Learning in the lap of nature at TCH U-Thant

The children’s house is proud to present its brand-new preschool in the heart of Kuala Lumpur – TCH U-Thant – a beautiful building nestled among tall green trees. Indeed, nature is at the very core of the preschool. This comes from the fact that there is a deep connection between children and nature. With curiosity and imagination, the outdoors become a big unexplored playground.

Remember the time you took your children outdoors to play in the lap of nature, how much they enjoyed jumping in puddles, building leaf mountains, playing at the beach and climbing trees?  Pebbles, seashells, grass, rocks, the rain, plants, trees, and sand — none of these came with a guide so our imagination took hold and we were liberated into many, many worlds.

The rustling of the leaves stimulates the sense of hearing and the fragrance of a flower stimulates the sense of smell; nature stimulates creative instincts and sensory development of the child.  Hence, you cannot ignore the importance of nature play in the all-round development of your child.

Sensorial play vital

However, today most children are bound by tight schedules and extracurricular activities. Their first interaction is often with the TV, a tablet or computer. Interacting with nature is restricted to occasional visits to the playground or animated movies about nature. Sadly, they are isolated from the beautiful experiences of nature and develop distaste or fear of heat, cold, rain, and other natural things. This is the beginning of many modern day problems in children like rising cases of obesity, poor eyesight due to continuous exposure to artificial light of screens, plus the loss of opportunity to build resistance and immunity.

Learning through nature is not an occasional tour of man-made parks, but a part of the every day life where they are given the opportunity to grow in a secure and loving, carefully prepared environment that gives them the freedom to learn by choosing their own materials.

At The children’s house U-Thant, the Montessori Method recognises the significance of nature or play-based learning in the early years. Every activity is carefully designed to encourage the social, cognitive, emotional and physical abilities of the child. Most of all, it triggers the sense of curiosity and creativity in children, which helps them develop problem-solving skills required to be successful. Dr Maria Montessori wrote about it in the The Absorbent Mind: “Only through freedom and environmental experience is it practically possible for human development to occur.”

U-Thant maximises nature play

The Montessori Method believes that every child is born a sensorial explorer, and that’s why The children’s house U-Thant not only incorporates the elements of indoor learning but also provides the best environment for outdoor learning for the little ones. The spacious compound of U-Thant coupled with the exclusive facilities creates a huge outdoor space that is filled with the latest and ‘funnest’ playground equipment that will create a constant opportunity for adventure, not to mention learning.

Then there is the Alfresco Dining Area! Yes, you read that right, the children will get to dine in the cool air and enjoy the freshness of the surroundings under the shade of the surrounding trees.

One of the key features of The children’s house U-Thant is The Atelier Tree. The Atelier Tree is this massive tree with an atelier built around it. Children can enjoy nature while they get busy with their art and craft projects. It is a beautiful space where even the adults will feel inspired to show their gifted side as they work surrounded by full glass windows and roof. This ensures that everyone working in the atelier gets sufficient sunlight and can enjoy the outdoors to get inspiration for creating artwork. All the original work will then be displayed in the Children’s Art Gallery. The gallery will display the children’s masterpieces in an effort to not only appreciate but also encourage creativity in the children.

The children will no doubt enjoy another key feature of the school – the Wet & Wonderful water play! We all know that children love to play with water and the water play area at U-Thant gives children the opportunity to get imaginative with water! Your child is going to wake-up every morning raring to go to preschool!

Come on over for a tour of The children’s house at U-Thant. You will find the environment at U-Thant is specially prepared to let your child move freely and interact with nature. As children interact with the environment and learn to take care of their surroundings, a sense of responsibility and kindness develops. Eventually, children learn to identify their emotions, express them, and respond effectively. They develop great self-esteem and it drives them to follow their passion and be the best version of themselves. And isn’t that what each of us want for our children?