The great outdoors is a fabulous resource for keeping your class busy and educated. Also, TGO helps to promote children’s intellectual, emotional, social and physical development.
Playing outdoors in a natural environment is thought to help relieve stress by reducing levels of cortisol, a “stress hormone”, in the brain.
https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/news-and-blogs/parenting-tips/2017/march/3-big-reasons-why-children-need-to-play-outdoors/
It has been said that there isn’t a subject that cannot be taught outdoors and with our current educational issues, less scrutiny and curriculum perimeters can equal more risk taking and fun. So… step out of your comfort zone while no one is judging you!
Here are twelve activities for you with very few and easily cleanable resources that you could try with your bubble, to keep them motivated and active whatever the weather. Many of them would also be suitable for home learning activities as well.
Hide and seek with a twist – This was great fun when I tried it. Luckily we have a school field with lots of trees. As I wasn’t 100% confident I wouldn’t lose a child playing traditional hide and seek, I added in an extra challenge. All the children are in socially distanced pairs and were sent off to play hide and seek in the usual manner however, when they hear me blow the whistle, it is a competition to get to me (whilst maintaining social distancing). This works especially well when the one you think you might lose is likely to be one of the first back!
Socially distanced tail tag – Again, a variation on a theme. You need one three metre piece of ribbon per pair. One person tucks the end down their shorts to form a tail and gets a ten second head start, person two has to get the tail. They then bring the tail back to you for a wipe down (plastic ribbon works best and is cheaper). Some of the children may prefer to hold the end but in order to maintain sportsmanship, they must agree to let it go as soon as the other person catches it!
Constellation scale up – My year 5/6 really enjoyed this. I printed off constellations from a popular teaching website . They then had to measure the lines in mm and scale up by multiplying by 2 or 10 (then other numbers for a challenge), in order to draw on the playground. Year 6 were also asked to measure the angles and check that their drawings were accurate.
Playground Kennings – Teach a lesson about Kennings or riddles and ask children to write out their poem on the playground for others to guess the subject. This is really good for vocabulary development as well as covering poetry (which sometimes falls off the edge of the curriculum). Another idea would be to sit alone somewhere quiet to get inspiration for a nature related Kenning which could then be performed outdoors and written on the playground.
Chalk trails – Children can design their own chalk trails for others to follow. Easy. They can also write instructions on the floor with it e.g. jump 10 times, pretend you are a chicken etc. etc. etc. Great if you can invite another bubble to test it and decide which they like best.
Colour nature hunt – If you are lucky enough to have a field with a variety of colours of flora and fauna, this is great. If not you could risk assess a social distanced local walk. You need double sided tape stuck on a cardboard shape – how many colours can you stick on it?
Colour match – Chalk some colours onto the floor and hide or scatter cleaned items for children to find and put on the correct colour. Only 1 person to touch each item. Clean again at the end!
Scavenger/learning hunt – Always good fun and can be themed to suit learning. You could hide an item linked to each letter of the alphabet or hide groups of items for counting where they have to write or draw the item next to the number of them that they find. You could do Maths questions where the answer is linked to a letter with a code to crack to make a sentence. Another idea is to hide items for children to translate into another language. The possibilities are endless.
Tic Tac Toe – It’s surprising how many children have not played this popular game of 3 in a row! Easy to play if children stick to their own easily washable counters. Extend by creating a 4 x 4 grid or even play it as connect 4.
Playground coordinates map – Draw a bird’s eye view of the playground and/or field map, add on a coordinates grid then laminate. Next, put down lots of wipe clean spots or similar in various areas and mark the locations on your master map (to use as the answer sheet). Individuals can take their laminated map, look for the spots, mark them on the map and state the coordinates. Lastly, they can check if they have found them all with your master copy. Extend by putting the children in pairs, where one can give a coordinate and the other can put the spot in the right quadrant. For a simpler version, forget the coordinates! At the end wipe down the laminated sheets, pens and spots and of (Thanks to Mr Mead our PE coach for this one!)
Miniature den building – This links really well with the book ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ and also just fun to do. You probably don’t have the resources to build actual dens while being socially distanced but mini ones are great as they can be built individually. The aim is to keep a small Lego or play mobile character dry and if you leave them outside, when it rains you can go out to test how well they worked! Materials could include a plastic plate base, blu tac/clay to attach the twigs to the base, string and recycling bag plastic.
Orange Volcano – Yes I promised few resources and easy cleaning but this was really fun! Cut the top off the oranges with a sharp knife before giving them to the children (make sure you cut the end with the stalky bit so the orange stands up without rocking sideways!). The children can gently squeeze the orange juice into a cup – or straight in their mouths if you like! They can then use a spoon to push the pith to the sides, creating a hole inside the orange. the children then use the same spoon to put baking powder or bicarb into their oranges (2 desert spoons). Premix red food colouring and vinegar and put into their cups once they have drunk the orange Juice. Count down from 5 and add the mixture to the hole in the orange. Change into an experiment by trying it again with added washing up liquid. Check out these website for more details and background Science:
https://www.theartkitblog.com/orange-volcanoes-fun-science-experiment-kids-using-simple-ingredients/
and this one:
