This session highlighted the benefits of taking the arts outdoors. Children should be given the opportunities to learn the arts outside the classroom as children are constantly learning in whatever environment they are in.

The outdoors provides children with a vast space, constant states of curiosity, the opportunities to explore as well as the options to use and create things from natural resources.

The Learning Outside the Classroom manifesto (2006) states: “Every young person should experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of learning and personal development, whatever their age, ability or circumstances.”

Reflecting on this session I feel that learning outdoors is often undervalued. You do not need vast amounts of green space to produce learning, a concrete playground with a few trees can also captures childrens curiosity and creativity. As a student teacher taking children outside often produces a moment of anxiety as I feel that their is a lack of control and the risk of children getting hurt or messy however risk is all around us and through a tolerance of mess and the unknown both me and my students will learn. Children can use branches to paint and create collages with outdoor objects, the opportunities are vast.

Through the week I decided to take my concrete poetry home to complete. I took my time and focused on the emotions, thoughts and feelings I had when thinking of my evocative object and managed to complete my concrete poetry.

 

 

 

References:

Adams, E. (2008) Art and Design Education and the Built Environment. In Coutts, G. and Jokela, T. (Eds) Art. Community and Environment: Educational Perspectives. Bristol: Intellect.

British Government. (2006) Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto. [Online] Available: http://www.lotc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/G1.-LOtC-Manifesto.pdf [Accessed: 01 March 2018].