School Outdoors

Last week was just amazing. The sun shone,the sky was blue and cloudless,the trees burst into blossom and leaf as we watched and Spring is truly here.The air is filled with birdsong and bleating lambs,the swallows are overhead,mouths open catching insects as they fly above us.The colour everywhere is green and fresh,one can smell  garlic in the hedgerow. On our little walks we note that sycamore is ahead of beech and ash in producing new leaves.  We see the fronds of the fern uncurl in the undergrowth, noting that it is the oldest plant we have,dating back to when the dinosaurs ruled our planet!We smell  the different herbs in the garden and prepare the raised beds for the vegetable. But most of all the children are having such fun from listening and recognizing each birds song.On a couple of occasions I gave my normal 3 period lesson on birdsong by using the little soft singing birds I have on our classroom tree.The children sit in a semi circle on the grass and I  then hide the birds behind my back ,play their song and they listen and say which bird it is . This is a great way to do the “silence game”and they love it. We then take our birds on a walk using the toy birds to call the birds as we amble down the field. …it is a real sensory experience and all agree that school outdoors is wonderful!!The child sees everything with wonder and with his  child s eye sees minute details.  I am very lucky in that these little ones are so open and curious to my knowledge of our natural world. Their awe and wonder is contagious and is the fuel that “eggs” me on!!