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

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.

A beautiful and challenging four and a half mile walk – I had a class of year 3’s complete it no problem. Following the river from source to the mouth looking at the river’s features caused by erosion and deposition.

Dawn Thomas of Nature Days is available to undertake one off or regular Forest school and outdoor learning sessions at your school over the Autumn and Winter months.

Evidence of marine animals will be hunted on the strandline. The conditions found by the sea will be discussed using role play. Then the rock pools will be investigated looking for shellfish, crabs, sea anemones and shrimps. Each animal’s adaptations will be considered with the children all having the opportunity to hunt and explore.