Lattersey is a nature reserve, on the edge of Whittlesey six miles west of Peterborough, managed by the Wildlife Trust, offering woods, surprising slopes and a network of boardwalks to explore. This short film introduces a particular strand of our work there with three and four year old children and their educators from Kidzone Nursery, highlighting the different opportunities for adventuring together both outside and back in the nursery.
We feel that we are more confident in letting the children slightly out of sight but close enough to hear. We feel that a higher level of trust has been gained and given to the children. We have adapted to not leading or controlling a group and allowing that group to choose their own activity. We have had to learn not to help a child and to step back and see if a child is capable, or if that child asks for our help that's when we step in. Adapting ourselves to allow danger or risks without removing them and have an understanding that certain things are going to happen to the children but they won't get hurt. (Mark, Kidzone)
The original project was commissioned by the Early Years Service at Cambridgeshire County Council in 2012. CCI artists Sally Todd and Deb Wilenski worked alongside the educators from the nursery and a group of 10-12 two and three year olds throughout the summer term, exploring the reserve for a full morning each week and then spending time each afternoon back in the setting. An evaluation of this project, together with a parallel one in Bramblefields Nature Reserve in Cambridge, can be read online or downloaded here. The posts below document some of the visits during this project.
The nursery have continued to take their children to the reserve and find ways to connect their learning back in the nursery.