Arts and Wellness at Journey School

Journey School
Image: ajourneyschool.com

Educational professional Christa Niven serves as the CEO of Journey School in Lynwood, Washington, and Journey School of Dripping Springs in Dripping Springs, Texas. Also the founder, Christa Niven established the schools to provide innovative education to early learners, and she continues to drive curriculum development for her students.

Journey School programming offers a unique educational experience to young people. It borrows from the Reggio Emilia model of education, offering an environment in which children become the masters of their own learning. Even at very young ages, children at Journey School are considered to be capable of discovery and applying meaning to their experiences. Accordingly, the school offers ample opportunities for self-discovery and artistic expression.

Students at Journey School participate in yoga, which helps their physical well-being while encouraging stress management and mindfulness. Their studies are rich in the performing arts, thanks to lessons in dance and dramatic play. Musical fun and learning also make up part of the Journey School experience.

Families Address a Need for More Play

Washington State-based educator Christa Niven heads Journey School, an educational community for young children and their families. The school serves two communities, one in Lynnwood, Washington, and the other in the Greater Austin, Texas, area. Christa Niven and her teachers base their programming on the importance of healthy natural play, guided exploration, and community involvement and support.

While its many social, cognitive, and emotional benefits are well established in the professional literature of numerous organizations, today’s children may find fewer opportunities for pretend play than those of previous generations. Busy families may place greater emphasis on academic study and other responsibilities that produce more immediate tangible outcomes, and overworked adults may have little energy to help create spaces that allow for both adequate supervision and unstructured play.

In addition, a number of studies show that young children and school-age kids are spending less and less time in free exploration activities outdoors, often replaced by hours of daily electronic entertainment. Yet experts also know that toddlers can require as much as two solid hours of vigorous physical activity in an eight-hour day.

Many families are consciously creating more free time for play. Within the safety provided by adult supervision, young children can enjoy skipping rope, playing ball or tag, riding tricycles, and building things using natural outdoor materials. Indoors, parents can devise simple but challenging obstacle courses using items found around the house, or suggest active games such as musical chairs, hula-hooping, or follow the leader.

The Importance of Play for Children’s Learning

American Academy of Pediatrics

 

Professional educator Christa Niven heads Journey School, a pioneering infancy-through-1st grade school with locations in both Washington State and the Greater Austin, Texas, area. The school bases its educational approach on its interpretation of the Reggio-Emilia system, developed in the mid-20th century and now acclaimed worldwide. Christa Niven and her staff focus on the vital role natural play and exploration hold in the intellectual, emotional, and creative development of young children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is only one among numerous professional organizations to support the importance of plenty of healthy play activities for children. The developers of the Reggio Emilia method would have agreed with the AAP’s advocacy of play as a means of allowing children’s imaginations and creative abilities to blossom. The AAP also states that play fosters the development of multiple life skills and creates closer bonds between children and their parents, as well as with their wider social groups and communities.

Beyond this, on a physical level play is shown to boost brain development and manual flexibility. Children additionally gain in leadership and collaboration skills through engaging in pretend play, which also helps increase their emotional strength and resilience. For all these reasons, the National Association for the Education of Young Children supports pretend play as one of several educational growth opportunities that, taken together, create healthy brains, emotions, and relationships.

The Importance of Natural Play

 

Natural Play
Image: nwf.org

Christa Niven serves as the director of Journey School in Lynnwood, Washington. At Journey School, Christa Niven puts a great deal of emphasis on natural play.

The term “natural play” refers to using nature as a playground, as opposed to man-made swings and other structures surrounded by rubber matting. Natural play involves running in the woods, climbing trees, building forts, and playing on the muddy banks of streams.

Today’s children tend to spend much more time indoors than previous generations because of television, computers, and other electronics. As a result, young people are less acquainted with nature, which makes it more important to give them the opportunity to explore.

Playing outdoors encourages health and fitness while building confidence. As children attempt new things, whether climbing a larger tree or swinging from high branches, they learn what they are really capable of doing. As they accomplish new things, they become more motivated to experiment and more confident in their skin. Outdoor play can also boost social development as children work together to build forts or play games like tag and hide-and-seek.