I have created a 20 session 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. Sessions last 2 hours and are undertaken as a twilight. Cost is £10 per person per session for online training or £20 face to face. 10% discount is available for participants of the entire course. Buy tickets here.

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

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

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.

Booking available on Eventbrite

If transporting your students to the Gower is not possible, then why not enquire about  Nature Days outdoor learning outreach programme.

Any theme or topic can be adapted to the outdoors so contact Nature Days for a bespoke session.

Field trips which can be undertaken in your school grounds or local area:

Weather and microclimate study.

Survival sessions and team work.

Mapping – compass and navigation work.

Problem solving with Maths.

Health and wellbeing.

Plants and animal adaptation and habitats.

Growing.

Most sessions can be undertaken in any school grounds or outdoor space.

Sessions can be lead by Nature Days staff or team taught with school staff as part of CPD.

Nature Days can provide expert advice and training for taking your learning outdoors.

Reduce the pressure on your indoor areas by using the school grounds for teaching.

Dawn Thomas is a qualified teacher with 14 years experience of teaching outdoors. She can provide training on using outdoor learning for teaching all aspects of the primary curriculum.

Webinars, outdoor or in-school training can be undertaken which is bespoke to meet your school’s needs, be it;

• Health and Wellbeing,
• First steps to teaching outdoors,
• Creating effective outdoor spaces,
• Delivery curriculum content outdoors.For more details contact Nature days naturedays@reynoldston.com 07779950126

How to take indoor teaching outdoors.

Nature Days can provide expert advice and training for taking your learning outdoors.
Reduce the pressure on your indoor areas by using the school grounds for teaching.

Many primary schools, especially early years, use the outdoors for teaching but less so in secondary.

Dawn Thomas is a qualified secondary science and geography teacher. She can provide training on using outdoor learning for teaching the science and geography secondary curriculum or any other outdoor learning provision.

Webinar, outdoor or in-school training can be undertaken which is bespoke to meet your school’s needs, be it;
Health and Wellbeing,
First steps to teaching outdoors,
Creating effective outdoor spaces,
Delivery curriculum content outdoors.

For more details contact Nature days naturedays@reynoldston.com07779950126

All days are bespoke for each school which will build on previous learning and skills.

Maths and Numeracy days can take place in a range of locations around Gower.

An example of activities available are outlined below.

Themed field days:

Themes: Our World, Pirates, Sustainability,

Location: Beach, sand dunes, woodland, river, urban.

Outline of themes:

Activities:

• Using equipment to measure and collect data to answer a question and analyse and present data.

Undertake an investigation into the attributes of an environment to collect data to analyse and present. E.g. river study, microclimate study, animal and plant survey.

• Maths Trail

Follow digital instructions or written trail to answer maths questions, use Maths eyes to generate their own trail. Trails cover a whole range of mathematical topics.

• Geometry looking at shape in the environment.

Use geometry to measure trees, build shelter, angle hunt

• Enterprising project. Carbon footprint.

Undertake measuring of pupils carbon footprint and find trees which will absorb their carbon. Create projects to generate income or improve biodiversity of the environment.

• Navigation trails.

Using maps and compasses to develop skills in using co-ordinates, measuring distance and estimating.

All days are bespoke for each school which will build on previous learning and skills.

Language, Literacy and Communication days can take place in a range of locations around Gower.

An example of activities available are outlined below.

Themed field days:

Themes: Stories, Sustainability, Poetry, Seasons, Our World.

Location: Beach, sand dunes, woodland, river.

Outline of themes:

Activities:

• Exploring literature inspired by the outdoor environment.

Pupils engage and experience literature in the environment it depicts. Experience being shipwrecked on an island and journalling the experience. Using the environment to inspire authentic, creative writing.

• Discuss and debate contemporary issues evidenced in the environment.

Visit habitats affected by Global Climate Change and discuss issues observed. Create performance pieces to reflect their opinions.

All days are bespoke for each school which will build on previous learning and skills.

Expressive Arts days can take place in a range of locations around Gower.

