What is character? We know that certain experiences are character building but why? We know that the character of our pupils has a massive impact on their outcomes in life yet how can we as teachers work with them and
As another September appears on the horizon most of us in education are starting to shift focus to the new school year. The summer holidays provide a much needed break and give teachers a chance to rest and recover,
This summer has been especially busy for SOuL. There is a huge demand for outdoor classrooms, natural play spaces and character education learning spaces. We’ve also installed ponds, school allotments and more. Every time we visit a school or return
Outdoor Classroom Day is coming up on May 18 so mark your calendars! There are two official days each year to encourage schools to prioritise outdoor learning for their pupils. You can sign up online or just get stuck in.
Let’s talk about risky play and opportunities for pupils to test limits at school. Many schools are turning their backs on conventional timber trail type designs as they lack challenge, tend to be quite uniform and conform to standardised designs
A-levels are stressful for most pupils. Imagine if there was a way to beat sixth form stress and get pupils outside. Well, the team at Bohunt Sixth Form in Liphook, Hampshire are doing just that. The outdoor education
Eco Hubs are the future of outdoor learning spaces in schools. There, we said it! And here’s why. In the last year or two SOuL has installed several Eco Hubs of various sizes and styles in schools, and they
Let’s talk to Pete Hubble, a member of the SOuL installations team and so much more. Pete shares his own journey into the outdoor learning world and tells us what it is like to work on site with the team.
Simply put, outdoor learning belongs on the curriculum. It must be both embedded in all subjects, at all levels, and be implemented as its own stand-alone subject. This may sound like a daunting task to some, but we assure you
Enjoy this interview with Gemma Hill-Davis, a free-roaming Outdoor Practitioner based in Cheshire in North West England. Gemma runs a small outdoor learning company called Camp Curiosity CIC and has just celebrated 6 months since launching the company and being self
Most of us are already more than halfway through the summer holidays. For some folks they have probably flown by and for others they may be dragging. Schools in Scotland might even be back in session by now. Either way,
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
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