What is OutDoor Learning?
Outdoor learning involves a skilled practitioner selecting a curriculum area and utilising the special nature of outdoors to deliver content in an exciting and engaging way. An example of this would be an outdoor maths session that includes collecting and sorting leaves using different criteria, or a history topic on the Vikings brought to life in the woodland. Unlike forest school the practitioner already has an idea of the outcomes, the sessions are adult led and the sessions can be intermittent or occasional.
When carefully planned and linked to the children’s interests and ongoing learning, Outdoor Learning can be a powerful way to engage learners with a topic or curriculum area. All areas of the curriculum can be delivered outdoors and the opportunities for children to experience new learning or revisit familiar ideas outdoors is limited only by the imagination!
““Learning outside the classroom is a tool for teaching and learning which has been proven to raise attainment and achievement, improve behaviour and improve the engagement of all groups of pupils, including those who are hard to engage inside the classroom environment.””