Here at Skippers we benefit from 22 acres of beautiful woodland and meadows which the children use for their learning and play everyday. Having our own woodland within the grounds provides the perfect setting for our Woodland Explorers outdoor learning programme.
There have been numerous studies into the benefits of outdoor learning; the quote below is from an Ofsted report on Learning Outside the Classroom:
“When planned and implemented well, learning outside the classroom contributed significantly to raising standards and improving children’s personal, social and emotional development.”
Our outdoor learning programme enables children of all ages to engage in regular activities designed to make their learning meaningful and purposeful and helps develop an appreciation of all natural and living things from an early age.
Heading down to the woods is a highlight of our children’s week and a chance for them to take their learning outside of the classroom, explore nature and get thoroughly muddy while having lots of fun!
Activities such as building dens and campfires, collecting and investigating natural materials and making mud pies in the Mud Kitchen allows both the older and younger children to explore their school surroundings and learn boundaries with the outdoors.
We learn to love nature as children and our commitment to nature later in life – respecting it, protecting it, restoring it, or simply enjoying it – is built on that childhood foundation. That’s why it is so important we give all children the chance to experience the natural world.
