Health and Safety: Have you heard the latest...?

Have you ever been told or heard of some thing that you may or may not do outside with children on the the grounds of health and safety? Has this made your stomach churn, out of guilt that you may have allowed this "forbidden" activity to happen? Or that you've been allowing the activity to happen without a risk assessment being in place, despite there being no evidence that your children are using equipment or playing in an unsafe manner?

I heard on a course about risk that rope play needed a "risk benefit assessment". I found most children to be very sensible when using ropes and a supervising adult can "dynamically" risk assess with the children as the need arises.

Or have you found yourself exclaiming, in a John McEnroe tone "Oh no, they cannot be serious!" when you've read another H&S circular about a routine or procedure that must be rigorously followed? A good example here, is the use of toilet tubes. In the UK, it is listed on the Health & Safety Executive Myth of the Month page where it clearly states that it's fine to use toilet tubes that have no clear visual contamination.


The aim of this discussion is have a practical look these matters. Please do pitch in... if we share, discuss and challenge assumptions, then our voices of reason will grow deeper and stronger. I want children to play and learn in environments that are as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible. Here's some examples I've come across recently:


"Children may not be blindfolded..."

What would happen to so many sensory games and activities if we felt we couldn't use blindfolds? I use fleece scarves which are warm and soft.

"We don't let children go outside in icy weather..."

In winter, children will encounter ice. Learning how to manage this slippy surface is a life skill in Scotland. Hang on, don't children ice skate and ski? So when one is on ice for a sporting reason, it's OK? Hmm...

"Children can't play with string because of H&S..."

This child is using string and soft wire. The manual dexterity skills are enhanced through using string in play. He's using the string to hang "lights" in a den.

"If children play in soil they might get dirt underneath their fingernails, so our H&S manager does not allow this..."

At this nursery, the teacher sensibly moved the plants and allowed the container to become a digging pit when children wanted to dig there. Since then, the children have become interested in planting, watering and root systems! It remains one of the most popular activities.

"We can't use old tyres because of the metal wire in the rim..."

It's always sensible to check and clean tyres before putting them into a play space. I've yet to encounter wire sticking out of the rim. Though I do know of one local authority that does not let its schools use them in case they get too hot in the Scottish summer heat (ahem)!

What do you think? Fair or fake reasons? Practical ways forward? What's your experiences of managing health and safety expectations?

Collaborative Outdoor Play Ideas

Today I'm asking your advice and thoughts! Below is a photo of a six-foot fence surrounding a nursery outdoor space. On the other side is a play space for Primary 1 and 2 children (4-7yr olds) which can be accessed from their classrooms. A couple of the classes are for children who have additional support needs.

I'm wondering what ideas you might have for some collaborative play that could take place through the fence. The rails are quite narrow so a piece of guttering can just fit through if given a wee squeeze. But there is a lot of fence. The photo shows just a tiny part of it. One side is bark chips, the other is tarmac.

To get your creative juices flowing, these are my initial thoughts, but please do add, expand and think laterally too. The children will have many ideas too once a few prompts are given...

1) Have a water tray either side of the fence and put pipes and guttering in the area so that children can share water and resources.

2) Put up a hanging "water wall" with bottles, funnels, pipes, tubes, etc. It might even become a swinging water wall with upside down bottles, with holes in, attached by string to swing through the fence.

3) Make dangly art mobiles related to the children's interests and activities. For example, after a trip to the beach, hang up threaded shells. Or have a series of little plants in plastic bottles hanging down in a tier, attached with string. In autumn, this might be laminated leaves or in summer pressed dried flowers that have been laminated.

4) Long lacing places. Attach long laces or fine rope that can be used to thread holey objects such as large beads, CDs, etc. If the children are shown how to tie a knot then these can be left out and added to over a number of sessions.

5) Bird feeding stations. Thread fat balls and make seed cake with string passing through for the birds to eat. Find slender birds feeders that can dangle through.

6) Shared big rope play. Put a rope through the fence and see how the children decide to play with it...!

7) Shared constructions. Blocks and bricks like duplo can be put on both sides and a bridge made over the low rail. Then see what other creations happen as a result. This could be extended to larger building projects using long sticks.

