+7 Nurture Through Nature
Nurture Through Nature
Nurture Through Nature
Nurture Through Nature
Nurture Through Nature
Nurture Through Nature
URBINO, Italy – Deep in a lush forest on an Italian hillside, Serena Panti encourages a small group of preschoolers to face their fears.
The typically small stream, after a few days of rain, has become whitewater rapids – at least in the eyes of a small child. Hesitating in their colorful rubber boots, the children line up to jump over and continue their hike.
Panti grabs the hand of each student and helps him or her leap over. As each student lands safely on the other side, praise erupts from the others and from Panti herself. With each trip across the stream the children become more confident, some no longer needing assistance. Eventually all fear subsides, and the new game of jumping back and forth across the stream becomes more important to the children than continuing the hike.
Serena Panti is one of four teachers at this outdoor school, Maestra Natura, an educational project of a new organization in the Marche region called L’albero Maestro, or “The teaching tree.”
“L’albero Maestro was established on the fundamentals that children should learn to be autonomous through self-exploration,” says Panti, who taught in traditional schools before teaching at Maestra Natura. “Some people think the children just run around like wild things, but we follow all the institutional guidelines.”
L’albero Maestro started nearly three years ago in 2016 as an association which offered weekend nature outings for families. Enthusiasm from parents and children of the Marche region encouraged L’albero Maestro to establish a permanent location to provide nature experiences daily.
Thus, the magic of Maestra Natura blossomed.
Maestra Natura is a completely outdoor preschool located a few miles outside the walls of Urbino. With 23 students from 9 months to 5 years old, and four teachers, the school provides more one-on-one attention from instructors than does a traditional school, Panti says.
Parents agree that this is one of the school’s attractions.
Francesca Guidarelli, whose daughter Alice, age 4, attends the school, says that children need more than what the traditional Italian school system can offer.
Francesca and her husband, Luigi, wanted something different for Alice, “something that considered the full and happy development of the human being as the first need for a child.”
The Guidarellis enrolled Alice in Maestra Natura almost two years ago. Francesca Guidarelli believes “having grass, pebbles, trees, and sky all with different colors and moods acting as a classroom is an incredible advantage.”
At Maestra Natura, students are able to learn through action and creativity.
Each day starts with a “circle of greeting” where students sit in a circle overlooking Italian hills and mountains and discuss how they are feeling that day. After the initial morning greeting, students get a quick, gluten-free snack prepared by one of the parent volunteers. From there, children get to decide individually what they want to do for the day.
This is one of the primary reasons the Guidarellis enrolled Alice in Maestra Natura. “We wanted something that would consider her as a complete and unique person,” Francesca says. Much of the school day at Maestra Natura is left to the discretion of the children, as the school aims to offer a routine without imposing a structure.
Children can choose from activities such as tending to the class’s two chickens, Clara and Belle, or by sitting on a quilted blanket and reading.
With the school being completely outdoors, the chance for new activities and adventure can happen at any moment. “Alice has no fear in clearing the way for her mates in the forest,” her mother says.
A common crowd-pleasing activity is a hike into the woods after snack time. With steep slippery hills, rivers to splash in, and trees to hang from, the nearby woods act as nature’s best jungle-gym for the tiny children.
Students work up an appetite after such an adventure, so lunchtime quickly follows.
Appetites satisfied, the wind acts as a soft fan and the birds provide a sweet lullaby. The children sprawl on mats under shady trees to catch a quick nap.
Once children wake, there is free time for play until parents arrive to pick them up for the day.
The parents’ involvement with the school is not restricted to the drop off and pick up. From the establishment of the association nearly three years ago, L’albero Maestro has strived to keep families involved with their children’s education.
One of the ways parents and guardians can get involved with the school is through a “time bank” initiative established by the nature school association. Parents can receive discounted tuition rates by helping cut grass, caring for the hens, or doing other tasks around the school.
The benefits of the time bank initiative go beyond the economic help.
“It is a way of realizing the participation in first person,” says Francesca, “ so giving a true sense of community to the project.”
“It is important to maintain healthy relationships amongst families as a way to teach the children about the importance of cooperation.”
In between educating children about fair trade, and running her own business in Urbino, Francesca spends time working in the kitchen and doing chores around the school to help out. Her husband helps by doing more physical chores, such as cleaning the chicken coop and maintaining the grounds around the school. Francesca admits that with hectic schedules, it is not always easy to face all the needs of the school, but with collaboration anything can be done.
“It is important to maintain healthy relationships amongst families as a way to teach the children about the importance of cooperation.”
They say it takes a village to raise a child, and L’albero Maestro seems to do just that.
With the late afternoon sun beaming through the shade of the tree leaves, a father arrives to retrieve his young daughter just as she is waking from her nap. She stretches her tiny arms and rubs her eyes. A wide smile spreads across her face as she spots her father and scurries toward him. Kneeling down to match her height, the father wraps his daughter in a warm hug. The pair say goodbye to Panti, gather the young girl’s backpack, and head home for the day.
Translation of interviews and other language assistance by University of Urbino student Antonia Perreca.
Video by Kelsey Robertson & Eliza Friel
