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Do you want to fully embed and integrate outdoor learning into your teaching?

Quite often in schools outdoor learning or curriculum based outdoor learning takes place in isolation or unconnected to in-school teaching. 

Who has time to do teaching outdoors in addition to in-school coverage of the curriculum?

The solution is easy.

Make the outdoors do the teaching. 

Don’t use outdoor learning in addition to your teaching. By threading the outdoors into planning of the curriculum, then the best location to teach content or skills, and assessing understanding or practical application of knowledge, will be used. In this way the outdoor learning is truly embedded into the teaching of the curriculum.

A framework for integrating outdoor learning to support and consolidate your indoor teaching at a strategic level would provide a much better use of the outdoors in teaching curriculum content.

Want to know more about this framework? Sign up to the Nature Days newsletter or connect on LinkedIn for updates and discover this new way of embedding outdoor learning into your teaching.

Developed with input from IOL and CLOtC

Nature Days is very happy to announce it has become a registered ITC training centre.


Nature Days will be providing training for the accredited Level 3 Award in Learning Beyond the Classroom. This is the only accredited award focused on Learning beyond the classroom and Nature Days will provide face to face training plus online support to create the associated evidence for you to embed the outdoor learning into your school with regards the Curriculum for Wales.

This accredited training course provides a Level 3 Award in Learning Beyond the Classroom qualification.

The course is designed to show participants how to make the most of curriculum-linked outdoor learning opportunities using your school grounds and local learning area.

It is ideal for those working at any level as providers of outdoor learning in teaching or supportive roles, who wish to enhance their curriculum and utilise their grounds by taking learners outside. 

This course will provide you with everything you need to get outside and manage your outdoor learning experiences.

We will provide you with a range of activities and ideas mapped to the curriculum for Wales and National Curriculum, based on the participants. The course will help you to identify the risks and benefits of taking your learning outside and consider the sustainability of using your outdoor spaces.

To complete your qualification, you will need to create a workbook of evidence about your Outdoor learning sessions.

Training covers 1 day of practical face to face teaching in a school, using the school grounds on the 4th November 2024 and support via distance learning to help you complete your portfolio ready for assessment.

Price £250 includes all training, certification and support by an Outdoor learning expert.

Please contact naturedays@reynoldston.com for more details.

Nature Days has been extremely busy this year helping schools to prepare for the Curriculum for Wales by developing outdoor learning in their school.

If you are after guidance in integrating outdoor learning into your version of the Curriculum for Wales then all 20 online training sessions are available as recordings in the Nature Days shop.

From starting out in outdoor learning to running your own field trips this 40 hour training course will empower you develop the Curriculum for Wales in your school by bring outdoor learning to the heart of your school vision. Each of the 20 sessions are 2 hours long with a homework task to make the training specific to your school and learners. 
Purchase for just £10 per session here. or all 20 for £180

Nature Days has created innovative Outdoor Learning, Independent challenge cards.

These are suitable for KS2 but also can be used with KS1 and EY with support.  

The cards pose enquiry questions for students to explore independently, using the school grounds as a resource for discovery.  

The cards are divided into 6 Area of Learning and Experience:

Health and Wellbeing – including P.E

Science and Technology – Including all sciences and D.T.

Literacy and communication – Including languages.

Maths and Numeracy 

Humanities – Including Geography, History and R.S.

Expressive Arts – Including Art, Drama, and Music.

There are over 50 cards, each in a set format to encourage students to undertake the challenges independently.

Each challenge is supported with; Success criteria, Prompt questions, Identifies resources you could use, Examples of methods which could be used and Extension tasks and questions to encourage additional learning. 

Cards are also available individually on request.

The Outdoor learning cards encourage independence and can easily be undertaken with social distancing.

The Outdoor Learning cards are also suitable for use for home schooling.  The activities are suitable for any outdoor space so can be undertaken in a garden or any open space.  

As they are designed to be undertaken independently, they can be used by schools not only in school as a resource for undertaking learning outdoors, but to bring home schoolers and in schoolers together in undertaking the same activities.

Also in case you missed the Free outdoor challenges for home schoolers or use in school grounds on Nature Days Blog and You Tube channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDXOJ1IVfClsnj99NuCHmAQ

I hope you will be in touch and use Nature Days services at this challenging time.