Finally, on the Creative STAR Facebook page there is a photo album dedicated to giving ugly fences a makeover. You might enjoy looking and contributing to this too. 

Outdoor Play at Cowgate Under 5's Centre

"There is always a certain risk to being alive and if you are more alive there is more risk" (Ibsen)

Edinburgh is a mysterious city. Within its centre is a myriad of steps, alleyways and hidden streets. Just off the Royal Mile, invisible to non-nursery muggles, is the equivalent of Diagon Alley. Finding the right place is a challenge. Instead of tapping a brick to get in, there’s a non-descript black door one could easily miss.  This is the entrance to the magical, yet very real, world of Cowgate Under 5’s Centre.

This is the view of the outdoor area from the outside staffroom

This establishment opened in 2002 and the manager, Lynn McNair, has been in post since the beginning. She and her staff, from the outset, embraced the principles of early education advocated by Frederick Froebel who recognized outdoor play provision as essential for children’s learning and development. The rest of this article is over to Lynn, our guest blogger this week. I hope her words help demonstrate some of the ethos of this city centre nursery...

Underpinning Values

“At Cowgate first thing in the morning our doors are wide open and children are free to move between indoors and outdoors. Our practice is underpinned by values of choice, autonomy, challenge and risk.  Within certain boundaries, children have the freedom to select an experience, with or without the support of an adult.

This is the transition zone between the indoors and outdoors. It is a place to play with soil, pot plants marks the start of more exploration and discovery both inside and out.

This is the view from the transition zone. Only the children would normally see lots of other children rather than visiting adults!

Of central importance is the value of first hand direct experience and a model of play as freedom to pursue ideas, explore, innovate, imagine and create in all areas of children’s development and learning both indoors and outdoors.”

Imagine being a toddler and learning to walk up and down the slope. There are lots of things to look at and explore on the way. This constantly changes in line with seasonal events and children's interests.

This is bamboo guttering which is great for investigating how materials move with gravity...or not!

Anxiety

“We are aware of the rise in the level of anxiety in children’s safety, we live and work with a culture of fear. We believe, however that if we are anxious and prevent children from taking risks we are not encouraging children to persist at challenging tasks, by removing the challenges we are not developing resilience in our children. A great deal of children’s self-esteem comes from their belief in their own skills and abilities, belief that we support.”

This is the woodworking area in the transition zone. There are indoor opportunities too. Real tools are used by children.

"Liam and Callum are playing together in the garden. Each child has a soft play cube which they carry up to the top of the slide. Craig sits on his cube to slide down, but the surface of the slide is not slippy enough, the cube sticks and Callum continues down alone. Liam's cube has a strap and a buckle, which he has secured around his waist. I ask him whether he thinks his cube will slide. (I envision the cube sticking and Liam tumbling over). However I ask  how he feels about it, to which he replies positively 'My cube won't stick'. He takes off, and makes the descent  down the slide with cube attached. 'I told you', he proudly declares. 'And you were right!' I smile."

These drums sound beautiful when played with hands...or with feet! Some children may feel confident enough to stand on these drums.

Risk and Challenge

“We support the concept of children taking risks and challenges. Risk taking in play allows the children the opportunity to demonstrate their competence; it requires instant judgments about danger and about safety, and some planning and foresight. Ultimately the child is in control and their safety depends on what they do.

We would argue that in a ‘risk-free’ environment adults’ expectations can remain low as children do not have the chance to demonstrate their competence – we should aim for ‘as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible’ children should be offered the opportunity to explore, experiment, try things out and take risks.

 This fire barbecue is raised above the ground. The outer ring stays cool so it is safe for young children to be near it. Children need experience of all four elements: earth, air, water and fire.

Children are not necessarily competent in all areas and may benefit from out ‘adult’ experience, we can support them if we are concerned about a risk they are about to take.

In the centre there are opportunities for children to play unsupervised. We have discovered that unsupervised play enables children to take risks, think through decisions, gain confidence and increased resilience.”

