Episode Details

In this episode, Marina looks back at the questions that came up at the *Outside for Everyone* webinar and asks why we adults find it so hard to take learning outdoors, and what we can do about it.

In this episode:

• Why experiential learning sticks, and why we still find it so hard to take education outside
• "Backlinking": Juliet Robertson's idea of offering hands-on outdoor activities and linking them to the curriculum afterwards
• How outdoor learning fits the early years, primary and secondary curriculum, from mud kitchens and story stones to measuring trees with trigonometry
• Climate education in practice: soil tests, watching the weather with the Beaufort scale, plant surveys and growing food
• Tool use, vocational skills and confidence, and why hands-on skills matter for future careers
• Contribution as a core part of belonging and wellbeing
• What research on autistic children at Forest School tells us: the adults' attitudes can make or break a session
• Why our practice is about relationship, not activity: consent-based practice, mutual dignity and humility
• Do you need a qualification to take learning outdoors? (No, but you do need to be competent, reflect on your practice and carry out risk-benefit assessments)
• Worried about losing control? How routines, rituals and clear boundaries help, and how to help children explain their thinking
• Shaping the session around the learner, not the learner around the session, with nature as the "third actor"
• Starting small with five-minute activities, managing large class ratios and giving teenagers real-life experiences (including the new Natural History GCSE)

Show Notes:

https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-101-the-children-are-ready-are-we

Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com

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