Last weekend I took the opportunity to join the RSPB for a CPD on outdoor learning at Perth’s Quarry Mill. Outdoor learning plays a huge part within my teaching philosophy. Removing the boundaries of the classroom and teaching children within the context of their community and the natural world is key to creating inquiring learners.

Upon arrival at the CPD we were invited to make woodland themed name badges and it really set the mood for the whole session as one of excitement, creativity and fun! We were treated to some background information on the RSPB and it was interesting to learn just how active they are within the education system in Scotland. There are ample opportunities for children in various locations across Scotland to become involved in the work the RSPB do and to experience the wonders of the animals and woodlands they work so hard to protect.

Before starting our journey into the woods we were provided with an array of resources and ideas that the RSPB use with children to ensure the walk is never dull. My favourite resource was the ‘journey stick’. A simple resource comprising a stick and some twine but one with the potential to captivate children and explore links to literacy too! I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed collecting items I spotted on our walk and attaching them to my journey stick with the length of twine. Each item had the potential to tell a story, to link to the seasons and to express an emotion. This idea could be used with children from early years through to uppers. It allows the outdoors to come into the classroom and facilitates several other learning activities.

As well as the ‘Journey Stick’ we were provided with resources from the RSPB website, which I would highly recommend. These resources included spotting cards, which ranged from simple colour spotting activities to variations of tones that were tricky for even us grown ups to find within the woodland around us. Another favourite was the peelable post card which was another way for children to collect items from their walk in a fun and hands on way.

Needless to say the walk to the woodland clearing was incredibly active and engaging and led to new and interesting discoveries and this was all before we had even reached the official venue of our ‘outdoor learning workshop’.

The clearing itself was beautiful and would definitely be a hit with children! Our first activity was called ‘Meet a Tree.’ It is an excellent activity for getting hands on with nature and also has links to ‘Talking and Listening’ and HWB in terms of trust and relationships. I have to say it was certainly an interesting way to spend a Saturday morning; being blindfolded and led around the woods by a relative stranger! Upon meeting our tree we were asked to touch and feel the bark, roots and leaves in order to guess which tree we were becoming acquainted with. Myself and my partner took it a step further by trying to identify the tree and its species using a picture grid from the RSPB website.

If that wasn’t enough we then spent time looking at outdoor links to literacy. We were asked to form groups and choose a tree. We then spent time describing the tree and choosing words and sentences to bring the tree to life. My group decided to create a poem which was then ‘dramatically’ performed to the rest of the group, drama links too!!

Our poem:

I am the Elder, I watch over the woods.

I twist and turn in all directions and reflect the seasons many moods.

From my mossy, weathered bark to my shining golden crown.

I stand alone, a solitary survivor. You will never cut me down.

This was a great activity as there is so much scope for differentiation. You could start from having groups of early years children find one word that describes their tree all the way up to primary 7’s creating poems or giving dramatic performances. Following on from this activity we went mini beast hunting! We were shown a great variety of resources for catching insects that could even be made yourself if budgets are tight as well as resources for identifying the mini-beasts you and your class find.

All in all it was an excellent morning well spent. I have come away with a head full of ideas and a feeling of excitement for outdoor learning that I want to keep alive until my next placement! This RSPB course has certainly increased my enthusiasm for outdoor learning and opened my eyes to the many ways to link this type of learning to CFE.