Activities for outdoor learning this Autumn

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Image: gardeningforkids.com.au

Earlier this year, we published a blog post detailing some lovely outdoor activities to enjoy with your students in the Spring time. But, in case you haven't noticed, it's no longer Spring! Autumn is upon us and with it brings plenty of opportunities to get your class out in the crisp golden sunshine and kicking about in the leaves.

The resource sheets, activity ideas and online flash games featured below are all available from The Woodland Trust's fabulous Nature Detectives website. They're all completely free so we figured they wouldn't mind us sharing some of their wonderful ideas and resources with our readers! Simply follow the links to download. And don't forget that this is just a sample. We really recommend checking out their site for more Autumn activities and ideas.

ID tools and spotter sheets
Some brilliant resources here! Get your class outside and identifying Autumn leaves, fruits and seeds, twigs and more. My personal favourite resource is the hunt for animal tracks, as well as - one for the boys this one - an animal poo ID sheet! (It does stress to kids that they shouldn't touch the animal droppings). Other spotter sheets include nocturnal animals, minibeasts, birds, bramble and fungi. If you don't have access to a proper woodland in school, why not send some spotter sheets home as homework (optional or otherwise)?

Image: Rake's School, West Sussex

Conkers
The best part of Autumn in my humble opinion... hunting for conkers! Nature Detectives provides instructions on how to play conkers, plus a snazzy conker champion certificate and a cool horse chestnut tree fact sheet. There's also a recipe for making realistic-looking conkers out of chocolate (no actual cooking required - all you need is a fridge) which would be great for a classroom session on cooking and nutrition.

Den building
Giving conkers a run for their money as most awesome Autumn activity, is this lovely set of tips for building a woodland den. It's aimed directly at the kids so it's all in really simple language with loads of great ideas plus helpful safety advice.

Tree faces

Image: naturedetectives.org.uk

A brilliant resource for art lessons this, students find and draw a picture/photograph a 'face' on a tree. It's a great way to develop imagination and also empathy, as the kids are encouraged to think about how the tree is feeling based on the face it's pulling. Could you take it one step further and have them come up with reasons why the tree is feeling that way? What happened in the woodlands that day? The children could write up their stories as a follow up activity or even look at existing stories about tree people, such as the green man or dryads from Greek mythology. Don't miss the tree face 'hall of fame' on the page linked above - your students could even send in their own 'tree face' photos like the one to the right.

Cross curricular indoor activities and online games
You don't even need to go outside to enjoy all Autumn has to offer in every subject across the curriculum! 

Science
Develop a range of scientific skills with this DIY fungus experiment in which kids control variables like temperature, moisture and light to work out what fungi need to grow best. Another science activity is the food chains game, a board game which teaches children the connections between woodland wildlife in a fun, imaginative way. 

Literacy
If you'd prefer to develop your class' literacy skills, why not try the concrete poetry online flash game. Kids choose a woodland shape (or draw their own) and fill it with words (either from pre-prepared word banks or their own imaginations) to make a poem. The completed poems can be printed out. 

Another literacy game on the Nature Detectives site is called Save our wood. This presents players with plans to build a road through beautiful Badger Wood. The player navigates the woodland, looking for woodland residents. They interview each creature, collecting information before designing and writing an article to defend the wood from development. There's also a list of supporting resources including a sheet to help them develop a balanced debate (with arguments both for and against), plus a template to help them format an offline newspaper piece too. 

History
Another fab online game worth mentioning, this one based around developing historical knowledge, is A tree's memory. In this game, kids meet three trees - the ancient tree, the city tree and the country tree. They pick a tree and fill in its life story from a choice of images. For example, the city tree is only 50 years old, but in 1969, it witnessed something that was 'out of this world'! After selecting the correct image, the player gets a bit more information on the event, plus the tree's opinion!

Image: Rake School, West Sussex

Are you thinking of taking your class outside? Fancy a bit more inspiration or some advice on assessing the risks? This article by The Woodland Trust's Amy Williams is packed full of safety advice and inventive ways to engage students with the natural world.

Alterntatively, if you'd prefer to read about other schools who've taken the plunge and rented a piece of woodland to care for and use with their students (and that's not as outrageous an idea as you might think), take a look at this article by Patricia Ockenden of woodlands.co.uk. In it, she describes the amazing curricular opportunities taking the classroom to the woods offers.