Buy now by emailing naturedays@reynoldston.com

or on TES

For more details look at the Nature Days web page www.naturedays.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter @DawnNaturedays #Naturedays

Lots of free resources on the Nature Days blog and You tube channel #Naturedays

Dawn Thomas 07779950126  naturedays@reynoldston.com

A reminder that if your school is located within the Gower Lordship, see map below, then I still have funding from The Gower Society for field trips on Gower. Book now to avoid disappointment.

I am pleased to inform you that The Gower Society is funding field trips for Swansea schools to visit Gower with Nature Days again this year.


For more information and to see what field trips are available contact Nature Days at naturedays@reynoldston.com Or www.naturedays.co.uk


All field trips are bespoke to the class’s learning objective and cover the four core purposes and are linked to one or more of the 6 AOLEs.

Scroll down to the application form.

Questions:

What can the funding be used for?

  1. The funding can be used to fund a fieldtrip undertaken by our GSY youth leader Dawn Thomas of Nature Days.
  2. The transport costs of a visit to explore Gower’s natural environment.  If the school can satisfy the GSY committee that there is a need for additional funding

then the cost of transport may be funded by the GSY fund. (If applying for transport, a quote is needed within the application).

Please do not order transport without approval and completion of the GSYA application form available here: http://www.thegowersociety.org.uk/youth/gsya-grants/

Where can we undertake the field trip?

  1.  Field trips must be undertaken within the Gower Lordship, an area bounded by the rivers Tawe, Llwchwr, Cathan, Amman and Twrch.  See the below map.

Can any school apply for the grant?

  1. Only schools located within the Lordship of Gower can apply.

Can we use the funding to improve our school grounds?

  1. No. The Gower Society Youth Action (GSYA) provides grants for grounds development, see the separate GSYA application, http://www.thegowersociety.org.uk/youth/gsya-grants/   

How many classes can apply for GSY funding to go on a Nature Days field trip?

  1. Each school can take one class for one day’s Nature Days field trip.  Multiple classes may not attend on a funded field day, unless specifically arranged and confirmed by Dawn Thomas.

How many times can I apply for a class to be funded for a field trip?

  1.  Schools may apply for more than one class per year but there is a limited amount of funding and schools who have not had funding will be awarded funding before schools are awarded a second funded field trip.  GSY may subsidise additional or multiple trips.  The school is welcome to self-fund additional days or classes.

We encourage schools who have not applied in the past to apply quickly.

Which year groups can the funding be used for?

  1.  All primary year groups and years 7 – 9.  The funding may not be used for the mandatory GCSE and A level field trips.

Completing supporting statement:

Please indicate the reason behind the NEED for the funded field trip.  This should include;

  1. The reason for the field trip and how it will improve the curriculum experience of the children attending.  How does it link to their topic?
  2. The reason the school cannot self-fund the field trip.
  3. Any additional information which may help in our consideration of your application for funding.

GSY fieldtrip funding application.

Information on field trip funding.

The Gower Society Youth section of the Gower Society is prepared to make funding towards field trips that encourage young people residing in the Lordship of Gower to understand, appreciate and enhance their natural environment.

Applicants should complete all sections of the application form before returning it to the Gower Society Youth leader and Action Secretary.  They are also welcome to attach additional information.

If an application is approved, the Society will inform the successful applicant and the following conditions may be applied:  

  1. If approval is given by the Society and field trip confirmation made by GSY, then the applicant must undertake the field trip within the academic year.  Money will not be sent to the school except if transport costs have been approved in the funding application. Payment for the field trip will be sent direct to field trip provider and no invoice or cost will be incurred by the school.
  • The school is requested to identify the awarding of the grant by Gower Society Youth (GSY) and the Gower Society to parents of the children taking part.  This maybe in a school newsletter, letters out to parents, Tweets with hashtag #GowerSocietyFunding with @TheGowerSociety. Please share any photos of the field trip with GSY via Dawn Thomas or through Tweets.

If an applicant has any queries, the Society is always happy to discuss ideas at an early stage.  If the applicant has queries, the best thing to do is to make an exploratory telephone call to the youth leader.

Please do not book buses or inform the children until the date of the field trip has been confirmed, and you have confirmation that your application has been successful.

Applications should be sent to:

Dawn Thomas, GSY youth leader

 dawn.thomas@reynoldston.com

and Joan Darbyshire Chairman of Gower Society Youth

JoanDarbyshire@btinternet.com

Enquiries to 01792 392919 07779950126 or email to dawn.thomas@reynoldston.com

Nature Days will be putting on regular teacher training events to help support teachers and teaching assistants in becoming more confident with outdoor learning

I have created a teacher training package which will provide you with all the skills you need to embed effective, meaningful, impactful outdoor learning in your school.

