Aug 18, 2023 | Art & Music Outdoors, Community Involvement
This is one of the most emotional posts I have written. Last December, Rachel Singer, a primary teacher I worked with many years ago, died from bowel cancer. She was in her forties. Kinellar School was the only place she taught, beginning in nursery and eventually...
Apr 24, 2023 | Community Involvement, Whole School
Outdoor Classroom Day is fast approaching – Thursday 18th May. Naturally every day is a good day for learning and play outside but having a special day to celebrate the value of getting outside, is not to be missed. Here’s ten reasons to get...
Apr 11, 2023 | Community Involvement, Play Resources, Technologies
At a festival or event near you, there’s may be a lot of hammering, sawing and building by children and adults. Several years ago, on the edge of the Meadows, passersby were able to witness the growth of an adventure playground under the watchful eye of Woodland...
Feb 14, 2023 | Community Involvement, Early Years Outdoors, RME Outdoors
A long time ago I visited the Kagyu Samye Ling Buddhist Monastery and World Centre for Peace and Health. Whilst walking around the Peace Garden, I came across the Clootie Tree. It was impossible to ignore such was the blaze of colour and vibrancy even on that...
Jan 31, 2023 | Community Involvement, Developing School Grounds & Outdoor Spaces
This is an incredibly simply activity to kickstart a whole school approach to developing your school grounds or simply for one class to think about their outdoor space. It also makes a refreshing, purposeful addition to other Valentine’s Day happenings. 1....
Jan 8, 2023 | Community Involvement, Gardening
Occasionally you come across a place where you can see a labour of love has happened. Many years ago the RSPB Mersehead Reserve had accessible wildlife garden. It was not a showy or pristine place. Functionality ruled. However there were subtle touches here and then...
Dec 21, 2022 | Community Involvement, Health & Wellbeing, Whole School
Whenever there is snow, I’ve found myself jumping from one side of the fence to another over outdoor matters. I’ve had queries from schools and teachers who’ve received complaints from parents because they’ve allowed children outside when...
Dec 19, 2022 | Community Involvement, Whole School
One of the biggest issues is the provision of outdoor clothing. In Scottish nurseries this is one of the most significant changes I’ve witnessed since the early Noughties. It is now the norm not the exception for rain gear to be available so that all children...
Nov 30, 2022 | Community Involvement, Early Years Outdoors, Nature Play & Learning, Play Resources
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...
Nov 9, 2022 | Community Involvement, Early Years Outdoors, Personal & Holidays, RME Outdoors, Technologies
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...
Oct 15, 2022 | Community Involvement, RME Outdoors, Whole School
Halloween is a day where dressing up and having fun outside is celebrated. The origins of this festival are a matter of debate but this article is a useful starting point for any teacher wishing to acknowledge the cultural or religious connections. It is...
Jul 25, 2022 | Community Involvement, Developing School Grounds & Outdoor Spaces
This is a guest blog post by Frode Svane, an architect and a pedagogue Frode works on many projects for parks, public places, school yards and kindergartens in Norway. He has, for many years, developed a wide range of tools for involving children and youth in the...
Jul 14, 2022 | Community Involvement, Developing School Grounds & Outdoor Spaces, Nature Play & Learning
Early this year, a natural playground opened in Aberdeenshire that has been named after one of Scotland’s most enigmatic climbers of the twentieth century, Tom Patey. He was born in Aberdeenshire, trained in medicine at Aberdeen University and finally ended up...
Jun 18, 2022 | Community Involvement, Early Years Outdoors, Nature Play & Learning
Mud Mapping Find all the muddy places nearby. Look for hidden nooks and crannies between rocks. Check near puddles. Test each mud patch and rate in terms of squelch, ooze and stickiness. Mark each spot on a map with a splodge of mud! Dinosaur Swamp If you have a...
Jun 30, 2021 | Community Involvement, Play Resources, Whole School
I’m sure that many of you remember your playtimes well – much more than your maths lessons or what happened in the month of March in Year 5. If you consider children are at school for six hours or more on a school day, then the hour or 75 minutes allocated...
Oct 26, 2019 | Community Involvement, Early Years Outdoors, Whole School
Since 2015, Fort William Stramash Outdoor Nursery has celebrated bonfire night in style. It is one of the most popular events in the Stramash calendar with hundreds of tickets reserved and crowds of present and past children and their families coming along to...
Jun 12, 2018 | Community Involvement, Whole School
BIO stands for Both Inside and Out. It is an approach to topic work that the children at Upper Sturt Primary School use almost on a daily basis. In their words, it is “an integrated subject, which is employed as a whole school approach. Explicit texts are used...
Jun 3, 2018 | Community Involvement, Nature Play & Learning
I love visiting different places for children to play. One space I’ve never blogged about has been backyards. Children can spend a lot of time in their garden or backyard and so making this a play-friendly space is a wonderful thing to do. This week I’ve...
Mar 18, 2017 | Community Involvement, Developing School Grounds & Outdoor Spaces, Early Years Outdoors
Several years ago I had the privilege of visiting Derwent Stepping Stones Nursery in Derby. The staff and directors had realised that their outdoor play provision was in need of attention and decided to do something about it. One of the challenges facing settings...
Jul 21, 2016 | Art & Music Outdoors, Community Involvement, Developing School Grounds & Outdoor Spaces, Health & Wellbeing
In the Welsh seaside town of Barry, a place made world famous by the Gavin and Stacey sitcom, lies a typographic traversing wall. It was designed by Gordon Young in association with Part Two – a London-based design consultancy and opened in 2014. Whilst this...