Outdoor ideas for springtime learning

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The birds are singing, the buds are blooming, the sun is shining and the sky is blue... well, mostly, we are in Britain after all! 

The point is spring has sprung and come rain or shine (and admittedly, it is mostly rain), there are plenty of opportunities to get your class outside and enjoying the fresh air.

But what to do? Even just teaching your normal curriculum outdoors is a start, but if you're looking for some real outdoorsy activities and you're not afraid of a little bit of mud, then the Woodland Trust's Nature Detectives website is a great place to start.

It offers over a thousand nature-based activities available for families, children and teachers to download completely free. Each resource provides hours of fun that incorporates learning, nature and creativity, and can be adapted to suit children of all ages. 

Here are some great ideas from the site's Spring section:

Adventures with sticks – From twig towers to stick ships, magic wands to winter wreaths, there are tons of things you can do with sticks. This resource pack gives some ideas to get you started.

Welly wander – A set of activity sheets to accompany a walk in wellies! What do you paddle in, wade through, jump in, splash...? What do you see, smell, hear and feel on your welly wander? 

Weather diary – A brilliant template to record the changing weather. Helps you track sunshine, temperature, rainfall, wind speed and cloudiness.

Tree identification tools – Identify trees from their twigs, leaves, buds and blossom. Plus a whole load of fun games, puzzles and craft activities related to trees. 

Spring symphony – Listen to the sounds of spring, then make your own with natural materials.

Colour bingo – How many colours can you spot in nature?

What have you spotted? – Springtime scavenger hunt. Includes frog spawn, butterflies, catkins, blossom and more.

Hunt for animal tracks – Hunt for and identify animal tracks left in the mud or snow! Includes Badger, deer, dog, duck, fox, heron, otter and squirrel.

Bird Pack – 25 free printable activity sheets, plus videos and desktop wallpapers to get children excited about bird life. Includes a bird spotter sheet, bird bingo, a balancing swallow to colour in and perch somewhere interesting, and the nest building challenge – a hands on activity to help children learn how birds build their nests. 

Pirate Pack – Help your class make themselves a pirate hat, then set sail for the woods. They can build a stick ship, make a treasure chest, then start hunting for natural treasures. 

The Woodland Trust regularly updates the resources on its Nature Detectives website, so keep an eye out for new and exciting ways to encourage children and young people to interact with nature, especially as we move into the summer.

< Read the previous post in this series

The material in this series of blog posts is taken from the article 'A practical guide to outdoor learning' by Amy Williams of The Woodland Trust.


Have you enjoyed this series? Tell us what you think!

How to reduce risk when teaching outdoors

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Intrepid, excitable students, mud, nettles, bugs, rivers, dogs and trees so tall you just have to climb them can sound like a scary combination. 

In fact, the risks involved with teaching your students in the wild woodlands can sound so scary, you could be tempted to lock the classroom windows, close the blinds and stay inside where it's safe and you can't get sued by angry parents...

Of course, taking a group of students outside will always involve a certain degree of 'risk'. But assessing these risks beforehand and taking action to avoid them can put your mind at ease and contribute to a healthier, happier experience for students.

The table below outlines some of the more common risks associated with the outdoors - but it's not comprehensive. You should definitely assess your own outdoor sites in accordance with your school's risk assessment procedures and apply risk levels.

But don't wrap your students up in cotton wool! Kids need to encounter some form of risk in order to develop the important problem-solving skills they'll need when they encounter risks later on in life.

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Hazard                                     Action

