It is believed that engaging with nature and the environment has strong links with mental and physical well-being. As the weather starts to improve we can utilise this time to learn in the outdoor environment. Current social distancing restrictions make this extremely challenging if you do not have access to your own garden, however there are still learning opportunities to be had.
Below are some outdoor learning ideas, if you have any of your own then please share here in our forum.
Nature
- Bug hunting
- Create your own bug hotel.
- Bird watching
- Create your own bird feeder.
- Bark rubbing
- Photography – why not explore signs of spring, different insects and birds in your garden or the clouds through taking photographs?
- Create your own mud kitchen, add in different leaves and herbs.
- Make flower petal perfume.
- Paint or sketch nature.
- Star gazing
- Build a den.
Weather and Climate
- Cloud gazing
- Make your own weather station including things like a rain collector and a windsock.
- Shadow drawing
- Create your own sundial.
Get Active
- Create an assault course.
- Try orienteering, here is a fun game you could try at home.
- Exercise in the outdoors; skip, run, star jump, explore some yoga poses.
- Practice forward rolls, teddy bear rolls and cartwheels.
- Learn some skipping and jump roping games.
English and Maths
- Collect natural materials to measure and place in order.
- Recreate a well know story such as We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.
- Have a teddy bear’s picnic. Write a menu or use measuring jugs to measure out different containers for different size bears.
- Make some houses for the Three Little Pigs using natural resources such as sticks, stones and leaves.
- Use your bike or scooter to be a delivery driver. You could deliver take away food from your mud kitchen. Make a menu with prices on and write down orders.
- Explore patterns in nature. Younger children could draw and identify the shapes and patterns that they see. Older children could explore the Golden Ratio. Measure the height of flowers and divide by the width of the flower, does it equal 1.618 (the golden ratio)?
There are so many wonderful ideas out there, take a look at these websites for Early Years and Primary age children.