FEATURE: OUTDOOR LEARNING
The importance of outdoor education and the benefits to children
relevant than it is right now. The past year has been extremely stressful, and
the pandemic has caused a huge strain on the country’s mental health. In fact, a recent study from Young Minds revealed that the mental health of children in particular has been adversely affected by the lockdown. The most common pressures mentioned were around loneliness and isolation, along with worries about school and a breakdown in routine. As we approach the school holidays, it’s vital that these feelings of stress and anxiety do not become normalised for children. Encouraging them to engage in outdoor
activities could be the answer. That is why our advice to young people is to get outdoors as often as they can and we would urge schools to consider the benefits of outdoor education and adventure particularly during this time.
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n our first look this month at outdoor learning, we’re delighted to hear from
Steve Anderson, Head of Activities at outdoor education and adventure provider, Kingswood, who outlines the benefits of getting children back outdoors after months of lockdowns and restrictions. We’ve been talking about the importance of outdoor education and the benefits this has on children for years, but this couldn’t be more
Mental and physical health benefits It is so important that children are given the opportunity to play and learn outdoors. Government studies have uncovered the numerous benefits to mental health in being outside in nature. These range from alleviating stress, anxiety and depression, through to improving self-esteem confidence and mood. In fact, a newly released report by DEFRA and
the University of Exeter shows there is evidence of a number of positive impacts to mental health and wellbeing associated with school based residential trips to natural environments. These
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include an increases in resilience and capacity to face challenges, improved relationships and enhanced social skills. There is also some evidence of increases in student motivation to learn associated with residential experiences and connection to nature. This is particularly important when research
shows that even before the pandemic one in eight 5-19-year-olds had at least one mental health disorder and that in primary and secondary school children behavioural and emotional disorders are most common. What’s more, being active outdoors not only
helps to shake off the stresses of everyday life, but it also has the added benefit of improving fitness levels, which has its own positive effects on mental wellbeing.
The positives of team activities Exercise is generally a good thing for looking after our mental health. We know that exercise can be associated with better mood. In children, like adults, exercise is associated with endorphin release which is responsible for the good feeling we get from exercise. Camps like those at Kingswood certainly offer
a wide range of ways to exercise and, as they are incorporated into fun activities, children often don’t realise that is exactly what they are doing and reaping a wide range of physical benefits. Even activities like abseiling and zip line, which appear to be an adrenaline fuelled fun event,
May 2021
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