Oct 10, 2024 | Literacy Outdoors
Okay, last week I blogged about sticky letters. This week it’s letters made from sticks. I blame one child. I passed him in the corridor whilst I was carrying a pile of sticks. His face lit up and he asked if they were for his class. So I told him that the next...
Apr 17, 2024 | Literacy Outdoors
My painted stones remain a much treasured resource that I continue to adapt and refine. Children like them and are happy to spend time looking and talking about the simple illustrations. Some are themed. Below is my minibeast collection. Here is is fairly easy to work...
Feb 28, 2023 | Developing School Grounds & Outdoor Spaces, Early Years Outdoors, Literacy Outdoors, Play Resources
One repurposed resource which withstands a lot of wear and tear is the cable reel or drum that is used to store electrical wires. They are very flexible pieces of outdoor “furniture” which are worth seeking out in your local area. With sanding and...
Feb 23, 2023 | Literacy Outdoors
Books are brilliant. They create worlds within our heads – places of power and possibilities. They feed our imagination and allow us to think “What if…?” As my friend, Dominic the Storyteller once told me, “Pictures tell a 1000 words, but...
Feb 18, 2023 | Early Years Outdoors, Literacy Outdoors
Back in 2008 my first introduction to a Swedish outdoor “Rain or Shine” nursery was Skogsnattarna I Ur och Skur. At the first gathering session, I met Anna, one of the teachers, who used a story line outside. This was part of the routine in...
Feb 2, 2023 | Literacy Outdoors, Nature Play & Learning
One of the best ways to learn about nature is to hear and share stories about different plants, animals and happenings. Three years ago, this story was told to me by Ginger Franklin, a former education officer at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. Here in NE...
Feb 1, 2023 | Literacy Outdoors
Valentine’s Day provides ample opportunities to get outside. This blog post shares some literacy-based ideas for middle and upper primary school-aged children that I did with workshop participants one February in-set day. The first task was to make some green...
Jan 25, 2023 | Literacy Outdoors, Social Subjects Outdoors
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching and Burn’s night recently passed, many teachers rather cleverly merge the two by choosing Robert Burn’s poem, A Red Red Rose as a focus for a lesson. Rabbie Burns, like many poets and writers took inspiration...
Jan 16, 2023 | Course Handouts, Early Years Outdoors, Literacy Outdoors
Often I am asked about resources for outdoor literacy. Thus it seemed to make good sense to put these into a blog post for anyone to access. It would be helpful, if you know of others, to get in touch so that the list is kept up-to-date. Please note – this blog...
Jan 7, 2023 | Art & Music Outdoors, Literacy Outdoors
This blog post is about exploring the links between literacy and birds through the medium of an an arts-based regeneration project based upon the bird life around the area of Morecambe Bay. A Flock of Words, was created by Gordon Young, Russ Coleman and Why Not...
Dec 15, 2022 | Early Years Outdoors, Literacy Outdoors, Nature Play & Learning
Scotland continues to have lots of snow and below freezing temperatures. The temptation to drop work and play all day outside is immense. Today, here’s what happened during my lunch break… First I made some stencils, using scrap pieces of cardboard. But...
Dec 13, 2022 | Early Years Outdoors, Literacy Outdoors, Nature Play & Learning
As soon as snow and freezing temperatures are forecast, gather together resources and be prepared for some wonderful spontaneous mark making moments. Think big, think miniature, think imagination and sheer creative manipulative play! The intention of the suggestions...
Dec 3, 2022 | Literacy Outdoors, RME Outdoors, Social Subjects Outdoors
Metasaga is a beautiful framework for interpreting and revisiting a familiar local environment for children and adults of all ages. It was developed by Kate Coutts in the early Noughties. Basically the approach aims to promote discussion and create links and...
Dec 2, 2022 | Early Years Outdoors, Literacy Outdoors, Nature Play & Learning, RME Outdoors, Science Outdoors
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...
Nov 23, 2022 | Literacy Outdoors, Maths Outdoors
Happy Fibonacci Day (November 23rd – 11 23) 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,...
Nov 19, 2022 | Art & Music Outdoors, Early Years Outdoors, Literacy 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...
Nov 13, 2022 | Art & Music Outdoors, Literacy Outdoors
I really like making the most of every bit of space in an outdoor area. Trees are of particular value because the space around their base, the bark and the branches are all opportunities for displays and studies. Here’s a lovely art project that makes a super...
Nov 3, 2022 | Literacy Outdoors
This blog post is about an outdoor literacy workshop I facilitated many, many years ago. Below is a summary of the activities undertaken. What I love is that over a decade later the suggestions remain valid and interesting. As it’s autumn, the focus is literacy...
Oct 5, 2022 | Literacy Outdoors
National Poetry Day is celebrated on the first Thursday in October. It is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the power and pleasure of words. It is also an ideal introduction to writing outdoors. Here’s some ideas to get you started: 1) Make it comfortable....
Sep 13, 2022 | Literacy Outdoors
NOTE: This blog post was first published in 2010 and the photos clearly show that laminated sheets have been used. Please have a look at this post for lots of alternatives to laminating paper. It really isn’t necessary. I love simple ideas that one teacher can...