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Sharp or prickly materials	Encourage long sleeves and sturdy footwear (not sandals) and discourage wearing shorts. Carry a First Aid kit.
Poisonous berries/fungi	Give verbal warnings not to eat anything or put things/fingers in their mouths. Seek medical assistance if ingested. Wash hands carefully after the trip (especially before eating or drinking) or carry wet-wipes or antibacterial gel.
Low branches	Give verbal warnings to take care (especially of eyes).
Uneven ground, holes, slopes, fallen branches	Advise to walk carefully. Wear suitable footwear and plan a route appropriate to the weather.
Children going out of sight/missing	Advise children on boundaries and give verbal warnings. Adults to keep visual contact with their group.  Make sure you have the correct ratio of adults: students. Have an agreed ‘missing person’ procedure that everyone is aware of, including an agreed meeting point in emergency situations.
General public	Avoid contact with strangers and animals where possible. Ask owners to control their animals if passing.
Insect bites/stings or allergies	Be aware of children with allergies (such as nuts, insect stings, hay fever). Check anyone with severe allergies has their asthma pump or EpiPen, and they are able to administer it. Remind everyone of the risk. Carry a First Aid kit.
Dangerous Litter (for example, fly-tipped waste, broken glass, syringes and so on)	Conduct safety sweep of area before activity takes place. Remind people of dangers and if appropriate, show an example.
Disease or infection– for example, Toxicara canis (from dog faeces), Leptospirosis (from rat urine in water), Tetanus (from soil), or Lyme Disease (from ticks)	Cover broken skin on hands (for example wear gloves or use plasters), advise of risks and symptoms, and seek medical advice as soon as possible if infection is suspected. Tuck socks into trousers if in potential tick area.
Sun/ultra-violet radiation	Advise of risks. Cover exposed skin, especially top of the head, back of the neck and shoulders. Work in the shade where possible.
Slippery surfaces	Warn about mud or ice. Change activity or route according to the weather. Wear appropriate footwear.
Electrical storms or gale force winds	Check weather websites for the latest information and severe weather warnings. Cancel activity if too severe.
Open water	Give a verbal warning of danger area. Advise to keep clear of water’s edge and banks. Have a throw line handy if working near deep or fast flowing water.

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Look out for the next blog post in this series, which will offer a number of inventive ways to engage students with the natural world, this spring and beyond.

< Read the previous post in the series                       Read the next post in this series>

The material in this series of blog posts is taken from the article 'A practical guide to outdoor learning' by Amy Williams of The Woodland Trust. 

10 ways to make outdoor teaching easier

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Taking learning outdoors can sometimes prove quite stressful for a teacher. There's so much to think about beforehand - what to take, what to wear - and what about when you get there? The wild and wonderful world of the woods is just so distracting for students... why would they bother listening to you when there's so much to explore?

But there are a number of things you can do to make teaching outdoors easier! And they're actually really really simple.

To get you started, here are ten ways you can keep your students safe and their attention firmly focused on you – all the while making sure you're giving them the best and most enjoyable outdoor experience you can.

1. Set expectations before going out – Understanding what is going to happen and how long it will take will help children relax. Keep it positive and emphasise ‘care’ through looking after themselves, each other and the natural environment.
2. Take a rucksack for necessities – This would include a first aid kit, water, mobile phone, emergency contact details, hazard tick list, sit-mats, whistles – a gentle sounding one to call the group back together (i.e. owl hoot or ocarina) and a sharp-sounding emergency one. Don’t forget any evaluation equipment you plan on using – for example, a camera (and spare batteries) or post-it notes. And if carrying props for any activities, pack them in order of use to make your life easier.
3. Appropriate clothing – Ensure children are wearing appropriate clothing and footwear. Suggest zipping up/tucking in/putting on hats before they start getting too cold (or hot).
4. Be sensitive to fears/preconceptions – Children may feel woods are dangerous (thanks to many nursery rhymes and fairy tales, as well as negative media stories). If these arise, try to deal with them in an understanding and non-judgemental way.
5. Keep it simple – Children find it hard to listen to someone talking for too long, especially outdoors. Have a clear mental plan of the session before you go out.
6. Go visual, auditory and kinaesthetic – Engage everyone by trying to have a visual focal point (for example, stand near or hold the thing you are talking about) and if you can, demonstrate it too.
7. Circle-up – Get the whole group, including adults, into a circle when introducing and ending activities, as this means you will have everyone’s attention and hopefully only have to say things once. Invent different ways to do this to make it fun (i.e. ‘sticking’ elbows, knees or toes to neighbours).
8. Weather affects ability to learn – Try to stand facing the sun when talking to your
   group so they won’t have to squint. Attention span decreases in windy, wet or cold weather so adjust your expectations accordingly.
9. Meeting dogs off the lead – Ask children to fold their arms and look away from dogs if you meet them off the lead. The dog should quickly get bored and leave.
10. Evaluate outside – Sharing the learning experience while still outside will provide more valuable feedback because it is done in context.

Look out for the next blog post in this series!

Of course, taking a group of students outside involves a certain degree of risk. The third post in this series will feature a hazard tick list which will outline a number of the hazards you may encounter while outdoors and what you can do to avoid them.

< Read the previous post in this series                 Read the next post in this series >

The material in this series of blog posts is taken from the article 'A practical guide to outdoor learning' by Amy Williams of The Woodland Trust.