Lyon Municipality intends to launch France's first municipal open-air daycare facility in the city.
Let's Embrace Nature: Lyon's Innovative Outdoor Nurseries!
Channeling the spirit of Scandinavian countries, Lyon's eco-friendly city hall has plans to launch two unique outdoor nurseries by year's end, marking a rare leap in French early education (New Window*). One of these nurseries will be the nation's first municipal nursery, inspired by the Scandinavian emphasis on nature-based learning.
"It's great for the kid's health," declared Mayor EELV Gregory Doucet upon unveiling the site of the second nursery, an associate-run, entirely outdoor nursery set to house 20 children come fall, smack dab in a public park. Plans for a third, potentially in the La Tête d'Or park, are underway (1).
Rain or Shine, Learning's Comfortable Out here!
According to Steven Vasselin, Lyon's deputy mayor for early childhood, outdoor life imparts numerous benefits for sleep, immune systems, and social skills in young children. The city's goal? To stimulate, to inspire, to truly establish a benchmark that'll inspire others.
The associate nursery's children, about a third of whom live with disabilities, will brave the elements, regardless of season. Extreme weather? They'll huddle under a wooden shelter on stilts, decked with shade and fans, complete with a kitchen (2).
So, say goodbye to cramped classrooms and schools stuck indoors - Lyon's introducing a new way to learn that's right out there under the sun, the rain, and the stars!
(1) Committed to eco-friendliness and inventive childcare, Lyon's initiative aligns with a desire to cultivate environmental awareness and nurture children's affinity for nature from an early age.(2) Inspired by Scandinavian educational models, these outdoor nurseries offer distinct advantages, such as enhancing physical health through increased exercise opportunities, promoting mental well-being, improving learning through hands-on experiences, and fostering environmental consciousness.
- The outdoor nurseries in Lyon, following Scandinavian educational models, aim to encourage environmental awareness and nurture children's affection for nature from an early age, aligning with eco-friendliness and innovative childcare.
- Regardless of the season, children at the associate nursery in Lyon, some of whom live with disabilities, will learn to adapt and thrive in various weather conditions, utilizing a wooden shelter with shade, fans, and a kitchen as a refuge from extreme temperatures.
- With the rain, sun, and stars as part of their daily landscape, children in Lyon's outdoor nurseries can benefit from hands-on learning experiences, enhancing their physical health, mental well-being, and environmental consciousness, leading to a beneficial lifestyle and sustainable living.
- Steps are being taken to plan a third outdoor nursery in Lyon's La Tête d'Or park, further promoting the city's goal of establishing a benchmark for early education that emphasizes nature-based learning and home-and-garden development.
- By fostering education-and-self-development in an outdoor setting, Lyon's initiative encourages lifelong learning and a connection to nature, offering a new approach to early childhood education that complements and enhances a conventional home-and-garden lifestyle.
