FEATURE FOCUS: OUTDOOR LEARNING


base camp with resources ready that you are likely to need. Tarpaulins, rope, clipboards, tree identification sheets, tape measures for example.


• Keep wellies and outdoor learning clothes in school. Children are used to keeping their PE kit in school so have a similar arrangement for outdoor learning.


Once you’re ready to go then here are three ideas to get your started. Idea 1 is from the Writing Non Fiction section of the book, Idea 2 is from the Maths section and Idea 3 is from the EYFS section.


Idea 1: Adjectives for texture “I’ve described the colour. Do I need to add any other detail?”


Adjectives such as bumpy or smooth or rough or lined are placed on trays. The children then collect materials such as twigs, leaves, dry grass, stones or moss and add these to the correct adjective.


Describing the texture of something can be


difficult for children. Sights and sounds seem to more immediately describable. The earlier we teach children a rich vocabulary to describe texture then this will hopefully be applied to their writing as a matter of habit rather than something we have to constantly remind them about. Individually laminate some adjectives printed


out on a large font that describe texture such as bumpy, bendy, smooth, rough, rubbery, coarse, grainy, lumpy, gritty, stretchy, rocky, bristly, glossy, hard, silky, satiny, wrinkly, velvety, soft, brittle, slimy and creamy. Each adjective can be placed on a plastic tray


and spread out over a base on the school grounds. The children then collect materials such as twigs, leaves, dry grass, stones, moss, bark, petals, stems etc and placed on the appropriate adjective tray. Some adjective trays will be filled quickly while others may be left empty. Encourage the children to find things to fill every tray. The children can then choose objects to write


about. They must include the adjective the object has been placed next to and write a sentence about it. For example, they could write:


The brown twig was rough. The smooth leaf was emerald green and curved. The dry grass was brittle and crumbled in my hand.


Teaching tip: this idea can be adapted for other types of adjectives as well as texture. Shades of colour could be used for example, olive green, forest green, jade green, pine green, sea green, fern green etc. Or size could be used for example, tiny, long, huge, enormous, miniscule, massive, minute etc.


Bonus idea: photograph the objects described and have them displayed in the classroom alongside the sentences as an example of how to describe in detail.


Idea 2: Age a tree “If its big, does that mean its old?”


Using ‘Mitchell’s Rule’ it is possible, by measuring the trunk circumference, or girth, to estimate the age of a tree. You will need a leaf identification sheet, a tape measure and a calculator. Different species of trees have different growth


rates. By using this information, it is really easy to work out the ages of different trees in your school grounds or local area. This activity also incorporates tree identification too. There are a number of ways to identify a tree for example, looking at buds in spring, the bark, shape of the tree and also clues like seeds such as conkers, helicopter seeds and ash keys. But by far the easiest way is by looking at the shape of leaves. Look for a leaf ID sheet on the internet and give each group a copy. The children then work out the species of tree that they are looking at. This enables them to calculate the age using a Mitchell’s rule chart:


Species Oak


Hazel, Elm, Ash, Beech Holly, Yew Pine


Sycamore


Growth Rate 2


2.5


1.25 3.25 2.75


Measure 1m up the trunk of the identified tree then measure the circumference in centimetres at the 1m mark. Divide this by the growth rate to get the age. For example, if a beech tree has a circumference of 182cm, divide this by 2.5 = 72.8 years old.


Taking it further: children can work out what year the trees were planted. Find out when the school was built and explore if some of the trees were planted around the same time as the opening of the school.


Teaching tips: do the activity in summer when the leaves are on the trees to make them easier to identify. It is best to gather the children around a tree first and demonstrate exactly how it is done. Have the trees you want them to ‘age’ already marked with cones and identified and their ages worked out prior to the activity.


June 2020


Idea 3: woodland pizza “Can we eat it?”


Using natural resources, children create any pizza they like to feed a magical woodland creature.


This activity can be introduced by a magical letter “hidden” in the woodland by any mysterious creature of your choosing such as a fairy, elf, goblin, troll etc. The contents of the letter outline that these creatures are very hungry and particularly love food but most especially woodland pizzas. The letter may contain examples such as petal and moss flavour, twig and bark flavour with a mud base etc. Once the children’s imagination is sparked, they can begin. Ask the children to head off in small teams to


create their own pizza of their choice. They could use a paper plate as a base or a section of wooden log etc. They will need one base per team. The children will need to use only natural resources to create their pizzas but may not have a recipe in mind until they see exactly what is available at that time. By gathering the materials, they may decide to use grass as cheese, pine cones as pepperoni and anything they decide with their own creativity and imagination. Children can work in small group to encourage discussion and negotiation for each ingredient. The pizzas can then be photographed to use


back in the classroom later and left for the mysterious creature. When you back outside the next day perhaps the pizzas have gone but a letter to say thank you is there exactly where the pizzas had been!


Taking it further: you could give the children writing prompts back in the classroom such as:


First, sprinkle on some… Next, a handful of… Afterwards, add… Finally, … The children can then draw or phonetically sound out the ingredients that they had chosen after each sentence starter.


Bonus idea: children can continue to make more food for their forest creatures, such as leaf kebabs, stick hot dogs, pine cone pasta etc.


‘100 Ideas for Primary Teachers: Outdoor Learning’ is published by Bloomsbury and is available now.


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