EDUCAT ION
IMAGES Outdoor education at Gresham’s (left), King’s Ely (above) and Cambridge Steiner School (bottom)
their children thrive in nature and how much they learn from being outside.” Steiner incorporates outdoor learning into school life for all ages, starting at the woodland kindergarten – one of the first of its kind in the country. For over a decade, rain or shine, the kindergartners have been visiting a local nature reserve each week for forest school sessions, in which they play and learn in the woods and meadows. When they’re older, an integrated outdoor education programme gives all classes at least half a day per week in either Steiner School’s teaching gardens, or at off-site locations for expeditions and bushcraft activities. Whether a field trip to explore the geology of an area, or lessons in shelter building and cooking outdoors, Steiner School places a high value on outdoor learning, believing it contributes to happy and physically able students, with a strong connection with the natural world. Gresham’s in north Norfolk takes advantage of its enviable location, with students enjoying outdoor learning in the school’s 200-acre grounds and along the coastline a few miles away. Younger pupils join in with the Outdoor Wild Learning School (OWLS) scheme, which provides a stimulating environment where imaginations run free and new skills are discovered. Activities include everything from building ‘bug hotels’, to exploring nature trails. “The idea of OWLS was based on the best bits from different outdoor learning pedagogical models,” explains Kate Gill, head of juniors at Gresham’s. “We wanted to produce a model and ethos that allowed pupils to create and problem-solve
CHILDREN LEARN FROM BEING OUTSIDE
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK JULY 2021 73
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