Today was very much an exploration of engaging with the outdoors whilst doing art education. The outdoors is something which is available to any and every school, no matter if it’s inner city of rural. This makes for a great tool for learning in endless numbers of ways. The outdoors allow different ways of thinking, whilst exploring, investigating and discovering (Adams, E. 2008).
The classroom is not the only place where learning takes place, so why not explore the class topics/ subjects in relevant environments, or, to simply change the context for the children and engage them by making the most of the outdoors.
Also, with health and well-being being such a huge part of the Scottish curriculum, taking the learning outdoors immediately applies to this government policy. It also means that the children are not locked up in the school building, but are breathing in and learning more about their natural environment also, whilst covering other curricular areas.
Whilst doing placement in a primary school in the town of Kilmarnock, I realised that despite being in a town centre, they really do make the most of outdoor learning. Even if it just fitting in their daily run outside, doing PE in the ‘Mugga'(outdoor multi-sports sports cage) or taking lunch outside to eat, they are always promoting getting the kids outdoors. I saw that the children not only look forward to getting outdoors, but they benefit from it and it makes them more engaged throughout the school day, and develops children that love the outdoors.
Below, is an example of a school that make the most of their natural environment, and talk about the benefits to the children.
(YouTube, 2017)
Our task was to create a piece of artwork using the materials fund outdoors. We were allowed to take one or two things from the art store cupboard to help us. I decided to take outside with me, a couple of pieces of wire for structure. I then, once outside, I decided that due to the autumn weather, I would make the most of all of the fallen leaves. I made an interpretation of the arch in the university grounds, weaving the leaves onto wire. This activity made my learning ‘multi-sensory’, independent and developed my ‘awareness of the environment’ (Nct.org.uk, 2017).
I strongly believe that this kind of art-based learning ensures that every child doesn’t just have a ‘paint and paper’ art lesson, but we meet their health and well-being needs and also allow them to explore their natural environments and use this as a stimulus for expressive art projects with hardly any boundaries.
Adams, E (2008) Art and Design Education and the Built Environment. In Coutts, G. & Jokela, T [Eds] Art, Community and Environment: Educational Perspectives. Bristol: Intellect.
YouTube. (2017). Teachers TV- Outdoor Learning with Forest School. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/tjzFfU43wuQ [Accessed 12 Feb. 2017].
Nct.org.uk. (2017). Importance of outdoor play activities for kids. [online] Available at: https://www.nct.org.uk/parenting/why-outdoor-play-important [Accessed 12 Feb. 2017].
