school children climbing on wooden posts

Outdoor Learning

Gray’s Wood

In our own magical woodland, we run and hide, climb and balance. We build dens, light fires, support learners in their natural curiosity and give them hands on experiences to help them to understand more about the natural world. We sing, tell stories and cook on the campfire. We use tools to build things, jump in puddles, climb and explore. Every day is different as the environment creates new learning opportunities with its ever-changing seasons. But our prime aim is to learn though having fun!

Why we think Outdoor Learning is important

We believe in giving children experiences to shape their whole selves. The aim of our Outdoor Learning is to help develop personal, social and emotional skills such as:

  • Independence
  • Self-discovery
  • Confidence
  • Communication skills/making relationships
  • Raised self-esteem/self-confidence
  • A sense of community

Through self-initiated play, children will learn about the natural environment, how to handle risks and most importantly to use their own initiative to solve problems and co-operate with others. They will engage with nature and develop new skills as well as learning about boundaries of both physical and social behaviour.

Our Outdoor Classroom

Come rain or shine we use our outdoor classroom all year round. We were kindly donated this by the Parents Association (PMA) in 2014.