More and more, referring to the theories of scholars such as Rousseau, Froebel and Montessori , we are witnessing a growth of interest in the external environment to support learning by the child. MATHEMATICS IN THE OPEN AIR

One of the pillars of Montessori philosophy is the relationship between child and nature (Montessori, 1946).

It is through the daily opportunity to live in the open air that children develop curiosity and love for nature.

A favorable external environment is as important as an internal environment. To support children’s learning and development without too much effort, it is sufficient to observe the many opportunities that nature offers. The external environment brings with it the mathematics of nature: the beauty of form, symmetry, color, classification, order, pattern and quantity.

Nature directly supports Maria Montessori’s description of the mathematical mind: the urge to produce order from disorder.

Maria Montessori borrowed this phrase from the works of Blaise Pascal, a French philosopher and mathematician, observing that “… the mind of man is mathematics by nature, and knowledge and progress come from careful observation”.

Montessori described the child’s mind as a mind that has the spontaneous ability to organize, classify and quantify patterns and relationships in the context of everyday experiences. He recognized that the characteristics of the mathematical mind, order – observation, precision and imagination – can be refined with careful care, and nature provides us with the means to do so.

The Mathematical Mind is active from the first years of a child’s life : “in our little children the evidence of a mathematical inclination manifests itself in many surprising and spontaneous ways” (Montessori, 1988, p169).

The experiences we provide to support the Mathematical Mind in the early years of development help build the foundation upon which all subsequent learning will be built .

We are curious creatures: curiosity drives us to explore and understand the world around us in all its aspects.

This prompts essential questions such as why, how, when and what… this is the curiosity we must embrace as it is the foundation for creative math learning. Asking questions fuels scientific research, the search for new, more accurate and more complete knowledge.

In addition to mathematical learning, experiences in “wild” spaces are fundamental for effective environmental education . When we talk about wild spaces, we don’t always talk about forests and wooded areas: if you have a garden, consider letting some of it grow wild, replace some of the paved areas with wild flowers, give nature the freedom to create. the external environment for you. What comes out could be a slightly less tidy but certainly more stimulating environment for the child.

The growing interest in environmental issues has revealed how much the use by children of the outer space is able to develop in them positive and attentive attitudes to the environment (Rivkin, 2000). Nature, so rich and sensory, not only supports the personal investigations of children (Fjortoft 2004, Waite et al., 2006), but also provides an ideal context for group activities in which the development of knowledge, concepts and skills is incorporated into the internal tasks that are authentic, proactive and often real.

Pratt (2011) argues that for children to become “proficient mathematicians” it is necessary to develop a “mathematical disposition”. This can be supported by doing math outdoors, allowing children to develop an awareness that math is all around them.

In an outdoor environment, children will have the opportunity to explore the world and experience natural phenomena such as weather, seasons and shadows, etc. (Maynard and Waters, 2007).

Children will become more creative and have the freedom to be “innovative, flexible and adaptable.

Quick guide to doing math outdoors

Before structuring a children’s activity we should ask ourselves the following questions:

• How will this activity increase what the children already know?

• How will it help this child grow?

• What skills are developed?

• How will this activity help these children learn more about their world?

• How will he prepare these children for life?

And here are the benefits of learning math outdoors!

• Offer a sense of freedom without the constraints of the internal environment

• Encourage a mathematical disposition and allow children to make links useful for their learning

• Encourage exploration and risk-taking

• Support emotional well-being

• Contribute to the children’s image of themselves as mathematicians

Conclusions

Maria Montessori recognized the importance of learning through nature.

If you look closely at the world in everyday life you will discover how intriguing, magical and full of awe and wonder it is: think of the joy of a child when he finds his first ladybug and starts counting the dots? Young children strongly feel the need for exploration, discovery and creative learning and it is our job to help them keep this curiosity alive throughout their lives.

The future belongs to intelligent-nature, to those individuals, families, businesses and political leaders who will understand the importance of the balance between real and virtual. The more technology, the more nature we will need . (Richard Louv)