On our first day of sustainable development I really had no idea what to expect. In our lecture we talked about what the purpose of the module was in education, what sustainable development is and how we can teach our children – as future educators – about the impact we are having on our environment. The Scottish Government have defined sustainable development as ‘The goal of sustainable development is to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life without compromising the quality of life of future generations’ (Gov.scot, 2017). As our children are the next generation, it is our job to educate and inform them of actions they can take to improve our world.

In our first workshop we went to the science lab with Andrew where mini stations were set up for us to try. These stations were examples of activities we could do with children to teach them about their environment. The stations included dissecting flowers and viewing them through microscopes, analysing snails and discussing misconceptions. We also went outside to the University’s Japanese garden to learn about different types of trees. To do this wee took tree rubbings and leaf rubbings. I think this could be a great way to get children interested as it takes them outside the classroom in a creative and exciting way.

After this, we went outside with Louise and had various tasks to complete. The first task my group opted for was an insect checklist. We went around our university environment and tried to find insects in the grass and in the ‘bug hotel’. We then done the same for lichen, we went around looking for the different typed checking them off on our worksheet. Our last activity was to go a walk around the gardens of the university, being mindful and thinking about all of the things we experienced using our 5 senses. For the first time, I could hear things I couldn’t usually hear such as birds singing and leaves rustling. I think from all of these experiences and tasks, children in classrooms could have many sequences of follow up lessons. The activities could be transferred into maths with data collection, or into Literacy with creative writing.

These tutorials and activities have really made me have a think about outdoor learning in children. I researched this further so I could really explore the benefits that this style of teaching has on children. ‘Outdoor play also supports children’s problem-solving skills and nurtures their creativity, as well as providing rich opportunities for their developing imagination, inventiveness and resourcefulness'(lotc.org.uk, 2017). In the future, I will definitely make sure that my classes are taken outside frequently to allow them to optimise their learning and mindfulness in school.

References –

Gov.scot. (2017). Sustainable Development. [online] Available at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Environment/SustainableDevelopment [Accessed 30 Sep. 2017].

lots.org.uk. (2017). Benefits for Early Years of Learning Outside the Classroom. [online] Available at: http://www.lotc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Benefits-for-Early-Years-LOtC-Final-5AUG09.pdf [Accessed 30 Sep. 2017].