A recent study conducted in the UK revealed that today’s children spend only half as much time outdoors as their parents did. Outdoor engagement is essential for a child's holistic development and learning. At Britannica, we provide numerous opportunities for our students to participate in outdoor play. Our carefully planned garden and green spaces offer safe and stimulating environments that foster growth and exploration.
Research indicates that outdoor play contributes significantly to various learning outcomes, including enhanced spatial awareness and an understanding of environmental dynamics. Simple activities such as observing the changing colours of leaves, splashing in puddles, or witnessing the blossoming of flowers in spring can profoundly impact a child's development in today’s fast-paced world.
The benefits of being outside and engaging in outdoor play are extensive. It supports physical development, including coordination, gross motor skills, and overall physical health, while also bolstering the immune system and mental well-being. Through outdoor activities, children strengthen their abilities to balance, jump, climb, throw, run, and skip. Outdoor play goes far beyond physical development; it nurtures creativity, problem-solving, and an appreciation for nature. These experiences align closely with the EYFS curriculum, which emphasises exploration, active learning, and developing independence.
Outdoor play also encourages the development of social skills as children interact, collaborate, and negotiate with one another. This engagement stimulates their imagination. For instance, children may explore their culinary skills in an outdoor kitchen, crafting delightful dishes from natural materials, or embark on imaginative adventures, such as a bear hunt through the trees. Our approach echoes elements of the Curiosity Approach, inspiring children to take the lead in their own learning through open-ended, meaningful experiences.
Weather conditions offer rich sensory opportunities in outdoor play. In the rain, children can feel the cool droplets on their skin and hear the pitter-patter of raindrops, while in the wind, they can enjoy the sensation of the breeze on their faces and watch the leaves dance in the air. These sensory encounters help children discover the world through their senses, fostering curiosity, resilience, and a lifelong love of learning.
Outdoor learning is not just an enjoyable part of childhood it is a vital foundation for healthy development. It nurtures physical growth, emotional well-being, social skills, and cognitive understanding in ways that indoor environments simply cannot replicate. By offering children the freedom to explore, experiment, and connect with nature, we are supporting their whole-child development and laying the groundwork for confident, curious, and capable learners.
This week, Reception revisited our trip to the Mushroom Farm. We talked about our favourite parts of the visit and recalled what we learned from the farm leaders about different types of mushrooms. We enjoyed the story “Mushroom in the Rain” and spent time investigating a variety of mushrooms, seeing which ones we could name. The children observed their features closely and produced detailed drawings, making careful and thoughtful observations. In phonics, we are now at the beginning of Phase 3 and are enjoying learning new sounds while continuing to build our blending and segmenting skills. This week, we focused on the sounds x, y, z, and qu. In maths, our learning has centred around measuring length. The children have been using vocabulary such as big, small, biggest, and smallest, ordering mushrooms by size and using cubes and ribbon to measure different objects around the classroom.
This week, Nursery read the delightful book “Owl Babies.” The children were captivated by the gentle tale of three baby owls waiting for their mother to return, and we had some wonderful discussions about feelings and family. We also went on an adventurous leaf walk to observe different trees and their changing colours. The children loved collecting leaves and sticks, just like the objects in our story. We even discovered a hole in a tree, sparking excitement as the children wondered whether an owl might be living inside! The windy weather offered the perfect opportunity for a rich sensory experience. Nursery had a wonderful time feeling the breeze on their faces and watching the leaves drift and dance through the air.
This week in Pre-Nursery, we celebrated the change in weather by talking about cold conditions and how we all bundle up to stay warm. The children loved exploring which woodland creatures cope best in chilly weather and learning how bears stay cosy in their caves. Their curiosity and fondness for these animals shone throughout our discussions. Continuing our bear theme, we enjoyed two delightful stories—Goldilocks and the Three Bears and The Very Cranky Bear. Both tales helped us reflect on how, even when mistakes happen, kindness and thoughtful actions can make things right again. The children also took part in engaging bear-themed art activities, explored a woodland animal sensory bin, and enthusiastically joined in with We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. It was a wonderful week filled with creativity, imagination, and joyful learning.
