5 top ideas for outdoor learning
Whatever the season, outdoor learning is a brilliant way to get everyone outside in the fresh air as well as engage children who are not so much into pen and paper learning.
So, here are 5 top ideas for outdoor learning that all the family can take part in.
Let it snow!
Snow offers a real hands-on learning experience for younger children and building a snowman teaches a number of skills including balance, coordination, thinking, maths, science and motor control.
Before you set off outside, involve the children in the preparation and ask them to gather together items of clothing they think will keep them warm in the snow.
Give younger children the opportunity to create sentences with new winter words such as- crunchy, slippery, icy, chilly, crackling, frozen, sparkling and numb!
For older children, grab a magnifying glass and study the snow crystals - never fails to impress no matter what the age!
Learning fun with chalk
Playing with chalk is a great activity for the garden. Not only it is inexpensive, it offers all sorts of fun educational play.
Using chalk, create a treasure hunt and write down on the concrete a list of things to find - For example 3 yellow flowers, 4 sticks, 2 green leaves, 2 brown leaves, 2 round stones. Choose things that will allow the children to explore different shapes, textures and colours.
Magnifying good fun!
Following the magnifying glass theme, set the children various tasks so they can explore and compare with magnifying glasses.
Put together a collection of seeds and with the magnifying glass, get the children to describe how each seed looks from its colour to its shape and size. After looking at the seeds, ask the children to touch the seeds. Some will be hard while others soft and even squidgy.
Build a den
Children love building dens and as well as being a fun and creative activity, it's full of problem solving and role play. If you don't have a garden, build a den the next time you are out on a picnic or walk in the countryside. Den building develops both new skills and confidence.
Eden project have some great ideas for building a den and you can check them out right here.
Visit a local zoo or safari park
The zoo is an excellent outdoor educational tool (if somewhat pricey!). Real animals equal real experiences and what better way to teach children what is tall and what is small than face to face with a giraffe or butterfly.
Knowsley safari park in Prescot has done a fantastic job and created a wide range of learning resources and worksheets that you can download before your visit.
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