About half of the blog posts on this website are early years in focus. I am currently working 50% on early years work and 50% on primary matters. In Scotland, one is qualified to teach from 3-12yrs with a primary school education qualification.
To find a relevant blog post, a quick way is to use the search facility below. Just type in a key word and see which blog posts come up. Please do come back in a couple of months as I intend to categorise this section once again.
Looking back to look forward to the New Year
10 questions to help you reflect on your outdoor practice.
10 Ways for Schools and Nurseries to Re-use Xmas Trees
How do you re-use your trees?
Frode Svane: Adventure Play in Snow
The snow remains and to celebrate this unique opportunity for outdoor play and learning is a guest post from Frode Svane.
Snow stencils…and blood!
Food colouring, cardboard and a spray bottle…
10+ ideas for mark making in the snow
On your mark.. get set… go!
Snow Fun: 15+ Ideas
Wrap up warm and enjoy learning outdoors in the white stuff!
Holly
A tree of celebration.
Play in the Dark – 20 Ideas
Dark allows for a deeper connection to place and play of a different kind.
14 Ways to Enjoy Ice and Frosty Weather Outside
The most beautiful time to be outside can be during frosty weather
Should Children Wear High Visibility Vests?
High time we looked at the pros and cons
Outdoor Clothing in Schools, Early Learning and Childcare Settings
Summary of issues and considerations around outdoor clothing.
Working outside in all weathers
What do you wear when working outside with children and young people?
Drying and Managing Wet Clothes in Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) Settings
Space saving solutions and practical suggestions around this issue.
10+ Ideas for Windy Days
The wonder of wind. A brilliant variable that adds value to every outdoor space.
12 Puddle Play Investigations
It’s a puddliscious post of possibilities
20 Outdoor Suggestions for Rainy Days
Lots of impromptu explorations for making the most of wet, rainy day.
10+ suggestions about using puppets outdoors
Why everyone needs a puppet in their pocket especially on cold winter days.
Give your old tarp a mathematical makeover
A long lasting and much loved maths resource.
20 Something Maths Pictures
Simple, easy to do with little prep or planning needed. Check out the video!
A Christmas Walk
Spotting signs of Xmas in your community
Frozen tree decorations! And it’s not even Christmas!
Outdoor decorations made from ice and snow.
25 Christmas Outdoor Experiences for Early Years and Primary
How to enjoy an outdoor festive time
2D Shape Art with Leaves
Dried leaves, cardboard and masking tape – so many possibilities.
Leaf Play – 10 Ideas
Free, spontaneous suggestions for playing with leaves.
Leaf Art
Autumn art inspiration
Exploding Leaves
Autumn is a great time for leaf explosions!
The Black Spot – Pirate Maths Outdoors
Leaves and maths outdoors for all ye landlubbers…arrr!
Woozy wasps and learning about bees
Stop flapping, it’s only a wasp…
12 Tough Outdoor Resources for Play and Learning
Play resources need to be able to take a knock if they’re used every day by lots of children.
A Bespoke Lithuanian Cafe Play Park
A fantasy playspace in a wood… not the run-of-the-mill playground.
10 Design Ideas for Bike, Trike & Scooter Play
Fantastic examples of ideas to bring this aspect of play alive and interesting.
A tiny open access sandpit: Chapelton
A hidden gem of a community sand pit in Aberdeenshire, Scotland
10 Ways to Use Stuff Sustainably in Education
Great ideas to make your resourcing more sustainable
9 considerations when choosing a children’s book about nature or being outside
Never judge a book by its cover. Outdoor considerations around choosing books for reading with children.
10 Ideas for Mud Play
29th June is International Mud Day…enjoy the mudfest with these ideas to celebrate mud!
Minibeast Hotels and Other Residences
There is something about humans which makes us…