Arts and Creative Outdoor Learning

Timed to encourage us to make the most of the summer weather and the excitement of teaching and learning in outdoor spaces, our Arts and Creative Outdoor Learning CPDL  on 27th April 2022 offered both inspiration, justification and practical ideas. 

Our keynote speaker, Julie Lloyd-Evans, of Learning Without Walls, was clear that she saw an intersection between arts and learning in nature that amplified the benefits of both, impacting on pupil attainment, wellbeing and personal development. She offered examples of artists inspired by the natural world across a range of artforms, and lots of ideas for practical activities to engage pupils creatively beyond the classroom. Julie also stressed that this approach did not depend on having access to nature reserves, woodland or beaches. She cited examples of urban schools who created spaces for nature and creativity in their school grounds and used the built environment around them. 

We then heard from two schools who have embedded creative outdoor learning in their curriculum and extra-curricular offer and seen the impact on their pupils and teachers. From Pashley Down Infant School in Eastbourne, Vanna and Rachel, spoke enthusiastically about the excitement generated by the creative projects their pupils have worked on in their outdoor space including building a bottle greenhouse and outdoor artworks using recycled materials that now decorate the school building. Linda from Gomer Junior School in Gosport are a Beach School, having found that a significant number of their pupils never visited the nearby Stokes Bay. Their curriculum now includes beach visits all year round for every year group linking to art, science, geography, local history, writing and maths and the children’s world has expanded to include their beach. 

The event left us keen to get outdoors, be creative and capture some of that excitement. If you missed the session then you can view the resources, presentations and a recording of the session here. If you attended the session, do let us know how you are getting on outdoors – Email us at info@artswork.org.uk – we would love to hear from you!

View the presentations and recording of this session here.

Words – Eleanor Markland

Tags:

EDM CPDL Environmental Issues For teachers Outdoor Learning Primary Schools