What would a geographical adventurer look like Design

What would a geographical adventurer look like? Design your own Lego Geographical Adventurer. What would you wear? What equipment would you include? What expression would you show? Where would you like to go on a geographical adventure?

Geographical Adventures with Early years and Primary Children Jo Hodd and Clive West with Sharon Witt

Adventure is a loose word, a spirit of trying something new, trying something difficult. Going somewhere different, leaving your comfort zone. Above all, adventure is about enthusiasm, ambition, open-mindedness and curiosity… …Adventure is everywhere, every day and it is up to us to seek it out. Alastair Humphreys http: //vimeo. com/87551589

Why adventurous geographical experiences? • Engaging, motivating, creative and enjoyable. • Underpins the geographical methodology of enquiry encouraging child to be curious, • Multi- sensory activities which encourage the practical and first hand exploration of ideas; • Promotes deep learning experiences and opportunities to develop the children’s higher order thinking skills • Can address key geographical concepts of place, space, scale, physical and human processes • Allows for meaningful cross- curricular links with subjects like English (describing settings). • Adventures within play environments can suggest stories and promote the use of children’s geographical imaginations.

Adventurous Geography Geographical fieldwork can be used ‘to inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives’ (Df. E, 2013)

Features of adventurous geographical learning Playful learning… Sensory experiences. . . Engaging and fun. . . Facilitates geographical knowledge and understanding. . . • Immersion in the environment. . . • •

The adventure of Geography… ‘Learning geography in particular, is both about a journey and a homecoming. The journey begins with wonder and curiosity about the everyday world that surrounds us, continues as we engage and converse with the subject matter of geography and ends in a homecoming in which the world seems revitalised, and more intricate, than before’. Major, B. (2011) ‘Geography as journey and homecoming’ Geography , Vol 90(1) p. 39 -43

Where is geography in the EYFS? Revised framework introduced in September 2012 Understanding the World • People and communities • The World • Technology "involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment“ Df. E (2012: 5)

Early Learning Goals People and Communities They know about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and among families, communities and traditions. The World Children know about similarities and differences in relation to places. They talk about the features of their own immediate environment and how environments might vary from one another.

Young children are natural geographers!

They enjoy exploring their immediate environment!

“It’s our place!” Using stories as a stimulus for map making and geographical adventures! ‘Talk is arguably the true foundation of learning’ Alexander 2006: 9

Young children are also capable of exploring more distant places…

Sensory Mapping Adventures beyond sight Encouraging children to fully immerse themselves in their outdoor environments by creating multisensory maps of their adventures. Winchester Farmers market

Draw around your hand on the sheet provided. SMELL SOUND HT SIG On each finger or thumb write down one of the 5 senses using a different colour pen. UC TO H E T S TA Senses hand Cut out your senses hand

Creating a sensory word map. We will explore and map an area recording words which describe what we can: Hear, See, Smell, Touch and Taste. We will use our senses hand to help us. We will create a map using adjectives that describe what we can sense, writing the adjectives in the colour of the sense shown on our senses hand. TASTE TOUCH SIGHT SOUND SMELL

Journeys and adventures are more than just seeing. All of our senses create the experience. Think about a journey you’ve made: The smell of strong coffee at an airport. The sound of a street busker performing in a subway. The feel of powdery sand between your toes and a deserted beach. The taste of fish and chips, wrapped in paper as you sit by the harbour.

Encourage children to recreate familiar places by using 2 D and 3 D models provides great opportunities for:

Design principles for geographical adventuresinspired by Sobel • Adventure • Fantasy and imagination • Maps and paths • Making special places- e. g. den building • Place making – small worlds , simulations • Hunting and gathering e. g. scavenger hunts, collecting sensory items, the treasures of a place. Sobel, D. (2008) Childhood and Nature Design principles for education, Portland, Stenhouse.

Adventurous Geography • ‘In order to engage students in more meaningful and intrinsically motivated learning … as teachers we need to uncover our own sense of wonder and awe and embody this within our practice. ’ (Piersol, 2014: 19)

Where will your geographical adventures take you and your children?

Bibliography • Alexander , R. (2008) ‘Towards dialogic teaching: rethinking classroom talk’, Thirsk: Dialogos. • DFE, (2012) Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Setting the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five, http: //bit. ly/1 fjl. Rvf (accessed 17/05/14) • Department for Education (Df. E) (2013) National curriculum in England: primary curriculum, https: //www. gov. uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-primary-curriculum, (accessed 16. 02. 14). • Humphreys, A. (2014) Hong Kong Microadventure, http: //vimeo. com/87551589, accessed 16/5/14. • Major, B. (2011) ‘Geography as journey and homecoming’, Geography , 90(1), 39 -43. • Piersol, L. (2014) ‘Our Hearts Leap Up. Awakening Wonder in the Classroom’ in K. Egan, A. Cant & G. Judson (Eds) Wonder-full Education. The Centrality of Wonder in Teaching and Learning Across the Curriculum, London: Routledge • Sobel, D. (2008) Childhood and Nature Design principles for education, Portland: Stenhouse.