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Is Outdoor Learning the Solution to Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

Why Build An Outdoor Classroom?

Experience and Reflection: The Two Halves of Outdoor Education

Time to Eddy Out? Considering Outdoor Education in the Midst of the Novel Coronavirus.

The Impact of One Hour of Outdoor Learning a Week for Children and Teachers

Upgrading Education for the 21st Century to Create a Sustainable World

Charting the Path to Environmental Stewardship

Sustainability Education in Action: Three Inspiring Case Studies

The "Changemaker" Cycle for Meaningful Service Learning

Part II: Rivers Are Perfect for Sustainability Education. Here's How.

Sep 13, 2019
4 min

Part II: Rivers Are Perfect for Sustainability Education. Here's How.

This article follows on from Part I: Rivers Are Perfect for Teaching Sustainability. Here's Why! Background The living things found in a river or stream depend largely on limiting factors (e.g. turbidity, temperature, pH level and dissolved oxygen) and the long-term environmental conditions. If water quality is poor due to human activity for instance, certain freshwater species simply won't be able to survive and reproduce, and so won't be present in the river habitat during

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Ecological Footprints: An Access Point to Sustainability

Screen Time Linked to Depression in Teens, Study Says

When Do Teenagers Fall Out of Love With Nature?

Getting Kids in Nature is Not Enough. Actions Speak Louder Than Words.

Dec 21, 2018
4 min

Getting Kids in Nature is Not Enough. Actions Speak Louder Than Words.

If we are to create a new generation of ecoliterate young people who truly understand and value nature's life supporting systems, we must join up the dots through education. The need for Environmental Education (EE) that begins in pre-school and is completely integrated into the curriculum throughout compulsory schooling cannot be overstated. In arguably the most comprehensive overview of the current state of our natural world, the Living Planet Report 2018 shows the staggeri

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Fear of Liability Must Not Stop Us Getting Children Outdoors!

Dec 10, 2018
5 min

Fear of Liability Must Not Stop Us Getting Children Outdoors!

In recent years, I've actively sought global opportunities to work in outdoor and experiential education roles for youth in various countries including in the UK, Germany, US, Canada & Thailand. Thankfully, this has given me a unique perspective in terms of the risk management culture in outdoor education within these diverse countries, with a focus on international school settings and residential outdoor education centers. In my view, risk tolerance is an urgent issue in edu

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Is Outdoor Play Just a Big Waste of Time?

Nov 25, 2018
3 min

Is Outdoor Play Just a Big Waste of Time?

Some believe that outdoor play for children has little educational value. It's unstructured and has no obvious learning outcomes, you might hear them say. But is outdoor play a waste of time? Are children learning valuable lessons or are they just messing about in the mud? Should we lessen the amount of outdoor play to focus more on structured classroom learning instead? Well, unlike maths or literacy which can be rigorously assessed each term to determine a child's progress,

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Is Mindfulness for Children Just a Fad?

Nov 17, 2018
3 min

Is Mindfulness for Children Just a Fad?

Mindfulness has become a modern buzzword. It stems from ancient Buddhism, and it's become a hot topic in education in recent years. It can practiced without the need for religious or spiritual context, and it can be incorporated into classroom and out-of-classroom education with relative ease. But it's also become riddled with misconceptions and a sense of mystical ambiguity that risks putting educators off mindfulness as a dynamic learning tool for students and teachers alik

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Smart Kids Don't Do Outdoor Education! Here's Why.

Nov 16, 2018
3 min

Smart Kids Don't Do Outdoor Education! Here's Why.

When I was in state secondary school, we had the option at age 14 to take a BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council) course in Outdoor Education. The only problem was this course was lumped within the same course cluster as the main humanities subjects including GCSE Geography, History and Business Studies. This meant I could only choose two subjects from this set, which I found hugely limited my course options. In addition, there was also an underlying message from t

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Why On Earth Do We Trap School Children Inside Four Walls to Learn?

Nov 1, 2018
5 min

Why On Earth Do We Trap School Children Inside Four Walls to Learn?

There is little doubt that outdoor and experiential learning has many benefits for children. It helps make learning relevant, meaningful and authentic by engaging learners through hands-on experience. Abstract concepts and knowledge learned within the classroom make much more sense when set in a real-world context. Regular curriculum subjects can be brought to life outside the classroom, by using the senses and engaging students using a wide variety of learning approaches. St

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A Quick Guide to Nature Photography for Children

Sep 23, 2018
3 min

A Quick Guide to Nature Photography for Children

Taking photographs of interesting things in nature is a wonderfully mindful activity. It brings us into the moment as we use all of our senses to find interesting living things to snap. Plus it's an awesome reason to get children active outdoors, explore and to be creative! As educators, we tend to ban the use to electronic devices, such as smart phones, in outdoor learning. And rightly so most of the time! But there are times when we can use devices, like cameras and smart p

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