An example of activities available are outlined below.

Themed field days:

Themes: Express myself, Our World, Lights, Camera, Action, Materials, Colours, Stories, Myths and Legends.

Location: Beach, sand dunes, woodland, river.

Outline of themes:

Activities:

• Creating art out of natural materials.

Pupils engage with natural resources and manage these resources to communicate meaning through art. The artistic process is explored including planning, designing, creative thinking and evaluating.

• Using the environment to stimulate artistic creations.

Pupils are exposed to stimuli that inspire them to explore, discover and challenge creativeideas. Pupils create original work from the stimuli in the form of pictures, sculptures, music, dance and performance.

Health and Well Being days can take place in a range of locations around Gower.

An example of activities available are outlined below.

Themes: Express myself, My body, My world.

Location: Beach, sand dunes, woodland, river.

Outline of activities:

Activities:

• Mindful shelter building

Pupils work in teams to tackle problem solving practical tasks engaging with natural materials.

• Collecting and creating mandalas.

Exploring the environment and absorbing themself in calming, simple collecting activities.  Improving connection with the environment.

• Forest Bathing and Mindful walking

Sensory exploration of the environment. Using all the senses to connect with the environment. Improving awareness of the outdoors and spending meaningful time engaging with the environment. Slow down, relax and engage the senses.

• Journaling, painting and sketching

Engaging and focusing on the environment around them, pupils will explore the role of free writing and creative activities to develop a deeper connection.

All days are bespoke for each school which will build on previous learning and skills.

Science and Technology days can take place in a range of locations around Gower.

An example of activities available are outlined below.

Themed field days:

Themes: Our World, forces, building, survival, food chains.

Location: Beach, sand dunes, woodland, river.

Outline of themes:

Enquiry process to Explore habitats, what lives there and how organisms are adapted to live there.

Activities:

• Enquiry into plants and animals found in the habitat.

Depending on the age group the enquiry question can be created by the pupils and the method.  Data is collected and can be presented, conclusion drawn and the process evaluated.

Cross curricular links: Field sketching, undertaking enquiry and data collection, creating models of animals, poetry of life in the habitat.

• Enquiry into rocket launcher design.

Pupils design a rocket launcher and undertake an enquiry into launching a rocket the furthest distance.

• Designing shelters or structures

Pupils follow the design process to create a structure and evaluate the process.

Cross curricular links: Literacy Kensuke’s Kingdom, maths of shapes.

All days are bespoke for each school which will build on previous learning and skills.

Humanities days can take place in a range of locations around Gower.

An example of activities available are outlined below.

Themed field days:

Themes: Our World, Sustainability, weather and seasons, coastal landscapes and processes, Navigation, pirates.

Location: Beach, sand dunes.

Outline of themes:

Exploring our coastline and seeing how waste and climate change is affecting the coastal environment.

Activities:

• Scavenger hunt to look for man-made and natural materials on the strand line.

Depending on the age group the materials will be sorted using criteria to support sorting, maths such as Venn diagrams and Carroll diagrams, dichotomous keys.

Cross curricular links: Use the materials to generate stories, create art, design and make structures, investigate sustainability.

Exploring the local landscape: field sketching, undertaking enquiry and data collection, creating models of landforms, map skills, weather and microclimate study, habitats including plant and animal investigations,

Themes: Our world, water, rivers, adaptation, navigation.

Location: River

Outline of themes:

Walking the length of a river from source to mouth investigating river features, processes and undertaking enquiry and practical data collection.

Activities:

• Measure characteristics of the river, data collection.

Depending on the age group the data can be linked to pupil generated enquiry questions and methods designed by the pupils.

Exploring the river environment: River dipping for animals, data collecting, identification, adaptation, measuring physical attributes of the river environment, e.g temperature, current, clarity, chemical composition, energy. Field sketching, map skills.

Cross curricular links: Poetry and art inspired by the river environment, data analysis, adaptation of animals,  sustainability,

Activities:

• Navigation.

Learn how to use compasses and read maps to follow a trail.