Mar 22, 2024 | Early Years Outdoors, Whole School
Important note: The aim of this post is to clarify some of the terms used and to help practitioners create their own routines and procedures. However, always seek guidance from your regulatory bodies, local authority and environmental health officer in the first...
Mar 1, 2024 | Early Years Outdoors, Nature Play & Learning, Whole School
Several years ago, I spent a day at Dunblane Nature Kindergarten. It was an opportunity to share thinking and enjoy celebrating the journey of this childcare setting that values nature pedagogy and all that this encompasses. This blog post captures a process of change...
Oct 3, 2023 | Early Years Outdoors, Nature Play & Learning, Whole School
Today, the Early Learning and Childcare Directorate published Caring for Our Outdoor Spaces as part of their Out to Play series. This is a hefty document that is not designed to be read from cover-to-cover but to dip into as needed. In order to save practitioners...
Sep 3, 2023 | Nature Play & Learning
Around my home town, there are some horse chestnut trees which always have a good supply of conkers. They are a much sought after fruit with children looking for and commenting on the availability of the conkers. I now plot some of my walks to pass these trees at this...
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...