Nature, Montessori and Creativity: The Riselva Approach

At Riselva, nature is not an occasional activity added to the educational programme. Indoor and outdoor spaces form one educational environment, and children spend substantial time outdoors throughout the year.

Our Early Years approach brings together Montessori principles, Outdoor Education and creative expression in a blend we call Curriculum Naturae. The aim is to create an environment where children can develop independence, curiosity, concentration and confidence through meaningful experiences connected to everyday life and the natural world.

One Educational Environment, Indoors and Outdoors

Riselva is surrounded by meadows, woodland and open natural spaces in Castel Giorgio, near Orvieto. Children experience weather, plants, animals and seasonal change directly as part of their everyday lives.

Outdoor time includes free exploration as well as purposeful experiences guided by educators. Children might garden, observe insects, work with soil and water, collect natural materials, build, carry, climb or simply notice how the environment changes from one week to the next.

Being outdoors is therefore not a separate subject or special weekly activity. It is part of the normal rhythm of the day.

Montessori as a Foundation

Montessori principles provide an important structure within this nature-based environment.

Children have access to carefully chosen materials and activities that encourage independence, concentration and purposeful work. Practical Life, Sensorial exploration, Language, Mathematics and Culture form part of the prepared environment.

Educators observe each child carefully and introduce new activities according to their interests and developmental readiness. The adult’s role is to guide when necessary while allowing children increasing freedom to act independently.

Practical Learning

Young children learn deeply when they can participate in real life.

Preparing food, pouring, cutting, tidying, caring for plants, composting and looking after shared spaces allow children to practise coordination, concentration and responsibility while contributing meaningfully to their community.

Nature also creates opportunities for early scientific and mathematical thinking. Children can count seeds, compare shapes, measure water, observe growth and notice patterns and changes in the environment.

These experiences complement Montessori Language and Mathematics activities, helping children connect abstract concepts with the real world around them.

Creativity and Expression

Creativity is another important part of daily life at Riselva.

Children have opportunities for art, storytelling, music and movement, as well as access to natural and artistic materials such as wood, wool, fabric, clay, water and sand.

Open-ended materials invite children to experiment, transform and develop their own ideas. The emphasis is not always on producing a particular result, but on the process of imagining, creating, solving problems and expressing something of their own.

Movement and Physical Confidence

Natural environments offer children varied opportunities for movement that are difficult to reproduce indoors.

Walking over uneven ground, climbing, balancing, carrying, digging and building support coordination, strength, spatial awareness and physical confidence.

Children gradually learn to understand their own abilities, assess situations and adapt their movements to different environments.

Relationships and Responsibility

Daily experiences also provide opportunities for children to learn how to live and work alongside others.

They share spaces and materials, collaborate on practical tasks, solve problems together and sometimes navigate disagreement. Educators support children in expressing their needs, listening to others and finding shared solutions.

Caring for plants, materials and the environment also gives children genuine responsibilities. Respect for nature develops through participation rather than through abstract lessons about sustainability.

Learning Through the Seasons

Our approach is influenced in part by the Scandinavian tradition of early childhood education, where spending substantial time outdoors throughout the year is a normal part of preschool life.

At Riselva, activities adapt to weather and seasonal conditions. Hot periods may mean spending more time outdoors during the cooler parts of the day, while rain and colder weather offer different opportunities for exploration.

Safety remains central, and activities move indoors when weather conditions make outdoor experiences inappropriate.

A Bilingual Everyday Environment

Italian and English are used naturally throughout the day.

Children encounter both languages through conversation, songs, stories, greetings and everyday routines. Rather than treating language exclusively as a separate lesson, regular exposure within real relationships and activities allows children to become increasingly familiar and confident with both languages.

Curriculum Naturae

Curriculum Naturae is our way of bringing these elements together: Montessori independence and purposeful work, meaningful time outdoors, creativity, practical experience and close observation of the natural world.

Rather than separating learning into isolated moments, we aim to create an environment in which children can move naturally between thinking, doing, creating, observing and caring.

At Riselva, nature is not simply where some learning takes place. It is part of the environment in which childhood itself unfolds.