The Outdoor Classroom Ages 3-7


Book Description

Emphasising the importance of continuity for young children, The Outdoor Classroom Ages 3–7 practically demonstrates how early years settings and schools can maximise the learning potential of the outdoor environment. Fully updated to take into account the revised EYFS and Key Stage 1 curricula and including new case studies throughout, this second edition encourages teachers and practitioners to examine and reflect on their use of the outside area to ensure they provide rich play opportunities for children that will further their learning regardless of time, space or financial restraints. Drawing on the Forest School approach, this handy text considers the practical implications for settings using the outdoor classroom and covers: the characteristics of effective learning outdoors; guidance on timetabling and planning; advice on the logistics and health and safety involved; tips for navigating parental and staff opposition; closely linked theory and practice to assessment; the social and emotional aspects of learning. Full of resources, lesson plans and activities to support rich learning opportunities, this book will inspire you to think creatively about the outside area and use its full potential to bring the outdoors alive with interest, exploration and challenge.




The Outdoor Classroom in Practice, Ages 3-7


Book Description

The outdoor environment is now an integral part of many early years settings and schools, but is it being used to its full potential? Providing extensive, challenging and ever-changing outdoor play experiences is an essential and valuable aspect of early years education. This book offers comprehensive guidance on how the outdoor environment can be used to teach and challenge all children across a range of settings drawing on forest school practice. Following a month-by-month format, each chapter provides a selection of theme-related play experiences alongside planning and evaluations of how the ideas described were carried out, and reveals the impact that they had on the children. Including detailed information on the role of the adult, the environment, planning and using children’s interests to guide their learning and development, the book features: over 100 full-colour photographs to illustrate practice diary entries that reflect how the planning was delivered, what changes were made and how aspects of learning were recorded and assessed examples of practice as well as comprehensive resource lists and safety guidelines links to indoor play and opportunities at home. Written by a leading authority on forest school practice and full of practical ideas that can be adapted to suit individual children’s needs, this book aims to inspire practitioners to make the most of the outdoor environment throughout the year.




The Outdoor Classroom in Practice, Ages 3–7


Book Description

The outdoor environment is an integral part of many early years settings and schools, but is it being used to its full potential? The Outdoor Classroom in Practice, Ages 3-7 offers guidance on how the outdoors can be used to teach and challenge children across a range of settings by drawing on forest school practice. Following a month-by-month format, it explores theme-related play experiences, planning, evaluations of how the ideas described were carried out and what impact they had on children's learning and development. This fully updated second edition includes: over 150 new full-colour photographs to illustrate practice activities and objectives for both early years and KS1, including links to indoor play discussion and support for those working with children with special educational needs detailed information on the role of the adult and of the environment sections covering health and safety guidelines and specific risk assessment in all chapters Written by a leading authority on forest school practice, this book aims to inspire and help practitioners make the most of the outdoor environment all year round.




The Outdoor Classroom Ages 3-7


Book Description

The outdoor area is now an integral part of many early years settings and schools, but is it being used to its full potential? This book clearly explains the learning potential of the outdoor environment and practically demonstrates how the 'Outdoor Classroom' can be developed in early years settings and schools. Drawing on the Forest School approach, it aims to inspire practitioners to think creatively about their outside area and how they can provide rich play opportunities for children that will further their learning regardless of any time, space or financial restraints. Emphasising the importance of continuity for young children, the book shows how good practice in the early years can be built on in Reception and Key Stage 1 and covers: What is the outdoor classroom and how does it enhance children's learning? How experiences in the Outdoor Classroom can support the early years and Key Stage 1 curricula The implications for schools using the outdoor classroom including resources, timetabling, space, parental and staff opposition Guidance on planning Activities and ideas for using the Outdoor Classroom Including practical examples and detailed case studies taken from a wide range of settings and schools, this handy text will help you to get the most out of your outside area.




Outdoor Opposites


Book Description

Grab your backpack and head into the countryside for a camping adventure full of contrasts! Little ones love to try out the opposite actions as they sing and dance along. Enhanced CD includes audio singalong and video animation.