Health Promoting School

“As a Health Promoting School we believe children deserve to be given the freedom to play and exercise in safety enjoyed by previous generations. The media informs us of rising obesity levels; it is therefore essential that we expand the opportunities for self-motivated and challenging play outdoors. Outdoor play impacts on mental health as well as physical health. Play outdoors develops friendships, reduces social isolations and gives children a sense of autonomy and control, all important features of mental and physical well being.

Fleece blankets are found on all seats, providing a little extra warmth on cooler days.

A group of children are throwing a bean bag in the garden when it becomes stuck on the window ledge of my office. 'Oh no!' exclaims a voice, "Lynn, help us.' I wander over and survey the situation. 'I wonder what we can do?' I muse. The children all talk at once, swapping ideas and suggestions. They begin to collect the bread crates, forming a pile and attempting to climb them. With each crate, a different child climbs atop it, trying to reach the window ledge. I watch quietly, ready to assist if needed, but not interfering with their scheme. They determine that the crates are just not high enough. 

Bread crates are incredibly versatile resources. Well worth getting some for your outdoor area.

'We need something big!' exclaims Joe, 'really big!'. Together he and I find a bamboo pole in the cupboard. He attempts to climb atop the crates, pole in hand, quickly determines the difficulty, so asks a friend to hold it. Once the summit is reached, he asks for the pole, and with a little waving about, dislodges the bean bag and sends it falling to the ground. His friends cheer as he climbs down, flushed with his success. I could have helped them by getting the bean bag down, but where's the learning in that?"

As well as a rabbit, the Centre also has guinea pigs.

"At Cowgate we are continually in discussions about how we trust children, honing our skills. We know our children and know their capabilities, we trust them to express how confident they feel about taking a particular risk, but most importantly we need to relinquish our control over situations. If we want 'confident individuals' willing to embrace risk and challenge then we need confident adults who have a deep understanding of the issues surrounding risk and play which goes way beyond a narrow 'health and safety' agenda.

What I'm sure none of us want...

"And then the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom" (Anais Nin)

Outdoor Play at Cowgate Under 5's Centre

"There is always a certain risk to being alive and if you are more alive there is more risk" (Ibsen)

Edinburgh is a mysterious city. Within its centre is a myriad of steps, alleyways and hidden streets. Just off the Royal Mile, invisible to non-nursery muggles, is the equivalent of Diagon Alley. Finding the right place is a challenge. Instead of tapping a brick to get in, there’s a non-descript black door one could easily miss.  This is the entrance to the magical, yet very real, world of Cowgate Under 5’s Centre.

This establishment opened in 2002 and the manager, Lynn McNair, has been in post since the beginning. She and her staff, from the outset, embraced the principles of early education advocated by Frederick Froebel who recognized outdoor play provision as essential for children’s learning and development. The rest of this article is over to Lynn, our guest blogger this week. I hope her words help demonstrate some of the ethos of this city centre nursery...

Underpinning Values

“At Cowgate first thing in the morning our doors are wide open and children are free to move between indoors and outdoors. Our practice is underpinned by values of choice, autonomy, challenge and risk.  Within certain boundaries, children have the freedom to select an experience, with or without the support of an adult.

(This is the transition zone between the indoors and outdoors. It is a place to play with soil, pot plants marks the start of more exploration and discovery both inside and out)

(This is the view from the transition zone. Only the children would normally see lots of other children rather than visiting adults!)

Of central importance is the value of first hand direct experience and a model of play as freedom to pursue ideas, explore, innovate, imagine and create in all areas of children’s development and learning both indoors and outdoors.”

(Imagine being a toddler and learning to walk up and down the slope. There are lots of things to look at and explore on the way. This constantly changes in line with seasonal events and children's interests)

(This is bamboo guttering which is great for investigating how materials move with gravity...or not!)

Anxiety

“We are aware of the rise in the level of anxiety in children’s safety, we live and work with a culture of fear. We believe, however that if we are anxious and prevent children from taking risks we are not encouraging children to persist at challenging tasks, by removing the challenges we are not developing resilience in our children. A great deal of children’s self-esteem comes from their belief in their own skills and abilities, belief that we support.”

