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A Fish Trail not a Fishy Tale

Jul 21, 2012 | Art & Music Outdoors, Literacy Outdoors

Last week my son and I went to visit Hull. This is not a regular destination on most tourists’ “to do” list when exploring England, but it has many hidden surprises including the Fish Trail, which is one of the most inspired and quirky public works...

Guerrilla Environmental Art

May 2, 2012 | Art & Music Outdoors

One of my favourite training courses to run was Expressive Arts Outside. Once I arrived at a lovely school with a garden area. Very sadly the fence around this area had been vandalised quite significantly at the weekend and was in a sorry state. We did not have time...

Using Peg Looms to Weave

Sep 23, 2011 | Art & Music Outdoors

Many years ago, my mum off-loaded all her unwanted fleeces onto me. I spent many happy hours experimenting and having fun exploring their potential for learning and play. She introduced me to peg looms which have “kid-friendly-must-do” written all over...

Felting stones

Sep 10, 2011 | Art & Music Outdoors, Early Years Outdoors

Felting stones is a simple activity to do outside. It requires very little wool. Thus it’s very economical if you have to buy it -and gets quick results. It’s a messy outdoor activity as children need to walk about as they felt the wool and this sheds...

Using gathered wool to make felt

Aug 24, 2011 | Art & Music Outdoors

Previously, I’ve blogged about making felt seats from merino wool. Although this project works a treat and seats lasted many years, I really wanted to do the whole thing from scratch with the wool gathering malarky and all that entailed. Many children rarely get...

Give your Ugly Fence a Makeover

Jul 31, 2011 | Art & Music Outdoors

All over Scotland there are hideous fences that mark our boundaries and purport to keep our children safe. They are ugly. This post is a collection of ideas from a range of schools and ELC settings who have undertaken art projects to brighten up their fences. ...

How to make pace eggs

Apr 17, 2011 | Art & Music Outdoors, RME Outdoors

For many years, my step-grandmother, and then my step-father, would always give myself and my sisters a pace egg as part of an Easter gift. These are dyed eggs which are a local tradition in different parts of NW England that traditionally uses a Celandine flowers...

Sea Glass

Dec 2, 2010 | Art & Music Outdoors, Nature Play & Learning, Play Resources

Ever since childhood I have been an occasional collector of sea glass when going for beach walks. Some beaches are better than others. I rarely find a piece on the NE coast of Scotland. But further north, along the Moray Coast and on the south-west coast I have more...
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