John Newton was the head of Barrow C of E Primary School from 2013-2021. In this time John steered the school away from closure to Ofsted Outstanding rating. He credits the school’s success to adopting an outdoor learning ethos to
We spend a lot of time thinking about how to manage outdoor teaching in the colder months, but what about outdoor learning in summer time? On one hand, it is more appealing to be outdoors in the warmer weather. On
We are incredibly proud to support schools on their journey of taking their teaching and learning outdoors. We are seeing a massive surge of enthusiasm for this type of pedagogy and for very good reason. Let’s look at how to
Let’s talk to Paul Oldham, a long time proponent of outdoor learning as both a class teacher and deputy head. We wanted to find out more about setting up a new outdoor learning program and how to build it. Paul
It’s time to talk with Andy Carley, the Director of School Outdoor Learning. Firstly, to learn about his own journey and secondly to pick his brain about the state of outdoor learning. In particular, we want to delve deeper into
Character education is crucial, and often missing from the curriculum, in our schools. It’s not a new concept, organisations like the Duke Of Edinburgh Award have been pushing the agenda for a while, but it’s certainly not regular headline news.
In this new series of School Spotlight blog posts we talk to educators on the ground and get their take on outdoor learning in school. We talked to Todd Raetzke, the Director of Outdoor Education at the Bohunt Education Trust,
The first couple of weeks of January are too early to make changes for the year ahead, there are still leftover chocolates in the cupboard, the tree has only just come down and it takes time to get back into
On the back of the COP26 conference in Glasgow and the growing pressure on our leaders to bring about change to slow down the pace of climate change, your pupils are probably wondering what they can do to help. We
We’ve all heard the phrase, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing,” or something else along those lines. It’s heard most on rainy or especially chilly days and it is true. With the right clothing and equipment
It’s been quite the year hasn’t it?! Everyone of us has a story (or two) about how the pandemic has affected our lives. There are good news stories of people helping one another and trying new things, as well as
There is immense value to a garden or allotment provision in both nursery and school settings. Gardening at school benefits everyone, from pupils to teachers to parents and even the wider community. The set up can be as basic or
What can we say about this book? It’s essential reading for anyone who has the slightest love for and interest in nature and the natural world. Helen Macdonald’s brutally honest memoire about the loss of her Father how she channeled
Over a year on the pandemic still looms over us and we are already slipping back into our pre-Covid habits. While there are teachers and schools who are committed to keep up their outdoor learning, there are others who
It’s a joy to write a book review for this important read. Angela Hanscom’s book, ‘Balanced and Barefoot’, is a perfect distillation of all of the reasons, rationale and purpose for why our children need to be active, outdoors, independent
We might be a UK-based company, but our outdoor canopy classrooms and specialised outdoor learning training sessions have travelled across the pond and beyond. SOuL will deliver right to your door (or field or school ground or wherever your outdoor
Arbojo is designed to enable teachers to design and deliver first class team building and problem solving sessions with their own students in their own school grounds and indoor spaces. Each pack consists of a robust carry bag containing more
We often hear from schools that they would like to update their outdoor learning spaces, but that they are not sure how to fund it. Therefore, we would like to share a funding idea that may be of interest to
Here’s our latest review, this time we discuss a book by Bill Gates about avoiding a climate disaster. Our reviews cover essential reading and listening (in our humble opinion of course), for those passionate about the natural world and how
This is the second of two posts with ideas that incorporate outdoor learning into remote lessons, without the need for pupils to leave the house. These ideas are not intended to replace time spent outside, but rather to enhance it
Over the coming weeks we are going to bring you some book reviews. We will cover essential reading and listening (in our humble opinion of course) for all those passionate about the natural world and how we live, work and
A lot has changed in the last couple of weeks. Educators have adapted incredibly to the ever-changing circumstances as pupils are once again learning from home. We know that many teachers want to build outdoor learning into their remote classes,
Below you will find a video we published earlier this year through our SOuL Interactive free video resource channel. In addition we have a brand new unpublished video. The emphasis here is on great, creative teaching ideas with low cost or even ‘no cost’ resources. Why not put up a shopping list at your school […]
This great communication activity will help your young learners to practice the sending and receiving of verbal communication via ‘tubey telephones’ (plastic tubes). It will enable them to practice when to contribute, when to listen, and how/when to ask questions
This highly emotive activity will build reflection, storytelling and creative language skills in children. It will also help them to collaborate with others, organise information and manage a short project within tight timescales. Please click here to access the written
This expansive activity will enable your students to roam and be autonomous in an outdoor setting. Students are tasked with matching and identifying colours of flora and fauna found naturally in the world around them. They can then bring them
This highly experiential activity will build the vocabulary and language skills of children and help to generate storytelling and poetry creation. It also offers useful links to science and art in the curriculum through a direct connection with the natural
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