(This is the woodworking area in the transition zone. There are indoor opportunities too. Real tools are used by children)

"Liam and Callum are playing together in the garden. Each child has a soft play cube which they carry up to the top of the slide. Craig sits on his cube to slide down, but the surface of the slide is not slippy enough, the cube sticks and Callum continues down alone. Liam's cube has a strap and a buckle, which he has secured around his waist. I ask him whether he thinks his cube will slide. (I envision the cube sticking and Liam tumbling over). However I ask  how he feels about it, to which he replies positively 'My cube won't stick'. He takes off, and makes the descent  down the slide with cube attached. 'I told you', he proudly declares. 'And you were right!' I smile."

(These drums sound beautiful when played with hands...or with feet! Some children may feel confident enough to stand on these drums)

Risk and Challenge

“We support the concept of children taking risks and challenges. Risk taking in play allows the children the opportunity to demonstrate their competence; it requires instant judgments about danger and about safety, and some planning and foresight. Ultimately the child is in control and their safety depends on what they do.

We would argue that in a ‘risk-free’ environment adults’ expectations can remain low as children do not have the chance to demonstrate their competence – we should aim for ‘as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible’ children should be offered the opportunity to explore, experiment, try things out and take risks.

 (This fire barbecue is raised above the ground. The outer ring stays cool so it is safe for young children to be near it. Children need experience of all four elements: earth, air, water and fire)

Children are not necessarily competent in all areas and may benefit from out ‘adult’ experience, we can support them if we are concerned about a risk they are about to take.

In the centre there are opportunities for children to play unsupervised. We have discovered that unsupervised play enables children to take risks, think through decisions, gain confidence and increased resilience.”

Health Promoting School

“As a Health Promoting School we believe children deserve to be given the freedom to play and exercise in safety enjoyed by previous generations. The media informs us of rising obesity levels; it is therefore essential that we expand the opportunities for self-motivated and challenging play outdoors. Outdoor play impacts on mental health as well as physical health. Play outdoors develops friendships, reduces social isolations and gives children a sense of autonomy and control, all important features of mental and physical well being.

(Fleece blankets are found on all seats, providing a little extra warmth on cooler days)

A group of children are throwing a bean bag in the garden when it becomes stuck on the window ledge of my office. 'Oh no!' exclaims a voice, "Lynn, help us.' I wander over and survey the situation. 'I wonder what we can do?' I muse. The children all talk at once, swapping ideas and suggestions. They begin to collect the bread crates, forming a pile and attempting to climb them. With each crate, a different child climbs atop it, trying to reach the window ledge. I watch quietly, ready to assist if needed, but not interfering with their scheme. They determine that the crates are just not high enough. 

(Bread crates are incredibly versatile resources. Well worth getting some for your outdoor area)

'We need something big!' exclaims Joe, 'really big!'. Together he and I find a bamboo pole in the cupboard. He attempts to climb atop the crates, pole in hand, quickly determines the difficulty, so asks a friend to hold it. Once the summit is reached, he asks for the pole, and with a little waving about, dislodges the bean bag and sends it falling to the ground. His friends cheer as he climbs down, flushed with his success. I could have helped them by getting the bean bag down, but where's the learning in that?"

(As well as a rabbit, the Centre also has guinea pigs)

"At Cowgate we are continually in discussions about how we trust children, honing our skills. We know our children and know their capabilities, we trust them to express how confident they feel about taking a particular risk, but most importantly we need to relinquish our control over situations. If we want 'confident individuals' willing to embrace risk and challenge then we need confident adults who have a deep understanding of the issues surrounding risk and play which goes way beyond a narrow 'health and safety' agenda.

What I'm sure none of us want...

"And then the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom" (Anais Nin)

The Game of Nim

This is an ancient strategy game for 2 players. It can be played anywhere outside. Children and adults of all ages can enjoy it!

With your partner collect 20 stones, cones or other small objects to use as counters.

Taking turns, each player chooses to pick up 1, 2 or 3 counters.

The player who picks up the last counter loses the game.

There is a trick you can use to ensure that you do not lose.  See if you can discover it!

What happens if three people take turns to play instead of two? How can one apply the secret strategy?

For more outdoor strategy games, have a look at this posting.

Outdoor Journeys into Language

Tomorrow I’m fortunate enough to be attending the Argyll & Bute Outdoor Learning Conference. The theme is “Journeys” and so my plan is to use the activities outlined below in  my “Outdoor Literacy” workshop.