These sessions are suitable for school leaders in outdoor learning, class teachers, TAs and other school leaders.

The sessions will take you on a journey towards using your school grounds and local area to effectively teach the four purposes of the new curriculum for Wales. Each session builds on the last so that you will finish with an in-depth understanding of what outdoor learning is and how it can be used in your school. Each session will be supported by an in-school task to help you integrate aspects of the session into your school. 

By the end of the course you will have a portfolio of ideas to share with your staff and a plan for taking the new curriculum for Wales and making it bespoke to your school’s outdoor space. 

Sessions can be booked on separately.

Session 1: Starting out. How to teach a four purpose based curriculum through outdoor learning.

How outdoor learning can be used to support a four purpose led curriculum.

The advantages of using outdoor learning as a pedagogy.

Different approaches to outdoor learning.

Simple starting out activities.

Outdoor learning and the ethos of the new curriculum for Wales.

Session 2: Auditing what you do now and your school grounds. – Making the best use of what you have.

How to audit the resources you have available for outdoor learning.

How to zone your school grounds to make best use of the space for all year groups.

Outdoor learning skills audit of the staff.

Identifying barriers to outdoor learning.

Session 3: Barriers to outdoor learning and overcoming them. – Tips and tricks to make outdoor learning easier.

Session 4: Integrating outdoor learning into your planning. – Embedding outdoor learning into teaching.

Session 5: A whole school approach – Systemic changes to embed outdoor learning into your school. Creating an outdoor learning policy.

Session 6: Practical ideas to teach through outdoor learning. – Science and technology AOLE.

Session 7: Practical ideas to teach through outdoor learning. – Maths and numeracy AOLE

Session 8: Practical ideas to teach through outdoor learning. – Language, Literacy and communication AOLE.

Session 9: Practical ideas to teach through outdoor learning. – Humanities AOLE

Session 10: Practical ideas to teach through outdoor learning. – Expressive arts AOLE

Session 11: Practical ideas to teach through outdoor learning. – Health and Wellbeing AOLE

Session 12: Cross curricular project ideas to teach through outdoor learning. – Using the wider local area as well as school grounds.

Session 13: Assessment of learning and for learning in outdoor learning.

Session 14: Risk assessments and risk benefit analysis.

Session 15: Becoming sector leading in outdoor learning. – Putting outdoor learning at the heart of your school’s curriculum.

Session 16: Meaningful school trips. – Using learning outside the classroom experiences effectively.

Session 17: Undertaking meaningful field trips. – Planning and designing your own field trips.

Session 18: Progression and differentiation in outdoor learning. -The pedagogy of outdoor learning.

Session 19: School grounds developments. – How to use and develop your school grounds to support outdoor learning.

Session 20: Sharing best practice. Discussion of what has worked in your journey of embedding outdoor learning into your school.

Download you Nature Trail guide which will help you explore the habitats of Port Eynon. You can pick it up in person on Saturday 1st May 9am – 3pm download it. This will be a ticketed event, free, funded by the Gower Society, so we can stagger start times to maximise the number of families who can take part.

Follow instructions to look for shark egg cases, shells, rock pool animals, explore natural history remains, identify plants.
The aim is to allow you to explore a number of habitats and local history following a guide which will help you identify what you see.
I will be on hand on the day if you want any help with identification or further information.
Tickets for the 1st May event are available here.

If you would like to undertake a geographical enquiry I have a worksheet to help you choose a descriptive enquiry title, and go through all the 6 stages of the enquiry process to find out how to be a real geographer.

Watch the video to find out how.

If there are any teachers who would like more information on geographical enquiry at KS2 and how to ensure progression up to A level, then I am presenting at the G.A. (Geographical Association) Conference on April 10th. Book in to find out how to create suitable enquiry questions at all levels.

https://www.geography.org.uk/Programme-2021

This is a science or maths investigation into the angles of the branches of a tree.

The enquiry question is…
Is there a relationship between height up a tree and the angle of the branch to the trunk?

Watch the you You video on the Nature Days you tube channel to see how to undertake the investigation.

https://youtu.be/3tDQtSlII3U


Here is the worksheet to fill in your results and also make a prediction, draw a conclusion and write an evaluation.

If you undertake the investigation please share your results on Twitter #Naturedays or on the facebook page