That was the headline from Headteacher Emma Turner of Springwood Primary School, Cardiff’s tweet on Tuesday 30^th March as Wales Outdoor Learning Week was in full swing.  “I walked around the school looking for children and the classrooms were empty!  We are a school that ordinarily values outdoor learning anyway, but during Wales Outdoor Learning Week the staff have really gone for it.  I found our learners all out measuring, creating, crafting, writing, collaborating, reading, learning, and playing.  From our nursery children working as a team to build shapes and create structures, Year 2 pupils observing the different plants we have in our school grounds to creating natural art in Years 5 & 6, learning outdoors is truly magnificent!”

The theme this year was nature, and learners of all ages and abilities from across Wales took part, attending organised events, running outdoor learning activities in their settings’ grounds or spending time investigating what lives on the coastline or in the local woodland.  On behalf of Natural Resources Wales and Wales Council for Outdoor Learning, a big thank you to all that took part to celebrate the biggest, best classroom we have in Wales…. Our natural environment!

6 Carmarthenshire primary schools have joined together in an ambitious project that will see every pupil from the schools spending one day per half term for the whole of the 2022-23 academic year learning in the Brechfa forest.  The project called Cynefin, aims to increase learners’ knowledge of their local forest, develop a sense of belonging and pride in their area and join teachers together to plan for the new curriculum and promote outdoor learning. 

Staff from Llanllwni Voluntary School, Peniel Community School, Llanpumsaint Community School, Cae’r Felin Community School, Nantgaredig Community School and Abergwili Voluntary School joined NRW on site earlier this month for a day’s training.  Focusing on health and safety and the risk benefits of outdoor learning, participants shared their hopes and fears for the project.  Despite it being a wet and soggy day, fires were successfully lit and Kelly Kettles boiled on a very wet and windy day!  More information about this project in a future newsletter.

A member of NRW’s Health, Education & Natural Resources team has been working in partnership with PACEY (Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years) to develop 3 smart courses.  Pacey Cymru are a childcare and early education charity who provide training, expert advice, help and peer support to practitioners across Wales.  The aim of the three new courses is to provide PACEY members with activity ideas and inspiration to support a young learner’s journey towards connecting and caring for the natural environment.

Available via PACEY’S website, the bilingual courses available are:

• Introducing pro-environmental behaviours in the early years
• Introducing mathematical development and the natural world
• Supporting mathematical development in the natural world

Following training from Natural Resources Wales (NRW), Megan Hughes, a Year 3 teacher at Ysgol Sychdyn, Flintshire decided to put the 'From Crime to Courtroom: Enviro crime’ training to life. 

Using the Mantle Approach, pupils received a phone call from a concerned local who had witnessed someone fly-tipping.  Having gone out to investigate, pupils found some black bin bags had been dumped in their school grounds!  Assuming the role of NRW Environment Officers, pupils used a range of numeracy skills to explain the location of the bin bags, record the weather and wind conditions and the distance of the bags to the school’s watercourse.  The pH and ammonia levels of the water were tested to see whether the water had been impacted by the “hazardous materials” and pupils explored how long the waste would take to break down if left in-situ.  After investigating the contents of the bags and sorting them in a tally chart, pupils were assigned different roles to bring the case to court.  Finally, pupils reflected on their learning by linking each activity to the Four Core Purposes and by recording a ‘Fly tipping Vlog!’ 

Throughout the week, there was an abundance of learning experiences that really brought the experience to life for pupils. “By fluke, we met a member of Flintshire Street Scene who was collecting litter outside our school.  He explained the impacts of fly-tipping and just how big this problem is.  We emailed an Environment Officer based in New Zealand, who explained the processes he undertakes in preventing fly-tipping and offered some wonderful advice to us – ‘We have a job to make sure that we leave the planet in better condition than it was when we were born.’  Finally, a Police Officer from Flintshire visited our classroom to collect evidence ready to take the suspect to court!” 

Megan explained, “The children absolutely loved the work we did on 'From Crime to Courtroom' and there has been a real buzz in our school as a result.  The feedback I received from pupils, staff and parents was invaluable.”  Find out more, here.

