Adventure Bears and the great outdoors...

Dr John Horton, Dr Faith Tucker and Dr Michelle Pyer recently hosted a conference on ‘The Great Outdoors? Children, Young People and Families in Natural and Rural Spaces’.

The conference provided an opportunity for academics from a range of disciplines (including geography, education, law and psychology) to share their research.  The conference attracted researchers from as far afield as Ohio and Wollongong.

Topics discussed included the commodification of woodlands, walking as a way of connecting with nature, Forest Schools, and outdoor playspace.  Prof Helen Lomax (Institute for Health and Wellbeing) gave a workshop on using visual methods to explore children’s use of outdoor spaces.  Tracy Hayes (University of Cumbria) ran a session on using story-telling as a means of exploring connections to nature.  Tracy explained how she uses 'adventure bears' to encourage children to talk about their experiences.

The ‘adventure bears’ used by Tracy Hayes (University of Cumbria)
as a means of encouraging story-telling

 

Third year Geography students explore how childhood has changed over time

On Thursday 23^rd October third year Geographers studying the optional Children’s Geographies module travelled to London to visit the Museum of Childhood and the National Portrait Gallery.  The aim of the trip was to explore how childhood has changed over time.

At the Museum of Childhood students learned about how experiences of childhood vary across time and space.  Playing with the toys prompted reflections on continuity and change in the nature of toys over time.  

Children's Geographies students enjoying the hands-on activities at the Museum of Childhood

The NationalPortrait Gallery provided opportunities to explore how children have been represented in art from Tudor times up to the present day.  We examined how clothing, objects and stance can give indications as to the ways in which childhood has been viewed.

Children, Young People and Families in Changing Urban Spaces Conference - September 2014

A conference on Children, Young People and Changing Urban Spaces will be held at the University of Northampton on 3rd and 4th September 2014. The conference, organised by members of the Human Geography team, will bring together new, multidisciplinary research exploring the lives, issues and experiences of children, young people and families in diverse, international urban contexts. The conference will involve speakers from a range of universities. As well as welcoming academics from the UK, there will be speakers from Singapore, New Zealand, Finland, Canada, Ireland and India.