Snow Fun: 15+ Ideas
Snow is precious. Be prepared in advance to make the most of the soft fluffy stuff as soon as it arrives. The post draws together various posts and ideas I’ve blogged about over the years to save you searching. Just to wet your appetite for snow, here are some...Holly
In 2005 I planted a holly tree in front of my house. It has grown slowly but steadily and since 2014 has consistently produced berries being a female tree. This does surprise me because there are no holly trees that I can see nearby. My understanding is that the...Play in the Dark – 20 Ideas
During winter months, many children who attend early learning and childcare settings are likely to be outdoors in the dark. This offers many exciting opportunities for storytelling, games and exploring the environment in different conditions. When I worked in an...14 Ways to Enjoy Ice and Frosty Weather Outside
Many years ago I remember providing a presentation about outdoor play to a large group of early years practitioners. At one point a collective gasp of shock and then lots of muttering happened because I showed a photo of children playing in an icy outdoor space. The...Should Children Wear High Visibility Vests?
Every now and then I am copied into a comment on a social media around the use of high-vis vests outside. In the education and childcare sectors, the subject seems to create much debate and discussion. In 2017 it was further fuelled by Amanda Spielman, the Ofsted...Outdoor Clothing in Schools, Early Learning and Childcare Settings
“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.”Scandinavian Proverb but also attributed to Billy Connelly and many others 🙂 It is interesting when you ask on social media what outdoor clothing to buy. Everyone has their own (often strong)...Working outside in all weathers
The winds are blowing. The air feels cold and damp. The days are greyer and getting shorter and shorter. The temperatures are falling. For me, these are all warning signs to get prepared for wrapping up warm outside. Learning to do this seems to be an experiential...Drying and Managing Wet Clothes in Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) Settings
How can we manage wet clothes and gear when we work in places not geared up to coping with the aftermath of outdoor activities? I’ve been rummaging through my collection of photos and here’s some ideas. Please do chip in, if you have any other good...10+ Ideas for Windy Days
Wind is about the movement of air. It’s the result of differences in air pressure. Air likes to move from areas of high pressure to low pressure. This can be demonstrated with a balloon. Inside a blown-up balloon are lots of molecules – many more than...12 Puddle Play Investigations
At this time of the year, there are lots of puddles to meet and greet when out and about. Whilst children tend to like and play in puddles, I suspect they remain a secret source of fascination to many adults too. These suggestions are designed to help you respond to...20 Outdoor Suggestions for Rainy Days
Wet rainy days provide experiential learning opportunities like no other.. Rather than stay inside and suffer cabin fever, there is lots of fun to be had, donning the boots, waterproof clothes and heading out into the rain. Below is a collection of the blog...10+ suggestions about using puppets outdoors
I first got into puppets as a child when I attended a holiday camp and was involved in making puppets for a performance of Treasure Island. As a countryside ranger, one of my jobs was to work alongside a professional puppeteer, Sylvia Troon, during a holiday club for...Give your old tarp a mathematical makeover
Do you have an old worn out tarp tucked away in a cupboard or shed, collecting dust and guilt? I never liked to throw away a tarp as it’s a sheet of plastic and will take a long time to rot in a landfill site. When I was writing the draft of my Messy Maths book,...20 Something Maths Pictures
Many years ago, I was invited to work at Glendale School in Glasgow. We were having a particular focus on maths outdoors. The whole point of maths outside is that it is real and relies on practical activities. Often these can be quite revealing in terms of what...A Christmas Walk
One of my favourite aspects of the festive season are Christmas lights. In my blog of Christmas activities, I mention the joys of going for a walk when sun goes down and the lights go on. As a child, looking at all the window displays and Christmas trees lit up...Frozen tree decorations! And it’s not even Christmas!
In November and December 2010, there was a bumper amount of snow that fell. As a result it suddenly felt Christmasy very early! In the hope of a white festive period, I thought I would update this blog post from November 2010. It’s perfectly possible to make...25 Christmas Outdoor Experiences for Early Years and Primary
Here’s a few simple outdoor learning and play suggestions to do that can be easily squeezed into the hectic schedules in schools and pre-schools in the run up to Christmas. No more cabin fever. Let’s get out, get more sustainable and get going with free or...2D Shape Art with Leaves
This blog post is a guest post by Justina DaniÅ¡ová, who is an experienced environmental educator and home partner in the Czech Republic. She has her own website and is influential across her country in supporting educators to develop learning and play opportunities....Leaf Play – 10 Ideas
Autumn is here and leaves are asking to be played with. Hours of fun can be had simply kicking leaves about and watching them float to the ground. Here’s some other ideas most of which are instantaneous and require no other or just a few props. 1. Creep and...
Creative STAR Collections
Recent Posts
Story Stones and Thinking SkillsA little stone can give a lot of empowerment in a funny sort of way.
Outdoor Toilets and ChildrenWhen children need to go they need to go!
Hand hygiene outdoorsRemoving one of the barriers to working outside with groups.
12 reasons to have stumps in your outdoor spaceStumped for ideas? Check out this blog post about why every school needs a stump or several!
Dunblane Nature Kindergarten – A transformation from traditional to nature-based practiceFantastic example of positive impact of nature-based practice.
Legacy and LossWhat’s your professional and personal impact?
Education Scotland Outdoor Learning Webinars FREE to viewLots of free outdoor learning webinars all in one place from Education Scotland
Out to Play 12: Caring for Our Outdoor SpacesJust published. Time-saving links and a download.
Compass Points – Outdoor Suggestions15+ ways to learn about compass directions – all in a download.
7 Conker Games and AdviceEvery school needs a conker tree
Subscribe – Choose Email or RSS
- @SunnysideSA @satrust_ @30DaysWild @Muddyfaces @cosydirect @NottsOutdoors Great fun! I think I first saw this and t… https://t.co/w0Suo1j78g
Awards
