NHB101 Nature, Health and Movement

The course is connected to the following study programs

• Workplace based Pre-school education, bachelor's programme
• Workplace based Pre-school education, bachelor's programme

Teaching language

This course is taught in Norwegian and an English translation of the course description is not available.

Course contents

Nature, Health and Movement as an area of knowledge includes health, movement and interaction with nature, in which the outdoors, nature experiences and the pleasure of movement are essential. This area of knowledge will provide a foundation for the students and make them able to attend to the children¿s need for movement, to take care of and promote children¿s health in general, as well as being able to prepare for a varied and healthy diet in the kindergarten.

Children¿s physical and motoric development as well as their movement skills and bodily culture of play are important issues and the student will gain experiences with sensoric impressions, activities and play in different environments which can be used to inspire and motivate children to being physically active in various environments. The student will gain knowledge about how children through wondering, exploring and challenging play in various environments can achieve a basis for contributing to a sustainable development through caring for his-/herself, each other and the nature. Furthermore, the student will achieve knowledge about children¿s bodiliness and their experience of physical phenomenon and organisms in nature.

Learning outcomes

KNOWLEDGE

The student has knowledge about:

• how children learn in interaction with the environment and how the environment may be utilized and adapted in order to support children´s self-initiated play and learning processes

• how children through their bodies and senses learn about the world and gain an understanding of themselves

• food safety and healthy diets for children

• ergonomics, health promoting work, as well as diets, motor function, and physical and mental development in children

• nature, bodily play, diets and health in a multi-cultural perspective, and how this diversity is included as a whole in the kindergarten

• physical phenomena in the atmosphere and on earth, climate challenges as well as sustainable development

• the most common plants, small creeping things, and animals which are found in the local environment and the interaction between these, the human beings and the environment

SKILLS

The student should be able to:

• choose and use suitable materials, raw materials, techniques and tools in practical work with children, and to make use of local natural resources

• observe and assess children´s movement skills

• plan, implement and assess the need of physical activity, rest, varied meals, preventative health work and good hygiene in the kindergarten

• reflect upon and attend to different cultural perspectives in the work related to health, nature and movement

• through simple experiments and play, encourage the children´s curiosity to explore natural phenomena, the diversity of nature and everyday technology

• determine the species of a selection of common plants, small creeping things, and animals

• assess the risks of play environments and together with the children create and make use of various rooms inside, outside and in nature, as well as prepare for the children¿s self-regulating mastering of risks and the experience of joy

GENERAL COMPETENCE

The student should be able to:

• be oriented and make use of possibilities in the local environment for the exploration of natural science and movement activities with children

• take part in, inspire to and be a good role model for children in order to stimulate the children´s curiosity, sense impressions and concept development, in their movement play and experiences of nature

• analyse and critically reflect upon important factors of well-being and health promotion in the kindergarten, as well as be able to take care of the children¿s health and own health

• analyse and critically reflect upon gender, equal opportunities, equal status, cultural diversity, routines in the kindergarten, diet and movement activities as important qualities of life and health promoting factors in the kindergarten

• take care of the children¿s health and security and be able to give first aid and life-saving

Teaching methods

Teaching will be offered as net-based lectures, supervised practice and seminars at campus. The seminars at campus may include seminar work, practical work, assignments, field work, and excursions.

The kindergarten is an important arena for learning in the workplace based pre-school education. Between the seminars at campus the students will have assignments which are to be carried out at their own work place.

Estimated work load is 540 hours over two semesters.

In their field practice students will gain experience on how this area of knowledge is adapted and integrated into the daily work in the kindergarten. This will also be made visible through assignments in which students are asked to plan and carry out various tasks which include children connected to the course Nature, Health and Movement.

A further description of the contents and progression of the field practice is found in the semester plans and in the document «Praksisdokument for arbeidsplassbasert barnehagelærerutdanning» (Practice document for workplace based pre-school education)

Evaluation

The person responsible for the course, in consultation with the student representative, decides the method of evaluation and whether the courses will have a midterm- or end of term evaluation, see also the Quality System, section 4.1. Information about evaluation method for the course will be posted on Canvas.

Assessment methods and criteria

One final mark is given based on the following parts:

• Individual written assignment, which counts 25 % of the final grade.

• Individual written assignment, which counts 25 % of the final grade.

• A 5-hour individual written examination, which counts 50 % of the final grade.

Please see the semester plan for details about the examination.

Other information

The course description for Nature, Health and Movement as an area of knowledge is made in accordance with both the National Curriculum Regulations for the preschool teacher education, and the programme descriptions for the Bachelor´s programme in Pre-school Education at the University of Agder and the University of Nordland.

The students must reckon with some economic costs for excursions in the local area, and for two- or three-day excursions related to seminars at campus.

Reduction of Credits

This course’s contents overlap with the following courses. A reduction of credits will occur if one of these courses is taken in addition:

Course	Reduction of Credits
NHB100K – Nature Health Movement	20