The journey begins inside. Use the transition from the class to the outdoor area as an opportunity to develop literacy skills. The activities below encourage children to observe and build vocabulary associated with their school:

For young children

Have children lined up inside the class, each with a cardboard tube, which can be decorated. The adult at the front starts moving the class outside. Whenever he stops and says “Eye spy with my little eye…”, the children have to look through their tube and shout out the name of whatever they see, e.g. “Pegs", or "Doormat", or "Fred’s hair”. Make it a rule that the children must find a different object to look at each time they stop.

For older children

In groups of 2 to 4 people link arms. Count 5 paces and stop. Point at the first object you see with your foot and shout out its name (if this is too noisy, whisper). Some rules include:

         - You may not repeat a word once you or another person in your group has said it

         - You must have your arms linked at all times, even when you get outside

         - Have an agreed meeting place outside

Variations

        - Point with other parts of your body, e.g. your nose, knee, elbow, etc.

        - Brainstorm the animals and birds found in the grounds or nearby. Using the list, children decide in their groups which animal they will be and move outside as that animal.

        - Once outside, gather as a circle.  If children are all over the place, call “Quick Circle” and time the children to gather round

        - Do a round ...”We went outside today and on our way out we saw…”

Encourage children to think of variations each time you go outside. For example, the next time, might have a focus on a particular colour, or shape or looking at textures.

Team problem solving activities

Many team building activities involve getting from one place to another. This can encourage children to talk and listen effectively in groups.

For young children

Put out a variety of props. This can be a mixture of gym equipment and loose parts such as wooden planks, bread crates, tyres, a blanket, etc. In small teams the children have to use the props to cross the “river” which is the space between two clearly marked lines or places in the grounds. They must always stay on the props and may not step into the river at any time. If this happens, the child must go back to the beginning.

For older children:

Equipment: Paper plates, flat discs or carpet tiles.  Ropes, lines or masking tape to indicate the width of the river.

Group size: Maximum 10 or 11 in a group.

Activity:

The children are on their journey and come across a big, wide river.  Their only option is to try and cross. Give each group about 1/2 the number of plates as there are people. These will not sink into the river. The whole group must cross the river marked on the grass or tarmac. Only one person can be on a plate at a time, and the plates may be picked up and moved. The plates may not slide across the river. They cannot be thrown back to the other side.

The difficulty of this activity can be varied by the width of the river and the number of plates allocated to the group. Obstacles can also be put in the river which the children must negotiate. A time limit or blindfolding a group member will increase the challenge. Likewise, the presence of an alligator can add excitement. An alligator is an adult who will remove any plate that does not have a foot or hand upon it.

If paper plates are used this activity can become significantly more challenging on a day where the ground is wet.

Follow on activities:

This activity has many variations and can be easily adapted by children to meet any fantasy adventure. Think Indiana Jones!

Another similar activity is for children to lay out a simple obstacle course on the ground. Then different children can be blindfolded with others giving instructions as to how to navigate through the “shark infested sea” or “snake pit”.

This class is using the playground. They discovered, too, that paper plates blow away in the wind!

Micro-journeys

Each child has a 1 metre length of string. Undertake a scenario with the children where they imagine they have shrunk to the size of their thumb. Get the children to lie down on their tummies and look at the place at ground level. If you have magnifying glasses this can help.

Next the children have to look around their grounds and decide which place would provide a challenging adventure for a thumb-sized person. Use the string to layout the route. Sometimes handing out a pine cone or lolly stick to represent the person can help too, so that each child can walk their mini person through their journey.

After that the children make a plan of their micro-journey. On a piece of card they sketch their adventure. For example, a molehill might be “Swallowed Up Hill” – as there is a risk of the little person being buried in the soil. A large rock or stone, might become a cliff that has to be climbed using a rope and climbing equipment. A puddle might become a lake and need a piece of bark to become a boat to cross it. One option is to provide metre long strips of paper that become a life-sized plan.

If you have a barren playground with mostly tarmac and grass, take out some nuts, shells, sticks and other materials which the children can also use to their create their adventures. However  part of the fun is looking around the grounds for the most exciting micro journey using the features already there.