The first ‘Taith’ International Learning Exchange Programme funding call is now open for organisations across all learning sectors in Wales.  A fantastic opportunity to apply for funding for both learners and staff to spend time learning about outdoor education in other locations in the world!  The first funding call - Pathway 1: Mobility of Participants - will fund outward and inward exchanges of learners, volunteers and staff, both from and to Wales. Opportunities will range in length from 3 days to 12 months. Physical, virtual, and blended options will all be eligible for funding.  Applications must be completed through an organisation and exchanges must be linked to the 4 Purposes of the Curriculum for Wales.  A great opportunity for schools to enrich the outdoor learning of their pupils, the outdoor learning and professional development of their staff, and to work in partnership to develop new ideas and ways of outdoor teaching.  Taith will also bring students and educators from around the world to Wales, to help enrich our education settings and bring even greater diversity and culture to our outdoor classrooms and campuses.

If you would like to know more about Taith and find out how you or your organisation could get involved, contact Taithenquiries@cardiff.ac.uk.  The deadline for applications is 12:00 (noon), 12 May 2022.

From the water cycle to animal adaptations, the secret life of brown trout to how to build an otter holt, this webinar will focus on the Rivers Dee and Taff but all the activities shared could be used to learn more about any river in Wales or beyond.  Cross-curricular in content, this session will highlight how learners can improve their knowledge about the social and economic benefits rivers offer as well as their environmental plight.

• Wednesday 18^th May @ 6.30pm, presented in English
• Thursday 19^th May @ 6.30 pm, presented in Welsh

Feedback on this course:

Rebecca Unsworth, Rhayader Primary Powys: "Sparked lots of great ideas for future work. Excited to share with other staff."

Lisa Watts, Christ the King Primary School Cardiff: "Brilliant session. Lots of useful ideas and activities to try with the pupils. Thank you."

Big or small, green fingered or not a clue what to do, everyone can get involved in gardening.  From growing potatoes in tubs if you’ve got restricted outdoor space to establishing a wildflower meadow for pollinators. No matter what scale you go at it from, gardening offers a wealth of learning opportunities.  Spring is seed sowing time.  In practical terms there’s planning, building, planting and tending to be done before your learners reap the rewards of their efforts.  To consolidate their learning, how about a game of tag with a difference?  Try the Get Set Grow’ activity in our ‘Seed Dispersal, Activities & Games Booklet’ and use the accompanying bilingual resource cards to support your learners’ understanding of what a seed needs to germinate and the factors affecting germination rates. 

‘Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?’ We suggest giving ‘silver bells and cockleshells’ a miss and get your learners investigating the importance of earth worms.  Good indicators of a healthy soil, what type of worms have you got at your setting?  Why not ask your learners to investigate and find our more using our information note.  Or how about a spot of worm charming or making a wormery so your learners can study these fantastic organic garden workers up close – Activities 6 & 7 in our Science & Technology Outdoors booklet.

We are encouraging people to think about the environment they would like to see in the future and leave behind for future generations. The aim is to develop a shared vision for the year 2050 and consider the changes we need to make leading up to 2030 and 2050, as individuals and as a country. 

It is really easy to take part in Nature and Us.  You can complete a survey or register for online events.  We would love as many children and young people as possible to take part, submitting responses as individuals, as a class, a whole school or as a club or group.  There is a toolkit of products available with lots of extra information including film clips and posters to support the process.  Activity plans and resource cards are available to support both teachers and group leaders that may wish to consult their learners/members for their views.  Learners can also submit their thoughts and views in other formats like film, poetry or as an art piece.

Further activities and resources to help you explain the climate and nature emergencies to your learners are available on our ‘There is no planet B’ webpage.

Would you like regular outdoor learning updates and news?  Why not follow the Outdoor Learning Wales Twitter account or join the closed Facebook Group which both offer a platform to keep up-to-date, spread the word of ongoing projects and facilitate discussions with anyone with an interest in outdoor learning and environmental education in Wales. 

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