We stepped outside and immersed ourselves in nature’s classroom, where the whole of Lyonsdown learnt, played, and grew together.
This year our girls joined over 12 million children all over the world in celebrating Outdoor Classroom Day. ‘This is a global movement to inspire and celebrate outdoor play and learning’ (https://outdoorclassroomday.com). The whole School dove into a world of exploration, discovery, and fun with activities covering a wide range of curriculum subjects.
The day fits perfectly within Wellbeing Week, demonstrating how spending time outdoors, in touch with nature, being creative and making social connections has a hugely positive impact on health and wellbeing for all ages.
In Science, the girls had their lessons around the Science Pond. Mrs Murphy, our Specialist Science teacher, discussed the interactions between the living and non-living components of the pond’s ecosystem.
In English, the girls went on a story walk. Miss McCarthy, our specialist English teacher, laid out story card images along the fence; the girls had to piece the story together and act it out using mime.
In Art, Mrs Cowie, our specialist Art teacher, let the girls get creative with a transient art project using everyday found objects, man-made and natural materials. Some fantastic masterpieces were created! This project was inspired by the artist Clare Thompson.
In Forest School, Miss Pavlou, our Forest School Leader, tailored lessons for each year group so that they all had a chance to experience a Forest School taster session. The girls made some nature-inspired art, including fabulous birdfeeders, wooden disk pendants, bug houses, nests & crowns.
In Maths, Mrs Polak, our specialist Maths teacher, set up a Maths trial challenge for each year group. This had been planned, organised and led by the Year 6 girls as a project in their maths lessons. The activities covered estimation, measure, shape and much more using objects such as tyres, bricks, hoops and the natural environment.
There was also the opportunity for some quite time throughout the day, using the outdoor story chair and Upper School girls enjoyed listening to the story Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver on the digital speaker amidst the beauty of nature.
We had a wonderful day filled with laughter, learning, and the magic of nature.
