Spring is the perfect season to take learning outdoors. With the promise of warmer weather and nature blooming, stepping outside can invigorate both teaching and learning. Outdoor education can enhance creativity, resilience and engagement, while providing opportunities to apply classroom concepts in real-world settings.
To inspire your spring curriculum, here are four awareness days that lend themselves beautifully to the outdoors and spark creative exploration.
Storytelling week: 1-9 February
Step into the enchanted world of storytelling inspired by nature. Trees and forests serve as rich sources of imagination and creativity for all ages.
- For KS1: Use our literacy lesson plan to inspire creative writing and imaginative language.
- For KS3: ‘Bring the outside in!’ to collaborate on a class poem inspired by the natural world.
Enhance any day by reading stories aloud under the canopy of trees and connecting with nature around you.
Children’s mental health week: 3 – 9 February
This year’s theme 'Know Yourself, Grow Yourself' is perfect for connecting with nature to boost mental wellbeing.
- Engage: Hire a Wellbeing champion Ranger in a Bag – a resource packed with nature-based activities designed to help pupils relax and reconnect.
- Explore: Children’s University activity sheets - to encourage journaling and self-reflection in nature.
- Experience: A Feel good in the forest activity bag - aimed at small groups exploring a forest for the first time.
- Bonus activity for the classroom: Take your class on a 12 minute woodland adventure – a woodland yoga session inspired by forest animals, incorporating balance, mindfulness and movement.
This spring, step outside and let nature inspire a season of growth and discovery in your classroom!
World book day: 6 March
Celebrate the magic of reading with three activity sheets inspired by our beautifully illustrated book, We the Forest. These resources are ideal for combining art, science and literacy.
Take advantage of a limited time discount with the code WINTER10 to get £10 off.
Coming this February: Stick Man educational resource pack
Get ready to take your class on “a hop and a jump” into the great outdoors with Stick Man! Explore the changing seasons, embark on a river adventure, and discover the creatures that call trees home.
Packed with fun and engaging activities, this resource is perfect for bringing the Stick Man story to life.
International day of forests: 21 March
This global event celebrates the importance of forests for our planet. Dive into some hands-on activities about their role in sustainability.
- For KS2: Celebrate with our temperate forest lesson plan that looks at our native woodlands in contrast to tropical rain forests.
- KS3: Dive into sustainable forest management with three geography lesson plans, focusing on England’s forests as a natural, sustainable resource for timber production and for the benefits for people and wildlife.
Find the perfect resource for using in your classroom, school grounds or local forest.
