Outdoor Classroom Day is a global campaign to inspire and celebrate outdoor learning and play.  It was born in 2016 with the mission of getting as many children as possible playing and learning outside because:

“Play is not only central to children’s enjoyment of childhood, but teaches critical life skills such as problem-solving, teamwork and creativity.” 

Additionally we know that connecting with nature can boost our mental health and well-being and so can be a great way to try and take care of ourselves in these challenging times.

For the past few years, on Outdoor Classroom Day, schools and nurseries have taken all their learning outside for the day. This year in our different circumstances the campaign’s priorities are “to share ideas about connecting to nature and bring people together to celebrate the outdoors.”

The two links below have great ideas on fun, rewarding things to do on Outdoor Classroom Day, May 21st (or any other day!). They include ideas from the RSPB, Wildlife Trusts & the Natural History Museum, as well as ideas for Indoor Nature Activities, Water Fun, Fitness and Weekend Family Fun.
Hope you have  lots of Fun!!

https://outdoorclassroomday.org.uk/

Maypole Madness Activity Pack.pdf

In addition below are ideas from your Busby ELCC Team showing some nature experiences the nursery children have enjoyed in the recent past and which you could try at home, including ways to connect with nature both indoors and out:

Watch the birds and feed them if you can. See how many different types you can spot. Look out for their babies!	Take photos of nature you see.  You could draw or paint from them and make up your own book of Nature.
Mrs Small met this snail when hanging out her washing today.	Mrs MacLeod spotted a peacock butterfly in her garden and ducklings on a pond near her house.

Make a Hotel (or  log pile) for Bugs or paint some Flower Pot people.	Use up old spices, oats, coffee, veg etc & water to set up an Outdoors Kitchen & cook up something new…
Create smelly potions outside using a little water in a jar and adding some wild garlic (which is out in the woods just now), dandelion etc.	Paint a stone for the NHS, or paint number stones or story stones and use  them in storytelling and counting  games.

Plant some seeds in old yoghurt pots, then watch them grow. You can create a water sprayer from an old spray bottle.	Have outdoor adventures with toys and write their stories (e.g. “The Ape who didn’t like getting wet…”)
Fill different containers with water, freeze,  then paint the ice shapes outside, watch them melt and experiment…	Go on a Rainbow colour hunt. Can you find something in nature  in every colour of the rainbow ?

Sort foods into  fruit, veg, seeds, leaves, roots etc. Have fun dissecting them, examine their parts, plant some of their seeds.	Paint nature indoors or outside.
Press flowers between sheets of kitchen roll, placed inside heavy books. (Leave them a day or two).	Make a Fairy Garden inside an old drawer or seed tray, indoors or out.

Find a quiet spot to sit in peace for a while. Lie on your back outdoors, watch the clouds and listen to the sounds…