Introduction to Outdoor Learning
Why are we talking about outdoor learning when the weather outside makes us want to turn up the thermostat and make a fresh pot of tea?
Surely that sort of thing is the preserve of the spring and summer months, when there are buds on the trees, the birds are singing and the sun is shining (well, on some days at least).
Not necessarily. Now is exactly the time to be getting away from overheated, stuffy rooms and out into fresh air. And we're not talking quick trips out of the classroom to measure the length of the playground with a trundle wheel or to empty the rain gauge and read the thermometer. Or forcing children away from the Xbox Connect to go to a deserted park to watch the swings move back and forth in a chilly breeze.
Outdoor learning is growing in importance for primary schools and can provide planned, focused work that's built into termly curriculum plans. It's also quite important at home, too.
- Why Outdoor Learning?
- What is a Forest School?
- Key features of Forest Schools
- What happens in a Forest School session?
- Encouraging outdoor learning at home?
- Worksheets from The Wildlife Trusts in the Learn at Home Zone