Journey Sticks

This is a well-known activity that is used for oral story telling and is useful for longer excursions. Each child needs a stick with some wool attached. As the children undertake their walk, they pick up different objects that they find interesting and use the wool to wrap it on or around their stick. Objects that remind the children of a place they liked or something they saw can also be wrapped onto the stick. For example, a feather might indicate a bird they saw. A leaf may be used to remind the child of a tree they sat under to have a snack, etc. At the end of the journey, the children can recall their journey through the use of the objects they gathered.

These nursery children are following a trail of stones. Treasure hunts and trails also fit into the journey theme too.

If you have any more ideas, please do share them. It's nice to have useful collections of ideas around a common theme.

The Fibonacci Sequence and Nature

Fibonacci lived from 1180-1250. He was the son of an Italian merchant. He developed a passion for numbers and discovered the following sequence that can be observed in leaf arrangements, flower segments, pine cones, etc.:

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21…

If you look at a pine cone you can see that the scales of the cone form regular spirals – some go to the left and some to the right. If you count the numbers of scales at each level, you will find that they follow the Fibonacci sequence.

Many plants produce new branches in quantities that are based upon Fibonacci numbers.

Larch tree sprouting its lumps of needles, with a sitka in the background. I couldn't find a pine cone photo in my collection!

Introducing Fibonacci to young children

Get the children to gather some loose material – whatever is readily available in the wood, e.g. cones or sticks.

As a group, layout the material in the Fibonacci sequence on a light coloured cloth so that the children can see the pattern and write down the numbers beside this, e.g. with sticks:

1            I

1            I

2            II

3            III

5            IIIII

8            IIIIIIII
13          IIIIIIIIIIIIII

It’s unlikely that the children will understand the pattern. However, you can demonstrate how it is created by moving the sticks and encouraging the children to try doing this.

It's quite nice to tell the story of Mr Fibonacci and how he used pine cones to practise counting… 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34, etc. (demonstrate this with a pine cone).

This was a problem for him. For example when he went to buy food in a shop he always counted out the wrong amounts. If his lemons cost 10 lire, he couldn’t count the number 10 so he always gave 13 coins. Everybody laughed at him and thought he was very silly. Over time, he grew more and more unhappy.

One day a little girl who had just learned to count realised his problem. When she saw Fibonacci using a pine cone to count, she gave him a daisy and showed him how to pull the petals off and count like everybody else. So Mr Fibonacci was very happy…but to this day we are very pleased about the way he counted because he showed the world one of the cleverest number patterns of all!

Make your own Fibonacci pattern

Collect cones, flowers, stones, leaves or other loose material and try and arrange to create a Fibonacci pattern of your own. Which materials work best for this? Does it depend upon shape, size, weight or another factor?

Think about how this can be followed up with an art activity (indoors or out) that uses the Fibonacci pattern as an inspiration.

Fibonacci woodland poems

The beginning of the Fibonacci sequence can be used to create Haiku-like poetry or stories based upon syllables in each line:

1            Trees

1            in

2            the woods

3            standing tall

5            waving their green leaves

8            catching and filtering sunlight

So I'm delighted that approximately 800 years ago, Fibonacci enriched our world a little more by his mathematical observations of nature that remain relevant today. This lovely poster explains a little more about the Fibonacci Sequence in nature if you want to find out more.

This post is written in haste for the Backyard Mama Children and Nature Blog Carnival. I'm delivering a wee section of a Woods for Learning workshop this afternoon. Bet you can guess what I'm using as my theme!

A Curriculum for Excellence Through Outdoor Learning

Outdoor learning has been creeping up the Scottish education agenda recently. In April, the Government published the document, Curriculum for Excellence Through Outdoor Learning (CETOL). It has gone out to every school, pre-school and partner provider setting in Scotland.

The Learning and Teaching Scotland Outdoor Learning website has been substantially updated to complement and extend the advice and expectations outlined in the document. It combines information on the health and safety aspects of taking children outside, with a range of resources including self-evaluation advice, relevant research, case studies, lesson ideas and guidance on which experiences and outcomes require an element of outdoor learning.

