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Outdoor Learning - Activity Ideas and Inspiration

Looking for outdoor learning ideas? Here are 10 activities inspired by our new Outdoor Learning Collections.

Posted on Monday 30th May 2022

We all know and understand the many different benefits of outdoor learning.

Read more about these in our other Outdoor Learning Blogs.

So, to help with taking learning outside, here are 10 different activity ideas which have all been inspired by our new Outdoor Learning Collections.

Our Outdoor Learning Collections offer a wide range of engaging resources that support learning across the curriculum. From maths and literacy to gardening, wellbeing and physical development, every collection also has over 20 activity ideas available to download online.

1. Physical Development

Move It

Use a movement dice or make a set of movement cards to use. Ask children to roll the dice or select a card and then copy that movement. These could include star jumps, jogging on the spot, hopping on one leg, etc. Extend the activity by asking them to create a mini sequence with multiple movements.

2. Messy Play

Concoctions Corner

Turn your mud kitchen into a concoctions corner and ask the children to create their most imaginative concoction. Encourage them to think and talk about what ingredients they will include, what their concoction is for and what it will be called. It could be a Super Shrinking Serum or a Positivity Potion!

3. Construction

Build The Future

Challenge the children to use their imaginations to build the future. Can they invent, design and build a robot, a car or a space rocket? What will these look like and what special features will they have?

Construction Collection

4. Sand and Water

Don’t Spill The Water or Sand

Challenge the children to work together to get the water/sand from one bucket or area to another using the different resources. Can they identify which resources would be the best to use and which ones they should try and avoid, such as those with holes in. You could set it up as a challenge and see who has the most water/sand when they reach their destination.

5. Reading and Storytelling

Create A Story

Choose your favourite outdoor reading and storytelling space. You might want to sit under a tree, in the sunshine or create a brand new reading den! Choose a resource from your outdoor space, such as a puppet from your reading collection or a leaf, stone or stick. Create a story about this item. Where might it have come from? What can it do? What will happen when you pick it up?

For example, a mysterious leaf could have fallen from a secret kingdom in the clouds, or a twig might turn into a key to open a secret passageway.

Literacy Outdoor Collection

6. Active Literacy

Scrabble Run

Start by laying out a selection of phonics mats on the floor and covering them up with cones. Split your group into equal teams. One person at a time from each team must run, uncover a grapheme and take it back to their group. The next person then runs to find another mat. Keep taking turns to collect graphemes until you can make a word. The winning team can either be the first team to make a word or the team with the most words at the end.

7. Maths

Create a Calculation

Collect natural resources or use resources from the learning collection to create a calculation for a partner to solve. You could use operation cones, numerals, number frames or sticks, stones and leaves to represent numbers.

8. PE and Mini Leaders

Keep It Still

Choose a resource such as a hoop, quoit, beanbag or ball and try to balance it on your body in different ways. You could time how long you can balance different resources.

For example, who can balance a beanbag on their head whilst standing on one leg for the longest?

Mini Leaders Collection

9. Wellbeing and Calming

Calming Cards

Explore a selection of different calming resources and calming techniques. Find ones that help you to feel calm. This could be a rain stick, weaving frame, emotions mats, drawing, etc. You could also try balancing, breathing exercises or mindfulness activities. Create your own set of personal calming cards with strategies that can be used to help feel calm and relaxed.

Calming and Wellbeing

10. School Garden

Attracting Visitors

Some animals and creatures are good for our gardens. Research the different garden visitors that you would want to attract to your garden, such as butterflies and bees. Find out the best ways to attract these visitors and what benefits they will bring for your garden. Put these actions into place and then spend time each day observing what visitors you receive.

And finally, make sure you are always ready to take learning outdoors by storing your resources in one of our perfectly sized sheds!