A workshop run by Helen Martin and Sharon Witt – Manchester 2012

Why place making activities?

  • Engaging, motivating, creative and enjoyable.
  • Practical , first hand exploration of places and landscapes and immersion in the environment
  • Multi- sensory activities in the real world enables children to experience “living geography”
  • Relevant to children-Educators need to “acknowledge the unique world making desires of middle childhood and shape curriculum to provide appropriate experiences”(Sobel,2002, p. 110).
  • Promotes deep learning experiences and opportunities to develop the children’s higher order thinking skills
  • Can address key geographical concepts of place, space, scale, environmental interaction;
  • Allows for meaningful cross- curricular links with subjects like Science (materials), Design Technology (construction) and promotes team building.
  • Provides opportunities for children to-
  • Ask and answer geographical questions;
  • Explore topical geographical issues e.g. homelessness, survival in different environments , homes of different cultures;
  • Use appropriate geographical vocabulary;
  • Develop decision making skills e.g. best location, size and shape of place;
  • Communicate their responses to places e.g. geographical conversations, scrapbooking, plans and diagrams , photographs;
  • Identify and describe what places are like ;
  • Consider the location of places;
  • Recognise how people can improve or damage environments.

Possible contexts for place making

  • Can the children create a special place?
  • Can they build a shelter to camp/ survive in overnight?
  • Can they build a home for a bear/ class toy?
  • Can the children recreate shelters from other cultures or times?E.g. charcoal burner’s hut from pre twentieth century England or an East African boma.
  • Can children use place making to explore issues, such as homelessness or refugees camps?
  • Can the children make a weather proof den? This could be tested by pouring over a bucket of water.
  • Can the children use land art, such as The Nest by Nils Udo as inspiration for their structures?
  • Can the children make a den for a purpose? -A picnic, a writing haven, a peaceful retreat etc.;
  • Can the children plan and construct their own imaginary place? Use Roxaboxen by McLerran (1991) or Spike Jonze 2009 film adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s book ‘Where the Wild things are’ as a stimulus for place making.

WHERE IS THE GEOGRAPHY?

Place making activities encourage children to be active agents rather than passive observers and ‘allowchildren’s personal geographies to become the object of the primary geography curriculum’.(Catling, 2011, pp. 23-24).

PLACE, SPACE and SCALE

  • Children ‘s place making activities contribute to children’s developing sense of place;
  • Constructing places in a range of geographical contexts can allow children to work at a variety of scales e.g. can make a large den to fit in as many children as possible or a home for an elf!
  • Freeexploration and den building gives teachers’ insight into how children make use of everyday spaces;
  • Deeper knowledge and understanding of place through opportunities to engage physically and cognitively with local places;
  • Focus for geographical enquiries- where is the best location for my structure? What is my place like? How does my place compare to other places? How can I improve my place? How is my place connected to other places?

ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTION

  • Create a sense of ownership, belonging and local identity
  • Enhance children’s self-esteem, fostering a more caring attitude and approach towards their local area
  • Environmental commitment emerges out of first hand experiences with real places on a small, manageable scale (Sobel, 2002, p. 139.)

Suggested reading and resources

Barnard , J (2006) The nesting instinct,(accessed 10/4/12/);

BBC Country file film Lets go build a den, 10/4/12/);

Catling. S. (2011) ‘Children’s geographies in the Primary School’ in G. Butt Geography, Education and the Future, London: Continuum ;

Canning, N. (2010) ‘The influence of the outdoor environment: den- making in three different contexts’ in European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, Vol18 (4) p.555-566;

Dixon and Day (2004) ‘Secret places: You’re too big to come in here! ‘In H. Cooper, Exploring Time and Place through Play, London: David Fulton Publishers;

Forestry Commission 10/4/12/);

Harrop, P. (2006)Rope swings, dens, tree houses, fires. A risk based approach for managers facilitating self-built play structures and activities in woodland settings,

(accessed 10/4/12/);

(accessed 10/4/12/);

Kylin, M. (2003) ‘Children’s Dens’ Children, Youth and Environments, Vol 13, No,1 Spring 2003, (accessed10/4/12/);

Sobel, D. (2002) Children’s Special Places – Exploring the role of forts, dens and bush houses in middle childhood, Detroit: Wayne State University Press;