Leweston Prep has always embraced our rural setting and offers a host of outdoor opportunities to the children in order to benefit every area of the curriculum. Miss Phillips, shares the biggest benefits of outdoor school.
1. Better concentration and engagement
If pupils spend their time looking out of the window why not go the other side of the glass! With a bit of imagination everything can be taught outside. Taking lessons outside can help to bring the learning to life and engage pupils in different ways to the classroom.
2. Improved mental health and well-being
We all know that getting out and about improves our mood and keeps us healthy – children are no exception. It is well documented that the effect of nature on the sense can combat stress and induce a positive mood and burning off some of that excess energy can also help increase concentration levels.
3. Improve physical skills
Many of the tasks set in Forest School improve physical stamina as the children move around the site but they also develop fine motor skills by making detailed objects and structures.
4. Making learning more relevant
As the saying goes, seeing is believing, outdoor learning can bring concepts to life and help children to understand why learning is important for everyday life.
5. A positive attitude towards the environment
By fostering an early appreciation how their decisions impact the planet will help them tread more lightly in future. It also helps to develop a love, appreciation and respect for nature and all that is living improving their relationships with others.
6. Improved communication skills
Outdoor sessions are often collaborative and require children to work together to solve a problem. This requires them to communicate with one another, resolving differences of opinion, getting their point across positively and giving and receiving feedback.
7. Improved resilience
Many outdoors activities are slightly more adventurous and ask children to challenge themselves. The trying, and sometimes failing, builds confidence, self-awareness and self-esteem.
8. Teaching responsibility and risk
In Forest School children use tools to undertake their tasks including hammers and saws. While everything has been risk-assessed, the children need to learn to use their equipment responsibility and become more able to identify hazards and risks.
9. Encouraging curiosity
Outdoor school teaches children that learning occurs everywhere, at all times. They are encouraged to be curious about the world around them and realise that learning doesn’t just come from a book or a computer.
10. Reduce screen time
As children spend longer on computers and in front of the television outdoor learning requires no electronic support and takes them away from screens for the duration of the lesson.
