Outdoor learning is valuable part of the creative curriculum at Wentworth, it helps us to embed the skills of resilience, curiosity and courage. Outdoor lessons take place in all curriculum areas from EYFS through to Year 6, and help our children ‘Achieve Happily’ and making learning fun and real. Learning outdoor allows our children to improve emotional, intellectual and behavioural development. Those learning outdoors develop their creativity, problem-solving, independence, confidence and more.
Maths in Year 3 - exploring number lines:
Science in Year 2 - Looking at habitats:
Music in Year 6 - Creating a storm using body percussion:
Geography in Year 4 - Physical and human features:
Focus on outdoor learning in Year 5
Year 5 have been outside to perform some drama based on the poem, ‘Colonel Fazackerly Butterworth-Toast’ by Charles Causley.
The next day, they went outside to brainstorm ideas on how to write a continuation of the poem. Then they worked in pairs to come up with rhyming couplets. They then suggested lines to Ms Kerridge, who wrote them on a flip-chart. They had a whole-class poem to inspire their individual attempts!
Example of their finished poem:
In science we are learning about life-cycles. We found out that butterflies, moths, beetles and mosquitos go through complete metamorphosis. We also learned that frogs and dragonflies go through incomplete metamorphosis. We visited the forest school area and pond to see if we could find any of these creatures.
Forest school
At Wentworth, we are very lucky to be able to develop outdoor learning further in our forest school area. Mr Ketley, our Forest School Lead, works hard to deliver fun and interesting session to all the children during the Year. The children learn to work with nature and appreciate what we have around us. During the sessions they have the opportunity to climb trees, rope climbing, make dens, explore nature, play games and many more fun activities. At the end of each block the children enjoy a campfire and food cooked on the fire. Forest school runs throughout the year in every weather, you will often here Mr Ketley say: “There is never the wrong weather for Forest School, just the wrong clothing!” Remember the mud can be washed away but the memories last forever!
Year 6 overnight stay at school.
Friday 28th May Year 6 had the opportunity to take part in an overnight stay at school. The children arrived at 6pm, all very excited about the activities they were going to be doing. Friday they had a BBQ and quiz, a game of passport around the world followed by singing round the campfire.
After a night’s sleep (well maybe not a night’s sleep!) the children woke up, had breakfast and were ready for the challenges that were waiting for them. The groups rotated around the challenges which were: problem solving, scavenger hunt, multi-sport games, forest school, escape room (in the immersive room) and inflatables.
After a fun filled day the children were all ready for a good night’s sleep in their own beds!