Coastal blue spaces provide affordances for children’s well-being and connection with nature through physically active play In recent years there has been a growing emphasis on offering children outdoor learning experiences in natural settings. In Australia, this focus has led to the development of initiatives that expand the concept of bush or nature kindergartens to include blue space environments. While research has established that blue spaces offer children many benefits, very few studies have examined the effects of play-based experiences in blue space environments for young children. This case study offers an in-depth qualitative exploration of a play-based after school program in a coastal environment. The study’s objective was to explore the lived experiences of the children and educators who participated in the program through a phenomenological approach.
The study was conducted at an after school outdoor education program, “Coastal ED,” that served primary schools in Victoria, Australia. The aim of the program was to provide school-aged children an opportunity for unstructured play in order “to develop and learn through collaboration, communication, creating and critical thinking in nature.” The program also intended to support children’s connection with nature and mental well-being. Ten children (age 5-8) attended each Coastal ED program session, which was led by two educators. The program was located at two different beach sites. Children who participated in the program lived and attended school in the coastal community; therefore, the sites were familiar to children. One of the study’s researchers participated in multiple program sessions. By participating in the program, the researcher was positioned to closely observe the children. The researcher engaged the children in conversational interviews that encouraged the children to express their perspectives on participation in the program and to discuss affordances of the environment that they felt connected to. Overall, the interviews aimed to glean “deep insights” into the children’s lived experience of engagement with the beach. Conversational interviews were also held with the program educators which aimed to consider how they experienced the children’s experiences. Data was analyzed with qualitative methods.
Findings reveal how the beach supported opportunities for children to connect with the environment as “lived space” and as “felt space.” When asked why they liked being in the program, children’s voices highlighted overall feelings of enjoyment and fun. As a lived and felt space, the beach fostered children’s deep connection to the environment through the experience of feeling happy. Further, the educators experienced feeling happy in response to the happiness expressed by the children. “As felt space, the educators expressed that they too felt with the children, feeling the children’s connections to their bodies, their beings, and nature itself.” The children were able to fully immerse themselves in the experience of space through their bodies, through their authentic engagement in play, and through their interactions with water and other features of the coastal environment. Play was self-directed, spontaneous and physically active: “the affordances of both the environment (the sand, the rocks, the foreshore and the water) as well as the affordances resulting from the ‘permissions’ given by the educators allowed for physical active play which is natural, authentic and intrinsic.” These affordances also invited creative and imaginative play, as well as more solitary and contemplative forms of play. In other instances, play was based on “shared endeavors” and children demonstrated collaborative decision making and positive social interactions.
Overall, the study provides a deeper understanding of the specific affordances that coastal environments offer for children’s well-being and connection with nature through enjoyable and playful interactions. The researchers conclude that natural blue spaces can enhance children’s sense of self through strengthened connections with the environment. The researchers further conclude that active play in nature enhances children’s well-being in ways that organized sports or other forms of physical activity cannot: “rather than being in the environment, they are one with the environment, creating a bi-directional relationship which cannot be afforded through organized sport, but which it can be argued, is more beneficial not only to their physical health, but their spiritual, emotional, social and mental health.” The study's main limitation was that its participants were relatively advantaged and already had an affinity and connection to coastal environments. Further research should explore the experiences of children who are less familiar with blue spaces.
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