everything curriculum | July 2020


Teaching English outdoors can support with writing in all genres. For children to write a poem about water, for example, they first need to have experienced playing with it, watching and listening to it and its effects in order to fully appreciate their subject. Writing recipes and instructions is a natural next step after playing in the mud kitchen or cooking over a fire.


We must not let the weather put us off; some of the best outdoor learning sessions have involved mixing powder paint in huge puddles, or using pipes and guttering to direct rain to different areas. Creating building blocks from snow or using it as a canvas for painting add options other than just sledging and snowballs! We need to wrap up warm and get outside! As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.


Maths teaching outdoors can really help to bring the subject to life. Looking for angles among tree branches or estimating the width/ height of trees is just one example of many. Children might use sticks to explore fractions, measurement, tally charts, shape or pattern.


When adults talk about their childhoods many of their happiest memories involve being outside. Children have more freedom outside, and more space to move. Using the outdoors for learning helps us to provide memorable, exciting experiences which engage and motivate pupils.


Taking learning outside has a positive impact on children’s learning as well as their motivation, involvement and wellbeing.


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