Taking Learning to the Great Outdoors

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Created on Friday, 19 May 2017 12:08

160428 OCD LOGO SM PROFILE PICTURE.png.270x270 q95 crop 50 50 upscaleYesterday was a very special occasion for the million or so people who took part in 'Outdoor Classroom Day'. The idea was coined to celebrate and inspire outdoor learning and play.

Why would we support such a cause? Outdoor learning has been shown to improve children’s health, engagement with learning, and leads to a greater connection with nature. We firmly believe that the element of play not only teaches critical life skills such as resilience, teamwork and creativity, but is central to children’s enjoyment of childhood.

To support the cause, we encouraged all classes to spill out and take to our wonderful outdoor environment, taking advantage of all playground spaces, the field, reflection garden, mud kitchen, play beach and the Forest School zone.

Blue Coat pupils took part in:
 
  • outdoor painting
  • making minibeast-inspired music
  • outdoor literacy inspired by the Hungry Caterpillar, and practising 'command' verbs
  • PE on the Top Court and the field
  • PSHE on the Junior playground
  • Outdoor play (of course!)
  • Whole school worship with the Open The Book team!
  • Forest school
Pupils and staff alike seemed to relish the opportunity for a change of scene, and ending the day with whole school worship on the field was very special - certainly one to repeat in the near future.
 
Enjoy some of the highlights below: