Outdoor Learning / Woodland Wonder

We have a commitment to outdoor learning here at Morville. Every child, from Reception to Year 6, accesses regular forest school sessions throughout the year within curriculum time. 

During these sessions, the children develop teamwork and knowledge of the outdoors.

Activities include: designing and making mini and large shelters and testing their suitability; woodland art and design including leaf mandalas and leaf mobiles; mini-beast hunt and using classification keys; fire-making with flint and steel; and of course, marshmallow toasting around a campfire!

The outdoor environment offers space and therefore is particularly important to those children who learn best through active movement. Very young children learn predominately through their sensory and physical experiences which supports brain development and the creation of neural networks.

• Learning outside the classroom supports the development of healthy and active lifestyles by offering children opportunities for physical activity, freedom and movement, and promoting a sense of well-being.
• Learning outside the classroom gives children contact with the natural world and offers them experiences that are unique to outdoors, such as direct contact with the weather and the seasons.
•  Playing and learning outside also helps children to understand and respect nature, the environment and the interdependence of humans, animals, plants, and lifecycles.
• Outdoor play also supports children’s problem-solving skills and nurtures their creativity, as well as providing rich opportunities for their developing imagination, inventiveness and resourcefulness.
• Children need an outdoor environment that can provide them with space, both upwards and outwards, and places to explore, experiment, discover, be active and healthy, and to develop their physical capabilities.