Welcome to our Learning Through Nature page.  Please feel free to download the activity sheets in the menu on the left hand side.

Learning Through Nature

Aims

To allow children to take initiative to play and to use their imagination

To provide opportunities for children to be physically active and to deal with taking risks and knowing their own limitations

To have fun and to encourage a healthy active lifestyle

To build stamina

To build social and co-operative skills

To develop language through doing, through having something to talk about, through need to negotiate

To use thinking and talking to solve problems

To gain greater knowledge and understanding of the natural world

To gain appreciation of conserving our natural world

Impact

Observations indicate that children show:

Confidence and skills - children know about safety in the enviroment, they know their own capabilities and limitations, set themselves challenges but are aware when they must use caution.  They are not afraid to try something new.

Good co-ordination - develop co-ordination skills and be physically competent and agile 

High self-esteem with a positive self-image - make own choices; they explore their environment deciding what to do when and how to do it

More Language - they use language more; they have something to talk about and develop a richer, wider vocabulary 

Good social skills - they negotiate and organise themselves; have time to work together, debate, plan, design and construct as well as time to observe each other

Independence - develop good problem solving and creativity skills; find their own resources in the environment; they are creative and imaginative and explore using all their senses

High levels of involvement - they remain focused

Good observation skills - children learn from each other; comment on what they see, touch and smell    

Woodside