Head’s blog

The Cabin is a hit on Outdoor Classroom Day!

This week we participated in Outdoor Classroom Day and the majority of classes spent a large proportion of the day learning outside and accessing the resources in our new indoor/outdoor resource: The Cabin!

The cabin houses a range of different materials connected to natural hands-on construction and play and the pictures show children in Reception using and enjoying these.

The children in Reception built bridges and structures with our large scale wooden construction blocks and they have also created individual and group structures using simple wooden boxes – these have been turned into spaceships, castles police stations and more and the children have been working brilliantly as a team. Outside the children also used the blocks to build dens and pretended to be animals hiding and sleeping.

The enhancement of our outdoor learning resources has meant that children across the school are enjoying the benefits or working outside and we are planning regularly for lessons and activities to take place outside instead of inside, with the benefit of The Cabin for shelter and accessible resources.

7 Benefits of Outdoor Learning – which may surprise you!

1. Children who get to experience an outdoor learning environment tend to be more attentive and, therefore, have a better recollection of the information that was shared.
2. Consistent exposure to nature decreases stress and anxiety, helps elevate mood, and helps with emotion.
3. Children often have too much exposure to digital screens via televisions, computers, and cell phones. This can result in a “nature deficit disorder,” which may lead to obesity and possible psychological and academic issues. Outdoor learning allows students to put their focus back on nature.
4. Outdoor environments naturally inspire children to be more physically active.
5. Exposure to bright sunlight found in nature is also healthy for vision. Bright sunlight is necessary for the eyes to develop properly, lowering the risk of nearsightedness.
6. In outdoor settings, children are more motivated to work together in groups, which can improve their social skills. They learn to manage conflicts, communicate, and cooperate with their peers in a more effective manner.
7. Outdoor learning provides children with hands-on experiences in nature. Most children learn better by using their senses. Outdoor environments provide the perfect place to do this. Instead of viewing different types of plants or wildlife on a computer or TV screen, they can see, smell, hear, and touch them in nature.