Een klas zonder muren in kleuterschool De Buitenkans

Preschool De Buitenkans - Avelgem

A playground with a math corner, language corner, silent corner and a mud kitchen? In Bossuit, part of the municipality Avelgem, near the language border, is preschool De Buitenkans. ‘From about April to October we spend the entire day outside’, says principal Angélique Buyck. ‘That way we can see, taste, feel and smell nature.’

When Angélique became principal of the school, the first thing she did was break out the concrete from the playground. ‘For many people, nature is outside and life is inside’, she explains, ‘but we see that the kids actually flourish in nature: they get sick less often, they’re tough, they learn to work together a lot better and it’s beneficial for the development of their motor skills.’ It’s remarkably quiet in the preschool. The preschoolers are very gentle with each other. ‘A child who falls, stands back up itself or is helped by another kid’, says Angélique, ‘and of course we always see it happen, but independence is also a part of the learning process.’

Individual learning paths

Behind the school building, there is now a green play-and-learn garden, which was divided into about 15 corners by Angélique and Miss Hanne. With an animal park and a vegetable garden, with a technology corner and a world corner. ‘For every main goal in the development of preschoolers, we 've made a corner’, says Angélique. ‘So when a preschooler goes through the corners independently, it has actually already reached its end goals.’ At the start of the day, the kids help prepare the corners. ‘We think that independence is very important’, Angélique adds.

18 Toddlers and preschoolers of different ages form one big class group. ‘Through our varied outdoor offer, we can follow up on every preschooler individually’, says Angélique. ‘When a child learns how to ride a bike, language and math stay behind for a while. The development of preschoolers goes in waves and differs from child to child.’ In this mixed group, the toddlers learn from the older preschoolers too. ‘With respect to the pace at which every child develops, we can respond to their individual needs’, concludes Angélique.

To school in boots

However, in Bossuit it can also be cool during those April mornings, when the classes go outside. ‘We notice that parents really have to warm up to the idea of their kids being outside the entire day at first’, says the principal. ‘Some parents really aren’t into the idea of their kids having to go home in dirty clothes.’ The school organizes information sessions on how the outdoor classes work. ‘We explain that every child needs some waterproof boots and a good coat for outside’, says Angélique. ‘Clothes should never be the reason they can’t play, right?’

‘Every month, we go on an excursion: into the country, visiting small businesses or going on a city trip to Avelgem’, she says, ‘Eevery two years we even go on a nature class for one night, which of course is amazing for those little ones.’ Besides that, the preschooler group regularly goes to the small forest around the corner.

School as a community center

Angélique already knew MOS coach Joke Oosterlijnck from another school where she taught. ‘The MOS file here was also easily drawn up with Joke’, says Angélique. ‘From the moment the file is approved by MOS, it is automatically accepted by the city to get the money.’

Then there is biologist Johan who checks which plants in the garden are or aren’t suitable. And co-workers Tatyana & Guyllian from the social network organization Ubuntu who help out at school. ‘A school has to contribute to the community’, says Angélique, ‘and we have the space for it: during the Easter and fall breaks, we build camps on our playground with the non-profit organisation De Kampenbouwer.’

‘When the first reports about the coronavirus started going around, older people came around to ask what exactly was going on’, says Angélique. ‘That’s exactly what I mean when I say we’re more than just a school.’

Focussed on experiences with learning goals

‘Every day we plan our activities with each time a couple of different learning goals’, adds Miss Hanne, ‘but if someone finds a butterfly, we’ll use the experience of that moment to learn how to determine with a chart.’ This way, the school looks at every experience like a learning opportunity. ‘Can I eat those berries?’ Miss Hanne asks the group during a walk, after which the preschoolers answer ‘no!’ in unison.

The content of the outdoor classes fully supports the curriculum from the catholic schools ZILL: Zin in leren! Zin in leven! (Feel like learning! Feel like living!). Both the personal development (like teamwork) and cultural development (like geography) are addressed in every activity. ‘For mothers’ day we made daisy oil for hands dried out by alcoholic gel’, Angélique says, grinning. ‘We learned a lot about the healing powers of nature in doing that and we worked together. This way, our little rascals will grow up to be resilient kids who are creative and enterprising’, concludes Angélique. ‘We believe that a society of conscious, mentally and physically healthy people starts here, in preschool.’

A report from Always Hungry (2021)