Although the benefits of learning outside are well documented and more and more teachers are heading out (post-pandemic) to teach their classes, outdoor activities often decline as children progress through their education. There are many reasons for this: lack of time in the curriculum, lack of training, lack of teacher confidence, or simply lack of inspiration. Educating Outside contains a bank of outdoor learning ideas that can be used to enhance and enrich your classes' learning experiences across the curriculum; including in science, history, geography, art and design, English and maths.

Each lesson idea is linked to a specific programme of study and outlines required resources, links to soft skills, cross-curricular opportunities, and a broad lesson plan with suggested outcomes and photos. All the ideas take place within the school grounds themselves, which means plenty of opportunities to try out new activities without lengthy risk assessments, extra time and additional expense.

Helen Porter is Outdoor Learning Teacher at Anstey Junior School and an Outdoor Learning Consultant. In addition to teaching, Helen runs training courses based on work she does which have been endorsed by Hampshire County Council and well received by schools she has worked with. Helen is also a visiting lecturer at Winchester University, speaking to their B.Ed. students about the benefits of and approaches to outside learning.