Aug 21, 2023 | Art & Music Outdoors, Early Years Outdoors, Technologies
In 2001, on a Comenius outdoor learning course in Sweden, I had the opportunity to try felting. It was a disaster. I managed to dye my wool using fresh young birch leaves and carded it reasonably well. But the felting process was my failing. I returned home, my...
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...
Mar 29, 2023 | Early Years Outdoors, Gardening, Health & Wellbeing, Nature Play & Learning, Technologies
The one activity my son remembers from his nursery days was making nettle soup. He recalls the excitement of wearing tough gloves and not believing he wouldn’t be stung in the mouth when he ate the soup. Spring is the time of year for making nettle soup. Young...
Mar 22, 2023 | Early Years Outdoors, Play Resources, Technologies
Most schools are feeling the pinch in terms of having money to spend on resources and equipment. Thankfully, working outside does not have to rely on expensive kits. Here’s a selection you can make from cardboard, paper and other easily available materials. Your...
Feb 20, 2023 | Early Years Outdoors, Maths Outdoors, Science Outdoors, Technologies
When you write a book, one of the interesting challenges is deciding what needs to be included and what should be omitted. It’s never an easy task. One concept that I felt I didn’t do justice to in Messy Maths, was that of rotation. Thus I thought it would be good to...
Feb 9, 2023 | Art & Music Outdoors, Technologies
In 2013 I had the privilege of working at Broadford Primary School in Romford. The school had put a lot of effort into developing its school grounds. An outdoor music area had been installed and I really liked what I saw. ©Saul and The Junk Orchestra Fixed...
Jan 15, 2023 | Early Years Outdoors, Gardening, Technologies
There is an irony about travelling to Canada to attend a workshop to learn about a practice that stems from the British Isles. As part of the IPA Canada 2017 conference, Evergreen staff provided a more natural approach to the use of loose parts. Evergreen is a...
Dec 28, 2022 | Art & Music Outdoors, Technologies
Previously I blogged about making felt seats. These items are lightweight and portable and thus ideal for many outdoor activities on the go. I’ve continued to experiment with them. My first attempts were rough and I learned a lot through trial and error. The...
Nov 22, 2022 | Early Years Outdoors, Play Resources, Science Outdoors, Technologies
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...
Nov 17, 2022 | Early Years Outdoors, Maths Outdoors, Technologies
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,...
Nov 16, 2022 | Maths Outdoors, Technologies
The mathematical potential of a stick never ceases to amaze me. Back in 2014, I had a bright idea which is remarkably simple and came about owing to overhearing someone mention colour coding. You get some sticks. You paint the ends different colours. You play with...
Nov 15, 2022 | Developing School Grounds & Outdoor Spaces, Maths Outdoors, Technologies
Several years ago, I came across this photo on the Playscapes blog which blew my mind. It had so much to it, that I’m still trying to take stock of its potential, fun and relevance to schools everywhere. It is the work of Simon and Tom Bloor. It can be found at...
Nov 10, 2022 | Maths Outdoors, RME Outdoors, Technologies
The run-up to the end of this term is usually a hectic event. In between the parties and performances, there’s lots going on. It also means that using the festive opportunities to recap and review work undertaken earlier can be one way of working a little...
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...
Nov 5, 2022 | RME Outdoors, Social Subjects Outdoors, Technologies, Whole School
30th November – St Andrew’s Day – is regarded as Scotland’s National Day. Increasing number of people living in Scotland make the most of the day to celebrate Scottish traditions and culture. I rather like that Saint Andrew is the...
Jun 27, 2022 | Early Years Outdoors, Play Resources, Technologies
Several years ago, Sarah Lazarovic created the wonderful illustration, the Buyerarchy of Needs. It has always resonated with me, because I am aware of how resources dominate many educators’ thinking. There has been a trend towards removing plastic resources and...
Jun 12, 2022 | Gardening, Science Outdoors, Technologies
When children go bug hunting, many often want to create homes for minibeasts. Any measures which improve the biodiversity of an outdoor space help. Creating a range of habitats will help attract more creatures into the grounds. In the photo above, this minibeast...
Jul 17, 2021 | Early Years Outdoors, Literacy Outdoors, Technologies, Whole School
When I left teaching college in the early Nineties, laminated sheets were not used. If we really needed something covered we had to use stickyback plastic. It was expensive and you learned to develop the knack of avoiding lines and bubbles appearing. In my outdoor and...
May 10, 2021 | Gardening, Science Outdoors, Technologies
I visit a lot of schools who like the idea of a compost bin and have one, but in terms of really using it, are a little unsure about what they are doing. The trick is to prepare in advance. Composting is not a spur-of-the-moment activity for a supply teacher....
Feb 22, 2019 | Technologies, Whole School
“Where’s the games?” When children explore my iPad, this question always arises. The contents on my iPad are not what children expect. It is almost entirely a range of apps for use outside. Once children fathom this out, one of two things...