Playful Teaching and Learning


Book Description

Every early years practitioner should be able to captivate and maintain the interest of young children in their setting, through the provision of a playful learning experience. Covering age ranges 3-8 years, this textbook explores the importance of infusing playfulness throughout the entire early years day, and includes chapters that: establish the core principles underpinning playful teaching and learning help students and practitioners understand how playfulness can be applied to all aspects of the early years curriculum including mathematics, literacy, outdoor environments, science & technology, and ICT explore core issues in early years provision including observing, planning & assessment, and how they relate to playful learning emphasise the role and qualities of the playful professional. This is a fantastic resource for any student or practitioner looking to enrich the lives of young children through meaningful playful learning experiences.




Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens


Book Description

Everything you need to get started and succeed in a nature preschool or forest kindergarten.




Bringing the Forest School Approach to your Early Years Practice


Book Description

This easy-to-read series provides an introduction to some of the most important early years philosophies and shows how they can be incorporated into your setting. Each book provides: an outline of the background to the approach clear explanations of the relevance to contemporary thinking suggestions to help you plan a successful learning environment examples of what the individual approach can look like in practice. These convenient guides are essential to early years practitioners, students and parents who wish to fully understand what each approach means to their setting and children. How has Forest School helped to change attitudes about risk and challenge in the early years? What are the benefits of using this approach for children’s development, health and overall wellbeing? Bringing the Forest School Approach to your Early Years Practice provides an accessible introduction to Forest School practice. It identifies the key issues involved in setting up, running and managing a Forest school environment and offers clear guidance on resources, staffing and space required for successful play and learning outdoors. Including links to the Early Years Foundation Stage and a wide range of case studies, the book covers: The beginnings of Forest School and how practice has developed Child centred play and learning that allows for risk taking and challenge Planning for children’s individual needs, learning styles and schemas The learning environment The role of the adult including health and safety and children’s welfare. Full of practical advice, this convenient guide will help practitioners to deliver new, exciting and inspiring opportunities for the children they care for.




Outdoor Learning Research


Book Description

The term ‘outdoor learning’ covers many forms of practice outside the classroom, including Forest School and outdoor play. Outdoor learning has been rapidly growing as a topic of interest for educators and parents over the last ten years, and research published in this field is also increasing. Despite the fact that we are inextricably part of the natural world, there is concern that contemporary children have become disconnected from nature and that their opportunities to access natural environments are declining. Given compelling evidence that time spent in natural places has multiple benefits for human health and wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviour (Bourn et al., 2016), there is an impetus to find ways to increase children’s exposure to and attachment to nature through their education. The chapters in this book were originally peer-reviewed articles published in Education 3–13: International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education. They are amongst the most popular in the journal, reflecting the demand for more evidence of outcomes and high-quality information about how best to implement outdoor learning for children in this age group. The authors report qualitative and quantitative studies and consider implications of the findings for children and their development, and for the integration (or not) of natural environment contexts within school practices. Gathering this body of evidence together in a single volume enables important messages about outdoor learning’s various purposes, processes and outcomes to be more readily accessed by practitioners, policy makers and researchers.




Play Out


Book Description

Do you know how to manage physical risks and encourage children to go out and test their own boundaries without fear or failure? How can you create a stimulating outdoor area that offers irresistible learning opportunities for young children? Does your outdoor learning environment support young children’s emerging life skills of confidence, perseverance, creativity, decision making and leadership Play Out! is an inspirational, accessible and pragmatic set of resources aimed at all those involved with improving the use, design and management of outdoor spaces in early years settings. It provides a step-by-step guide for planning and implementing physical changes to outdoor environments in order to facilitate high quality learning and play experiences. Physical and outdoor play has a major impact on the intellectual, emotional and social development of young children. Drawing on Learning through Landscapes experience in working with thousands of early years settings, this book provides the tools for settings to assess what they already have, work through what their needs are, and inspires them to take the next steps forward to make physical and practical improvements to their outside area. Featuring downloadable resources with a comprehensive and fully adaptable audit tool, plus activities and case study resources to support your work, the handy toolkit provides: Step-by step guidance on project management and how to plan improvements to your space Tools for engaging your whole school community Practical activity ideas to involve children and adults A wide range of case studies to illustrate how real life settings have improved their outdoor space This full colour, illustrated resource will make it as easy as possible for managers, practitioners and parents to plan and manage an outdoor improvement project, involving children at the core of the work and linking the process and the improved outside environment to the aims of the Early Years Foundation Stage.