In recent years there has been a cultural shift in our society that has reduced the access and use of outdoors for many young children.
A number of factors are blamed, including increased fear amongst adults in relation to children’s safety, anxieties about the threat of abduction, and technological advances leading to an overwhelming prominence of more sedentary indoor activities, such as television and computer games. However, the developmental needs of young children have remained constant and the outdoor environment continues to be essential to their health, development and well-being. Therefore, regular opportunities for sustained periods of play in a rich and stimulating outdoor environment offer a wide range of benefits to babies, toddlers and young children.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Curriculum, which covers children aged birth to the end of the Reception year, became statutory in September 2008 and places strong emphasis on the importance and value of daily outdoor experiences for children’s learning and development.
Learning outside the classroom supports the development of healthy and active lifestyles by offering children opportunities for physical activity, freedom and movement, and promoting a sense of well-being. It gives them contact with the natural world and offers them experiences that are unique to outdoors, such as direct contact with the weather and the seasons. Outdoor play also supports children’s problem-solving skills and nurtures their creativity, as well as providing rich opportunities for their developing imagination, inventiveness and resourcefulness.
And, of course, the outdoor environment offers more space than indoors and therefore is particularly important to those children who learn best through active movement. For many children, playing outdoors at their early years setting may be the only opportunity they have to play safely and freely while they learn to assess risk and develop the skills to manage new situations.
While many of these experiences will take place on-site, outdoor learning may also take place within the local community, for example a walk to the bakery, or past the building site on the way to the park. These off-site ‘expeditions’ offer both children and adults a catalyst for play and conversations. Ultimately, play and learning that flow seamlessly between indoors and outdoors make the most efficient use of resources and build on interests and enthusiasms. Forest Schools are growing in popularity across the UK and are increasingly offered as part of the early years curriculum in schools and settings.
Finally, parental involvement in children’s learning is particularly important in the early years as parents and carers are the child’s first educators. Early years settings, including children’s centres, are increasingly involving parents in developing and using their outdoor areas and in supporting other outdoor learning opportunities.
Twickenham is home to the England rugby team and its museum celebrates the players' successes.
The World Rugby Museum, in the East Stand of Twickenham Stadium, formerly opened as ‘The Museum of Rugby’ in 1996. It became the World Rugby Museum in 2007.
Leisure Lagoon features include Wave Machine; 50m Twister Flume; Geysers and Water Cannons; plus Falling Rapids Ride and Fast Drop Flume!
There is a 25m x 6 lane Competition Pool provided for serious swimmers too
In the picturesque county of Devon just north of the city of Plymouth you will find Plympton. This is where Plympton Swimming Pool is situated.
Offering a range of water based activities including our award winning swim school, Swim 4 Fitness, Swim 4 All and fitness classes such as Aqua Fit, there is always something going on in the water at Plympton Swimming Pool.
Wyndley Leisure Centre offers a heated main pool divided into a 25m deep water area for lane swimming and diving plus a 22m shallow water area and separate shallow teaching pool.
Child friendly swimming facilities with diving and kids' fun pools. Diving area has 1 and 3m springboards and a 5m platform.
In addition to the main pool we also offer a 7 x 12.5m teaching pool, great for beginners. The main pool has a superb spectator gallery and many large championship galas are held here.
Has a separate swimming pool and a wave machine that's switched on at regular intervals. There is an outdoor Lido pool which is worth a visit when the mercury rises.
Waltham Abbey Swimming Pool offers members more than just a pool. Set in the Roundhills estate in Essex, Waltham Abbey Swimming Pool features a gym, group exercise studio, a range of children’s activities as well as two swimming pools.
The swimming pools offer water based activities that are suitable for all the family as well as our award winning swim school.
Set in a picturesque park location, Stratford Park Leisure Centre in Stroud, Gloucestershire offers a fantastic range of indoor and outdoor facilities.
A stark symbol of power, Chirk Castle was completed in 1310 during the reign of the conquering Edward I to subdue the last princes of Wales. Built on an outcrop above the meeting point of the rivers Dee and Ceiriog, the imposing silhouette of the castle was a brooding statement of English intent in these disputed lands.
Every year hundreds of school parties from across the country visit Blackgang Chine. Childrens' imaginations run wild as they enjoy the many themed areas around the park.
Coughton Court has been the home of the Throckmorton family since 1409. It holds a unique place in English history with its close connections to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
With Traditional, Thrill and Kids Rides, Brighton Pier is the perfect venue for a great fun day out for any age of student.
The Manx Museum is bursting with artefacts and treasures unique to the Isle of Man. The Island’s 10,000 year history is presented through film, galleries and interactive displays. The perfect starting point on your journey of discovery around our Island and its Viking and Celtic past.
Dudley Leisure Centre is a modern leisure complex centrally situated in the town of Dudley. Comprising of pools, sports halls, fitness suite, squash courts & rooms, the centre caters for sports, fitness and recreation activities. Our facilities also allow us to cater for meetings, birthday parties & functions.
Gym
Beautiful lakeside park offering, windsurfing, sailing, canoeing, water skiing, wakeboarding, cycle hire, fishing, miniature railway, mini golf and playground! Wow!
There are beginner and improver tuition sessions available for every kind of activity, plus taster days and other options so you can try your hand at several new skills before deciding which to pursue with full gusto!
Our favourite resort to explore the great outdoors. Minehead is a beautiful seaside town in the heart of Exmoor in Somerset. Here’s where you’ll find our contemporary Blueskies Apartments, some lovely new restaurants and a beautiful sandy beach right on your doorstep.
Seasonal pool offering an interactive water feature in the main swim area plus learner pool for kids, plus changing with showers. Tennis, mini golf and playground nearby.
The Abbey Meadow Lido is a heated 40m outdoor pool situated in scenic surrounds on the bank of the river Thames, accessible by boat if you happen to have one, with moorings adjacent.
Enjoy beautiful Stratford from the river with us at Avon Boating.
The Avon winds gently through the town, surrounded on both banks by green parkland and flower filled gardens.
A great park with a formal area, plus a wildlife conservation area. It also has a brook, duckpond, bandstand, and playgrounds with separate areas for different ages. Splashpad for kids in the summer. Free to visit.
Grassy slopes, the lake, historic buildings, old trees and hedges recall Abbey Fields’ past, while the new play area contributes to the modern side with a fully fenced in zone for the little ones to run wild on the equipment.
Adjacent there is also a 25-metre heated indoor pool and outdoor pool in the summer.
Big park with historical features, plus playground and fitness trail, Abington Park Museum and also features a specific garden for the blind.
Abington Park sits on the site of a medieval village, with some buildings surviving over seven centuries.
Swimming pool featuring a wave machine, giant flume ride, parent and toddler sessions and lane swimming.
Great standard swimming pool but the Tiger Pool comes complete with Octopus slide and interactive water features, waterfalls, squirty fish, water dams and tipping bucket, making it suitable for the whole family.
We are an indoor centre which provides a wide range of activities specifically suited to families - we have two swimming pools (one with flume ride and features), a large sports hall for ball games and racquet sports, and a soft play area called Jungle Junction.
Leith Hill is the highest point in Southeast England and is set within the beautiful Surrey
The Bushcraft Company offer residential school trips with a difference, taking students into the wild and giving them real back-to-nature experiences they will never forget.
A 15-year-old boy fell 60ft over the edge of a cliff whilst on a geography school trip, miraculously only suffering minor injuries.