Outdoor game education project, first in Lithuania!

Kamu Education has had the honor of participating in the international Nordic Plus Outdoor Game Education project alongside Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, Denmark, and Estonia. Throughout the year, educators will take turns visiting each country’s daycare centers to learn about local early childhood education, particularly focusing on outdoor activities, play, and pedagogy. A small group of KAMU staff will travel to gather new ideas and gain inspiration and perspectives for their own teaching and educational work. The first destination was Lithuania, where we visited the Sigute daycare centers located in the city of Šiauliai.

What Did We See?

We were warmly welcomed by the host daycare in Lithuania. We learned about the country’s early childhood education system, as well as the history, traditions, and general activities of the Sigute daycare centers. We saw the large yards of the daycare centers, which were practically and comfortably divided into areas for different groups, utilizing bushes and colorful fences. There were positive adults and brave, eager, and friendly children, who, among other things, introduced us to and let us taste the vegetables grown in the daycare's garden. We observed the use of natural materials in creating art, both outdoors and indoors. We also witnessed collaboration between children and adults in outdoor play-related projects.

What Did We Do?

We got to try various legendary outdoor activities from the Sigute daycare centers, such as painting branches and fences, as well as creating stunning Mandala artworks. Each group created a mandala using different natural materials, themed around their home country. Our KAMU team immediately dove into the task, crafting a figure enjoying life on a lakeside dock, relishing peaceful moments in nature. During the study trip, our enthusiastic group also discussed the pedagogy of the Sigute centers, children's involvement, and numerous other topics, exchanging ideas with participants from other countries.

What Surprised Us?

It was wonderful to see that children in Lithuania truly had space to move and play outdoors. There were appropriate play equipment for each age group, and the children thrived in the guided outdoor activities. Particularly impressive was the implementation of outdoor play in Šiauliai's daycare centers. Cars, train tracks, and animals were brought outside for play. A memorable feature was a library that had been converted into a small pizzeria, where children prepared "dough," baked pizzas, and made ice cream for dessert. Wow! The diverse play opportunities were beautifully brought outdoors. Supportive visuals for communication and play were also extensively integrated into the outdoor areas. Artistic expression, musical activities, and crafts were a strong part of the daily outdoor curriculum at the Sigute daycare centers.

What Do We Plan to Bring Back to KAMU?

We have already started implementing some ideas, such as collecting various natural materials from forest trips for play at the daycare. We plan to increase outdoor artistic activities in our routines and offer children diverse opportunities for play outside, enriching the play areas.

Thank you to the Nordic Plus project, the Šiauliai Sigute daycare centers, and everyone who participated in this fantastic first study trip!

Originally in Finnish