Outdoor Learning

In my own head, I separate Outdoor Learning and Forest School. 

They are interconnected but to me, FS offers activities and supports what the children choose to do, whereas OL has learning intentions and aimed-for outcomes.

Year 3 are currently looking at the Stone Age as a theme, and I was asked if I would provide activities to support this.
In doing so I would have to remove the children's usual choice, their opportunity to follow their own interests & learning outside, and the ability to respond to what they discover and expand on it. This isn't a 'bad' or 'wrong' thing, but it isn't Forest School. Hence approaching it with a different ethos.

In giving 21st Century children a tiny taste of life over two million years ago the week began with a definite learning intention. I went with 6 activities that every child could try on rotation. They would end up with perhaps 10 minutes at each exercise in life long ago, after a chat at basecamp that explained what was to happen. This one-off Stone Age Forest School looked at:

(Thanks to Miss. Copeman for the photos of year 3 involved in the tasks!)

Yet again I have to thank the great staff (and student teachers) at Chartham who brought the children outside and helped oversee some of the activities.

Year 3 reacted with enthusiasm and threw themselves into each activity. They were surprised at how difficult some of the tasks were when you only have Stone Age tools, and how long it took to achieve a result.

Last week we discovered an echinoid fossil imprint, which could be older than the Stone Age, I showed the children to explain how old flint is (our site is covered with flint) before we started knapping to create arrowheads and spearheads, axes and knives... which obviously they couldn't produce in 10 minutes, but were able to get the idea how these things were created.

I shared the fossil information with all the other classes this week too, and a school of archaeologists was born!
The digging area was taken over in search for flint, the careful examination of it, the pondering of marks, the careful cleaning, and the collecting of artefacts.
On Tuesday the rock pile was rather mountainous, and by Wednesday the 'Chartham Fossil and Flint Museum' had been opened (complete with an exit through the shop).
Careful observation had discovered both chalk and pebbles to prove the land was once 'below the sea', and some burnt rocks that no one could explain.

Our Primary occupies an old Secondary School site and building, and through local knowledge and memory we know there was a pottery kiln close to where basecamp now is. The theory is they may have been either part of the kiln firing process or experimental firing, but we do not know for sure.

The renewed interest in all these rocks, which are usually tossed aside while digging, led to other year groups aiming to figure out ways to create tools themselves, and discussions about what they required to be successful.
The palm drills and hacksaw the children use on-site are considered archaic by most pupils because 'my mum has a drill you can plug in'!
The reality of spending all day, or perhaps many days creating one tool was a revelation! The non-power tools have never been so appreciated!

Sorting the flint from the chalk, and the burnt rocks, as well as picking out the pebbles brought on discussions about textures, and shape, weight and size, as well as the properties and uses of each.
The introduction of 'worry stones', latter day fidget spinners was embraced, and children were able to collect a worry stone from the collection pot if they wanted one.

Two sessions given over to specific Outdoor Learning at the beginning of the week trickled into a week of Forest School, opening up new activities and interests, and revealing conversations and prior knowledge that may not have come to light otherwise.
I don't know how long this geology investigation will last, nor am I sure how well I can support it! While the children show an interest I will do all I can to provide information and equipment to encourage them. I have ordered some basic fossil and geology books for the children (and me!) to reference because I think I'm going to need them!

Meanwhile, those who were not interested in digging all day were able to use the Forest School area to explore and other investigate other activities.

Which they did, whether tree climbing, quiet reading, working with wood, or bug hunting.

I still see Forest School and Outdoor Learning as two different things, I never have seen one as better than the other.
While Outdoor Learning may do well to take a cue from Forest school in routines and rules for being outside (start together, set boundaries, expect respect for the environment, stay safe etc), a lot of the activities that enhance a subject outdoors will provide a starting point for different FS activities.

There needs to be both.

In a perfect world schools would have the resources to provide weekly outdoor learning activities alongside Forest School provision. Not forgetting weekly gardening opportunities also! But budgets are rarely that elastic, and the school timetable strains under the pressure to fit in classroom subjects. 

If just one 'classroom activity' could go outside each week as a lesson not as extra curricular it would make outdoor learning expand rapidly. It does need schools and individuals with vision to lead it, but more than that, it needs Government to sanction it and make it integral to the curriculum.
Instead of the Stone Age day being a FS Session it would have been a History lesson. 

Perhaps as well as a weekly Forest School Session.

Both have different experiences to offer and enhance learning.

Regardless of why, anything that takes learning outside the classroom, inspires curiosity and gives children a chance to interact with nature is always a good thing!