The project Early Language Development in Nature (ELaDiNa) brings together two topics of great importance to the context of early education: language development and children’s activities in nature. The core idea of the project is to create a new general approach for early language development in nature, based on the experience and expertise of project partners. Learning in nature and with nature is one of the dimensions of connecting educational programmes to the real world, with existing evidence showing a direct correlation between this kind of connection and an increase in the quality and efficiency of education. Language development is indisputably a crucial process concerning the general developmental process and also in regard to a successful educational career. At preschool age, important steps of language acquisition set the course for a good start in school. However, it is also an acknowledged urgent issue for education (policy and practice) that some children struggle with early language learning and suffer from delays in language development, especially when they come from underprivileged backgrounds. This project seeks to unfold the potentially considerable language support of experiencing nature. The proven benefits of outdoor learning for children such as enhancing their curiosity and autonomy, providing first-hand experiences as a base for cognitive, social and physical development, or promoting children’s wellbeing and health can be enriched and connected with a specific focus on early language development. The intellectual outputs of the project will include tools that will empower educators to be able to implement the new "Early Language Development in Nature" approach in practice, including: - a comprehensive generic model with guidelines for implementation and evaluation; - a training programme for teachers that wish to learn how to implement the approach in their pedagogical practice; - a theoretical handbook detailing the theory behind the approach; - a practical handbook with practical examples of early language development activities in nature and guidelines for their implementation. The project will also provide training for: - 40 teachers to master the approach to the extent of being able to transfer this knowledge to other experts, - 184 teachers and other experts to the extent of being able to implement the knowledge in their pedagogical practice. It is the aim of this project to not only create an effective new approach, but to embed it into existing teacher training programmes and influence national curricula. For this purpose, a strong partnership was formed, bringing together public and private, national and regional, academic and practitioner institutions, with the experience and ability to realize the ambitious project goals.
The Early Language Development in Nature (ELaDiNa) project’s main aim was to unfold the language-stimulating potential of the nature environment by exploring possibilities of developing language skills in nature for children aged 3 to 7. The benefits of outdoor learning such as enhancing curiosity, autonomy, first-hand experiences as a base for cognitive, social and physical development, or promoting children’s wellbeing and health can be enriched and connected with a specific focus on early language development. Such an approach is novel and remarkably under-recognised, although outdoor approaches, in general, are well-known and widely acknowledged. Thus, the main project objectives were: • to develop, test, evaluate and discuss the ELaDiNa generic model with international professional staff from academic and practical work fields, • to train an international group of in-service pedagogues, • to train the trainers from different countries, • to implement the approach in each partner region, • to prepare handbooks to support educators, • to disseminate the approach through further education for educators and teachers, • to share experiences at an international and national event.
The ELaDiNa project brought together two vital aspects of early education: language development and children’s activities in nature. Language development play an indisputably essential role in a child’s overall development, setting the foundation of a successful educational career and fulfilling life. During the preschool years, the acquisition of language skills lays the groundwork for a strong start in school. However, it is equally acknowledged that some children face challenges in early language learning, resulting in delays in their language development. In recent years, the potential of nature-educational experience to promote the linguistic development of children has begun to be recognised, but its potential has thus far been neglected in both research and practice. When children are afforded the opportunity to explore natural environments, their innate curiosity is ignited, fostering their imagination and their urge to explore and understand themselves and their surroundings. These stimulating circumstances offer children the chance to communicate intensively. The focus of the project was to examine these opportunities in order to refine and capitalise upon them to help children learn and improve their language skills.