Lessons in the great outdoors are a breath of fresh air on Outdoor Classroom Day
It goes without saying that “the great outdoors” and a “breath of fresh air” are very good for the soul, spirit, and general all-round wellbeing. So, it’s hardly surprising that the concept of taking the classroom outside is proving to be such a great success!
It’s also fair to say that you can never trust the good old English weather.. which is why we have been celebrating Outdoor Classroom Day both yesterday – on its official date in the calendar – and today as well.
At the Senior School, six different classes were taught outside, with resources such as whiteboards, floor cushions and the bespoke outdoor classroom to make the great outdoors both practical and comfortable. A background of music, ice creams and toasted marshmallows gave a festival vibe to lunchtime.
The Junior School tried their hands at wool dying, cloud writing, plant hunting as well as some Gruffalo Yoga.
From the germination of an idea in 2011, the Outdoor Classroom Day now involves more than 170 countries, with over 10million children having taken part.
- 95% of teachers say taking lessons outdoors makes them more enjoyable
- 90% of pupils who go outdoors to learn feel happier and healthier
- 96% of parents say outdoor time enables children to become well-rounded adults.
In today’s modern take on education, Forest Schools, nature schools and outdoor nurseries provide the most progressive style, where learning is held almost exclusively in the outdoors, regardless of the weather!
At St Mary’s, our Woodland Explorers also find time to enjoy dynamic and varied learning conditions, to develop their natural curiosities, collaborative skills, and learn a great deal too. It’s a bit like hiding the vegetables in the pasta sauce – all the benefits are there, just hidden from the naked eye.
Our other nature-based educational opportunities include our residential trips to e.g. Grafham Water, where it hardly makes a difference if it rains while you are out on the water, to the well-defined benefits of the Duke of Edinburgh’s award.
Or, like today, when lessons are done - a simple marshmallow toasted at the firepit, in the safe environs of the Chapel Lawn.