class education for children, while also making the lives of busy parents that much easier. They say the ethos of the school is built on the natural development and natural organic growth of the Ivy plant. Aimee said being connected to nature was something they felt very passionate about;

"While we also have an outdoor area, we felt it would be beneficial to have this indoor 'weatherproof' garden allowing the children to strengthen their connection to nature. The children can do all kinds of activities in any weather and they love the open feel of this outdoor indoor space."

What makes it all the more special is that the school is right in the heart of Dublin city centre. More information here These three unique schools offer an exciting first step into the world of education for children. They are using nature's playground to discover and a place where imagination has no boundaries. Would you send your child to nature school?