This week, we wrapped up warm and went for walks in the
woods every day.
Here’s how I support all areas of children’s development on
our woodland walks.
Communication and Language
·
Read and discuss picture books about being
outside in the woods. We like Tidy by
Emily Gravett, The Gruffalo, and Stanley’s Stick.
·
Hide objects and either give clues or describe
where they were hidden to support the use of prepositions, e.g. “Betty has hidden
the ball under the leaves” or “I
have hidden the ball behind
something.”
·
Model asking how and why questions to encourage
the children to do the same. Wonder out loud why the leaves are on the floor,
how they got there, etc.
·
Go on a listening walk. Keep stopping and asking
the children to listen carefully. Can they identify any familiar sounds?
·
Teach key vocabulary such as branch, bud, trunk,
roots and bark.
·
Point out any signs that you notice, whether
they use words or symbols to convey a message.
Physical Development
·
Take a ball to practise throwing, catching and
kicking.
·
Use natural materials to create homes for
woodland animals.
·
Use sticks to write our names in the mud.
·
Climb trees and play equipment.
·
Get dressed warmly and talk about what we will
wear to stop us from being cold. Encourage the children to put on their own
coats, shoes, hats and gloves.
·
Do some yoga and be a tree!
·
Practise pencil control by drawing and labelling
some of the things that we found on our walks.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
·
Encourage the children to work together to build
a den or help to clear a nice space for us to sit and eat.
·
Take a ball to play with together.
·
Read and discuss picture books about being
outside in the woods. We like Tidy by
Emily Gravett, The Gruffalo, and Stanley’s Stick.
·
Plan some ‘unplanned’ time when the children can
roam freely. It is during this time that children collaborate to make up their
own games. On one outing this week, Betty decided that they were going to make
leaf soup. She instructed the younger ones to gather leaves, they put them in a
tree hollow which was full of rain water and all stirred it with a stick.
Literacy
·
Play ‘I Spy…’
·
Read and discuss picture books about being
outside in the woods. We like Tidy by
Emily Gravett, The Gruffalo, and Stanley’s Stick.
·
Identify some of the trees that you find using a
reference book.
·
Write names or letters using natural resources
that you find in the woods.
·
Practise pencil control by drawing and labelling
some of the things that we found on our walks.
·
Point out any signs that you notice, whether
they use words or symbols to convey a message.
Mathematics
·
Sort leaves into piles according to shape, size,
colour, etc.
·
Play games where we count steps, jumps, claps,
etc.
·
Sing ‘Ten Autumn Leaves Hanging on a Branch’ to
the tune of Ten Green Bottles.
Understanding the World
·
Take a magnifying glass to investigate things
that we find.
·
Collect interesting things to take home.
·
Ask the children to close their eyes and put
something like a pine cone in their hands. Can they use their other senses to
guess what the object is?
Teach key vocabulary such as branch, bud, trunk, roots and bark.
Expressive Arts and Design
·
Investigate the different textures of tree bark
by making bark rubbings.
·
Make things using natural materials – and the children’s imaginations! We
made magic wands, leaf soup and animals’ homes.
