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.
Discover 300 years of history and over 1 million objects that changed the world in the UK's largest railway museum.
Includes a huge array of locomotives, including the Mallard, a replica of Stephenson's Rocket, Hogwart's Express, the Queen's coach, the Duchess of Hamilton and Japan's high speed train Shinkansen.
Home to a collection of exhibits and industrial artefacts, which include, steam and diesel locomotives, a life-size diorama of a quarry, along with many other interesting displays.
A preserved former Great Western Railway branchline that links the national railway network at Cholsey with Wallingford. Trains run on selected weekends and bank holidays, often steam hauled.
The Seagull Recycling Centre does what it says on the tin -
we recycle domestic waste, run a popular schools education programme called "The Waste Wizard" and run a "re-use" scheme where clean, safe and unused items from industry are recycled into craft products and other resources.
Located on the edge of Pinxton the site comprises a section of the Pinxton Canal and wharf pond.
Climb aboard locomotives, be a signalman and walk underneath 80 tons of metal!
Follow the incredible story of the GWR through lots of imaginative displays and plenty of hands-on exhibits. Build a bridge and shunt wagons. Have a go at putting a locomotive together. Take a ride on our train-driving simulator.
Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome is home to the Cold War Jet Collection including a Victor, Hunter, Canberra, Comet, 2 off Lightnings, Starfighter, Mystere, Sea Vixen, 4 off Buccaneers, 4 off Jet Provosts, Super Guppy, Iskra and a Jaguar. April 2010 saw a Nimrod MR2 arrive at the airfield.
A large coastal nature reserve with easy access routes, bird watching hides, freshwater pools, salt marshes, 2 miles of beach, rare plants and wildlife.
Come face to face with dinosaurs, meet an Egyptian Mummy and see modern masterpieces with a visit to the Ulster Museum!
Enjoy our regular workshops, special exhibitions and guided tours.
Well preserved 17th century chapel with wonderful wood carvings and painted galleries. A feast for the eyes.
The Bovey Tracey Heritage Centre is situated in the Old Bovey Station building, which was in use for rail passenger traffic for nearly 100 years.
Redgrave & Lopham Fen is an internationally important lowland valley fen with a unique landscape of spring-fed sedge beds, rush and grass meadows, wet and dry heath, woodland and pools. Enjoying views across the fen, the classroom is large and airy with a picnic area, toilets and viewing platform.
Saltburn's famous Cliff Lift has two cars, each of which is fitted with a water tank beneath, run on parallel tracks. The car at the top of the 71% incline has its tank filled with water until it overbalances the weight of the car 120ft below and proceeds down the incline under its own specific gravity.
Combining active learning with fascinating talks and an opportunity to have a close encounter with a variety of creatures. The Cornish Seal Sanctuary offers a hands-on educational visit like no other, offering an experience beyond the classroom.
Whinfell Forest is nestled in stunning landscape on the edge of the Lake District. Lodges for families and groups of all sizes are set in the 400-acre woodland, with lakes and streams aplenty that are befitting of the picturesque Lake District scenery.
The first county park in England, this has been gently entertaining and thoroughly inspiring young families for forty years. Interesting walks and gorgeous architecture.
Shustoke Reservoirs are a haven of tranquility with plenty of wildlife to observe. In the spring, the banks of the reservoir are covered in an impressive display of wildflowers, such as cowslips and lady’s smock.
There are a variety of walks including links to the Heart of England Way and Centenary Way. The North Warwickshire Cycle Way also links to the site.
A warm welcome awaits all visitors. Centre entry and parking are free and we're open daily throughout the year. We've been making our famous Denby Stoneware in the heart of Derbyshire for over 200 years. Find us close to Ripley, just 15 miles from Chatsworth House.
The Idle Valley Rural Learning Centre is the gateway to exploring the beautiful Idle Valley Nature Reserve, a nationally important site for wildlife close to Retford.
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.