Monday 25 July 2016

Watch: Sir Ken Robinson shares five reasons you should take your class outside | News

Watch: Sir Ken Robinson shares five reasons you should take your class outside | News


The full article can be read through the hyperlink above

"What really drives education is curiosity, trying to fill gaps in our understanding," Sir Ken says, author of Finding Your Element and other books on creativity in education. "And the world around us is a tremendous resource to stimulate that curiosity."

He lists five reasons why taking learning outdoors is a good idea:
Nature is a powerful resource.
Children can learn through practical hands-on activities.
You can tap into children's curiosity.
It is a social experience and children learn from working together.
Learning outdoors is fun.

"Education takes up a great deal of children's time," Sir Ken adds. "This is their childhood, the only one they get and learning outdoors, working together, playing together is fun. It's about the quality of our lives and experiences."

Wednesday 20 July 2016

Outdoor Experiences for Girls Really Do Matter | Nature Rocks

https://www.natureworkseverywhere.org/home/

The full article can be read through the hyperlinks above

A bloody fantastic site. Everything you would ever need to link nature into your curriculum include a facility to design your own school garden.




  

Terraced wooden nursery school brings the Japanese landscape indoors Hakusui Nursery School

Terraced wooden nursery school brings the Japanese landscape indoors Hakusui Nursery School by Yamazaki Kentaro Design Workshop – Inhabitat 

The full article can be read through the hyperlinks above

Yamazaki Kentaro Design Workshop was challenged to design a nursery school that not only included a variety of programmed spaces but also minimized the number of blind spots for safety reasons.

Outdoor learning: the secret to improving behaviour in schools | WWF education partner zone | The Guardian

Outdoor learning: the secret to improving behaviour in schools | WWF education partner zone | The Guardian

The full article can be read through the hyperlinks above

Photograph: Alamy















“It’s all about purpose. Simply letting a class of 30 outdoors for a lesson does not make it learning. The children need boundaries, to be channelled with some clear tasks – but the difference is that nearly all of them will respond to being outside,” she says, remembering a time when her year 5 pupils spent time outdoors measuring angles on playground equipment and learning simple algebra using leaves and twigs. “Afterwards, every single pupil knew their angles and the basic premise of algebra – it was wonderful to see.”

Get Inspired - Empty Classroom Day

Get Inspired - Empty Classroom Day


The full article can be read through the hyperlinks above



"Learning goes WILD on Friday 17th June as part of Empty Classroom Day – a GLOBAL campaign to celebrate and inspire outdoor learning and play!

This is the perfect antidote to the testing culture – anyone that has seen the effect of taking children outdoors to learn and play in the real world around them knows how powerful such experiences can be.

Our aim is to get as many children as possible outside for at least one lesson in the school day and for playtimes to be celebrated too.  Sign up to be part of Empty Classroom Day today!"

Outdoor learning 'boosts children's development' - BBC News

Outdoor learning 'boosts children's development' - BBC News

The full article can be read through the hyperlinks above

"Ms Waite added that the report showed that although there was a significant body of research that supports outdoor learning in both formal and informal contexts, it was likely to remain on the margins of education until the benefits were recognised by policymakers and reflected in policies."

Saturday 16 July 2016

Report identifies ways to boost children's quality of life through outdoor learning | EurekAlert! Science News

Report identifies ways to boost children's quality of life through outdoor learning | EurekAlert! Science News

The full article can be read through the hyperlinks above


"This report maps the evidence to encourage researchers and policy makers to meet at the interface of research and policy in order to shape a positive future for our children. While the report was funded and supported by agencies in the UK, the lessons learnt resonate for most high income nations around the world, particularly in Australia, where the political landscape and its impact on funding for programs in schools for outdoor learning are comparable. The report should be taken up and read widely by researchers, educators and policy makers connected to the field of outdoor education, health and physical education and sustainability and environmental education."

Click on the links below to read the report

Student outcomes and natural schooling pathways to impact 2016



Playgrounds and the Importance of Play | Iowa Public Radio

Playgrounds and the Importance of Play | Iowa Public Radio

The full article can be read through the hyperlink above

"Kids are 71 percent less involved in outdoor activities now than they were ten years ago," says Dr. Stuart Brown, founding director of the National Institute for Play. "To me it's a public health issue. The benefits of play need to be understood both for personal health, brain development, and social competency. We don't somehow see play as being connected to that and yet it is."




Listen to the full radio interview from the link below

Click here for the Radio Iowa Interview  

Monday 11 July 2016

Nature Play launched in Canberra, encouraging more children to play outside

Nature Play launched in Canberra, encouraging more children to play outside

The full article can be read through the hyperlinks above

Image is the property of Canberra Times
"Play is the ultimate brain food and kids thrive on play. What's happening, sadly, is that play being replaced by entertainment and the key difference is entertainment is created by someone else and it's largely a passive activity..... Play is when kids are active, they're imagining, they're working together".