Lessons outside are a great way for early years to explore the world around them. There are some great primary teaching resources and lesson ideas available to help you engage young learners whilst they enjoy the summer sun for subjects such as numeracy, literacy and many more.
1. Maps and Mazes
Learning to read a map is an important skill in life. There are many primary teaching resources that help children to identify key features of the landscape and how to find their way. Turn the yard into a large map and include links with numeracy and literacy, as well as geography.
2. Create Your own Town
Imaginative play is an essential part of the early years learning process. Many nurseries and primary schools encourage imaginative play indoors with stalls and shops.
Create your own town outside – don’t forget to give it a name! – and encourage numeracy skills by buying items are certain shops. Link with the mapping lessons too.
3. Den Building
Working as a team, whether that is in small groups or as a whole class, is also an important skill and one that serves children well throughout their lives.
There are many team building and group work lessons but for fun in the sun, complete with learning how to work together and improving communication, why not build a den?
Provide children with various resources and let their imaginations and reasoning skills do the rest.
4. Textures and Volumes
Sand and water are just two examples of materials that make for great messy play outside. As well as exploring the materials and what they can create, using different materials is also a great way of exploring textures, volume and weight.
5. Pies and Potions
Who remembers making mud pies? Fantastic examples of imaginative play in action, they can also be the basis of an outdoor lesson in the summer sunshine.
Create ‘Mud Pie’ recipes with a lesson based on recipes. Great for helping children to read but also to follow instructions set out in a logical sequence.
Talk science by asking what happens when too much water is added and what can be done to get the desired consistency back. What happens when other recipe items change?
Why Outdoors?
Outdoor lessons are fantastic, a great way to provide children with a creative and stimulating environment in which to engage with learning.
Resources are important too. Choose multi-purpose equipment from Springboard Supplies suitable for outdoor use.
