Give outdoor learning a boost this summer term
- Mar 6
- 3 min read
Are you looking to make outdoor learning a priority at your primary school this summer
term? Check out these simple ideas, designed to get your pupils outdoors with no hassle.
NatureLab Science workshops and trips
Check out our full range of hands on, curriculum linked workshops and trips, delivered by a qualified primary school teacher and available across the North West.
5) Shadow art
Great for getting outdoors on a sunny day, teaching about light in science or a creative art lesson.
Can your pupils stand as still as a statue, while a partner draws around their shadow with chalk on the playground.
For older children, get them into partners or small groups and challenge them to make shapes with their shadows. Can they spell out a word with their shadows? Can the rest of the class guess what they are acting out just by looking at their shadows?
4) Super senses
Perfect for building vocabulary, learning about the five senses and introducing adjectives.
Challenge your pupils to find 5 objects in the playground or around the school field, and describe them using their senses. They could write their answers as a description, choose adjectives from a vocabulary mat, or record themselves describing their objects.
What does the bark of a tree feel like? Is it rough or smooth?
What does freshly cut grass smell like?
What sound do trees make on a windy day?
The possibilities are endless.
3) Water bottle rain gauge
A simple way to make measurement skills practical in maths, or discover the weather.
Each child or small group will need a tub, can, or a water bottle with the top chopped off. using a ruler, draw a scale up the side of your bottle or tub, and mark on intervals (for instance very 1cm).
Then leave your bottles or tubs outdoors, somewhere they will not get tipped over. You could bury the bottom of the bottles in soil or sand to make sure they are steady.
Then come back at regular intervals and measure how much rain has been collected.
2) Explore an incredible habitat
Spend a full day in nature with our Formby Sand Dunes Explorer trip.
Your KS2 pupils can identify and survey minibeasts; complete plant surveys; compare species between habitats; measure and sketch trees; and learn about the incredible conservation work taking place to protect the sand dunes.
We can tailor your trip to cover living things and their habitats, animals including humans, and plants objectives for all KS2 year groups. Delivered by a qualified primary school teacher with previous wildlife conservation and field studies experience, this trip is sure to inspire a passion for nature in your pupils!
1) Nature Exploration, no planning required!
For hands on adventure with no coach trip required, our Habitat Explorers workshop is available for all primary year groups*.
We introduce your pupils to the incredible wildlife found in their own school environment, building environmental awareness in a memorable way. Activities can include minibeast
hunts; plant identification; pond dipping; measuring and sketching trees; comparing habitats and discovering how you can support wildlife.
Adaptable to cover a variety of science curriculum topics, and including practical scientific investigation for every child, let us take the lead and deliver your outdoor learning.
*We cover Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire for our in school workshops.
NatureLab Science workshops and trips
Check out our full range of hands on, curriculum linked workshops and trips, delivered by a qualified primary school teacher and available across the North West.
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