There are a number of implications for schools and pre-school establishments. Whilst HMIe currently comment on good outdoor learning practice where it is observed, it is likely that their approach will become more rigorous as they pick up on the key themes and expectations outlined in the CETOL document.

Before you groan inwardly at the thought of yet another initiative to include your practice, here’s some tips and advice to smooth the way outside:

First, outdoor learning can be linked to every initiative and all curriculum areas. It may also lead to school improvement very effectively in its own right. But, it could make better sense to include reference to it in developments such as literacy, health promotion, family learning, additional support, Eco Schools, etc. So, don't make outdoor learning special, include it as part of your "toolbox" of learning and teaching approaches. If you are stuck for ideas, get in touch or see if some of the books in my listmanias will help.

Schools need to demonstrate that they are providing progressive, sustainable, frequent, regular outdoor learning opportunities.  These need to be planned and integrated into ongoing work across all curriculum areas. Giving yourself extra  time to build outdoor learning into your forward planning will help. There are some resources on the LTS outdoor learning website. Because Scottish Natural Heritage and the Forestry Commission contributed to the website, this means there is a bit more bias towards their interests. Farming, Earth Sciences, urban activities, gardening, rural skills etc. remain under-represented at present (though I'm sure this will change eventually).

At the Early Stages, the expectation is that daily outdoor activities will take place all year round, covering all experiences and outcomes. In theory, equal consideration should be given to the indoor and outdoor play opportunities. A simple way to ensure this begins to happen is for planning formats to be altered to reflect indoor and outdoor opportunities equally to ensure that a comprehensive range of outdoor experiences are offered to children. For oodles of ideas, have a look at some of the books on this listmania.

All staff are expected to play a part in enabling children to make the most of the outdoors. It is not just the role of teachers. Thus consideration of free play outdoors at break times, opportunities for having lunch outside and outdoor activities provided after school are part of the wider considerations. 

This is the outdoor dining area at Urtsitken Primary School, Sweden

Developing partnerships with outdoor organisations and professionals is encouraged. However, CETOL expects class teachers to be undertaking the bulk of the outdoor learning activities as part of their planned approach to engaging learners and developing wider achievements. The partnerships should provide continuing professional development and to enable school staff to deliver outdoor learning independently as much as possible.

One approach that works well is to arrange for an outdoor professional to lead a class lesson supported by the class teacher. The following week, the roles are reversed and the outdoor professional supports the teacher to undertake a lesson outside and to plan a series of outdoor activities throughout the rest of the term that the teacher can deliver independently. Shared planning sessions with several teachers bouncing ideas off each other helps, especially when planning outdoor activities for projects which have less obvious outdoor links (they are still there though)!

Den building being used as part of a Global Citizenship project

There is a clear focus on school grounds and local area as a context for outdoor learning rather than visits to places further afield where there are cost implications.  Repeated visits or use of local amenities is strongly encouraged both in CETOL and through many experiences and outcomes, particularly within social studies. This helps children develop a sense of place and belonging as well as getting to know people and businesses in the local community.

There are many outdoor activities that can be undertaken on grass and tarmac. Do not rush to purchase expensive outdoor “classrooms” or other structures. Instead, spend your money on a subscription to the school grounds charity Grounds for Learning and a site visit from one of their accredited school grounds professionals. Taking a planned, sustained, participative approach to developing your outdoor area in a way that meaningfully involves the children is empowering for everyone involved. Furthermore, many school grounds improvements can be undertaken on a shoestring budget using locally sourced, recycled or donated materials and plants.

For some teachers, taking children outside on a frequent, regular basis may prove challenging.  Just like other changes, time is needed to develop routines and establish the habit. Health and safety is frequently cited as a concern. Risk benefit assessments can play a part in enabling outdoor activities to be as safe as necessary. There are many ways of involving children of all ages in this process.

In our rapidly changing society, where children have increasingly indoor, sedentary lifestyles there is a greater need, more than ever before, for children to experience the world beyond the four walls of the classroom or house. So now is the time to get children outdoors and enjoy the social, cognitive and health benefits that this will bring.

Please do get in touch if you would like further advice and ideas about taking learning outdoors.