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This framework has been developed in partnership by the Scottish Government, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Scottish Advisory Panel for Outdoor Education (SAPOE), Education Scotland, and the Association of Directors of Education, with input from other partners including voluntary organisations and providers.

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Scottish Framework for Safe Practice in Off-site Visits - Going Out There

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Going Out There - Scottish Framework for Safe Practice in Off-site Visits This framework has been developed in partnership by the Scottish Government, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Scottish Advisory Panel for Outdoor Education (SAPOE), Education Scotland, and the Association of Directors of Education, with input from other partners including voluntary organisations and...

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Being outdoors and active is an essential part of growing up and leading a healthy and fulfilling life. Outdoor learning benefits children, young people and adults alike. It engages our hearts through what we feel, our heads through what we think, and our hands through our physical experiences. Outdoor learning can take place anywhere from school grounds to local green spaces, high streets to national parks, from your front door to the rest of the world.

Outdoor learning resources

Our Outdoor Learning for Sustainability Wakelet contains a range of online curriculum resources for outdoor learning. This collection of resources has been created in partnership with outdoor learning and Learning for Sustainability organisations to meet the needs of practitioners across sectors.

Outdoor learning policies and documents
Curriculum for Excellence through Outdoor Learning (PDF) Curriculum for Excellence through Outdoor Learning - Gaelic version (PDF) Outdoor Learning: Practical guidance, ideas and support for teachers and practitioners in Scotland (PDF)
Learning for Sustainability Report of the One Planet Schools Working Group (PDF)
Vision 2030+ Report and Learning for Sustainability Action Plan Scotland's Coalition for Outdoor Play and Learning Position Statement (inspiringscotland.org) Out to Play: practical guidance on creating outdoor lay experiences (gov.scot) Out to Play: Caring for Our Outdoor Spaces (gov.scot) Space to Grow: Design guidance for early learning and childcare (gov.scot) The Suitability Core Fact: Building Better Schools (gov.scot) Outdoor Learning Briefing Paper (Policy Scotland) Managing risk in outdoor learning (PDF) Building your curriculum outside and in (PDF) Building Your Curriculum reflection tool (PDF) Successful Approaches to Learning Outdoors
Further resources and support
A summary of Learning for Sustainability resources (gov.scot)
Outdoor Learning Directory (Scotland)

National Network of Outdoor Learning (Scotland): Map of Outdoor Learning and Play Providers (NNOL Scotland)
Scottish framework for safe practice in off-site visits (goingoutthere.com) Playtime revolution: a resource from Grounds for Learning Climate Ready School Grounds - Learning through Landscapes (ltl.org.uk) Forest Kindergarten approach - learning outdoors with confidence Religious and moral education through outdoor learning (PDF) Beyond your boundary: easy steps to learning in local greenspace (nature.scot)
Professional learning
Support for professional development in outdoor learning Teaching Learning Outdoors online professional learning course
Supporting Learning Outdoors online professional learning course

Webinars
How awards can help you take learning outdoors (YouTube) Social studies and outdoor learning (YouTube) A Headteacher's journey (YouTube) Four contexts and outdoor learning (YouTube) Using digital tools to capture, create and share outdoor learning (YouTube) Learning outdoors - Numeracy and Mathematics (YouTube) Outdoor learning with a focus on additional support needs Literacy in the outdoors RME in the outdoors Gender differences in the outdoors Outdoor learning - what can we learn from research Outdoor learning and early level
Research
Teaching, learning and play in the outdoors: a survey of provision in Scotland (nature.scot) Learning for Sustainability and outdoor learning policy briefings (Glow blog) The use of residential experiences and their impact on attainment (learningaway.org) Transforming outdoor learning in schools lessons from the natural connections project (plymouth.ac.uk) Natural Connections Demonstration Project: Final report and (analysisnaturalengland.org) More than just a ski trip (relationalschools.org) Outdoor learning in Scottish education NatureScot: Learning in local greenspace
Case studies

Additional Support Needs (ASN)
Learning in Local Greenspace with St Crispin's School (NatureScot)
Early Learning and Childcare
Learning outdoors with confidence (PDF) Get the bairns oot! An outdoor kindergarten in Norway
Primary
Kirkshaws Primary School - a case study St Paul's Primary School - a case study Beckford Primary School and the Rowan Cottage Nurture Group - a case study St Benedict's Primary School - a case study Patna Primary School - a case study Linnvale Primary School - a case study Easter Carmuirs Primary School - a case study All about the bees! Logan Primary School, East Ayrshire (Glow blog) Gartocharn Primary School - outdoor learning before and into the recovery phase Outdoor Learning as a context and an approach for learning: Middleton Park School, Aberdeen City Cycle Co-operative, East Dunbartonshire
Secondary
International partnerships: Bannerman High School, Glasgow
Community Learning and Development (CLD)
Family Fresh Air Club, Dundee
COVID-19 guidance
Scottish Government Advice for Schools: Visits and Trips Autumn Term 2020 (goingoutthere.com) Outdoor Education Centres: Fit for the future (PDF) Education recovery and support from outdoor education centres

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Education Scotland is a Scottish Government executive agency responsible for supporting quality and improvement in Scottish education.

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Creative STAR Learning | I'm a teacher, get me OUTSIDE here!

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Early Years Outdoors | Creative STAR Learning | I’m a teacher, get me OUTSIDE here!

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Oct 3, 2023 | Early Years Outdoors, Nature Play & Learning, Whole School

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Creative STAR Learning | I'm a teacher, get me OUTSIDE here!

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Since the beginning of the new school year, Mairi Thomson and Mark Irwin, who both work for Education Scotland have been organising and running a series of webinars on a huge range of outdoor themes and subjects. There are more planned for 2021. My intention is to add the videos of the live events to this blog post so that I have them all in the one place.

The collection as a whole is demonstrating the sheer breadth that being outside can offer children, young people, teachers and the wider learning community. I recommend signing up for a live webinar as they tend to be lively with a lot of interactions with the participants. I'm also aware that they may be useful for those of you working in other countries where the national support for being outside may not be in existence or quite weak. Enjoy watching! The first one is presented by Linda Reed, HT at Garnetbank and her school's journey to embedding learning and play outdoors.

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Education Scotland Outdoor Learning Webinars FREE to view

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Since the beginning of the new school year, Mairi Thomson and Mark Irwin, who both work for Education Scotland have been organising and running a series of webinars on a huge range of outdoor themes and subjects. There are more planned for 2021.

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A downloadable series of hints and tips for playing outdoors from Thrive Outdoors

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Featured resources Check out more of our resources below.

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“Children flourish when playing outdoors in all weathers. Being in nature stimulates the senses and nurtures a sense of wonder and awe at the processes of life. Different natural spaces can simultaneously ignite creativity and imagination whilst fostering a sense of wellbeing and calm.”

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Welcome to the Outdoor Learning and Learning for Sustainability Wakelet from Education Scotland. This Wakelet is a collection of links to online resources to support outdoor learning and Learning for Sustainability These links could take you to the National Improvement Hub, Glow, Websites or YouTube.

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Outdoor Learning for our Youngest Learners - Wakelet

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The REAL reason children fidget — and what we can do about it | Angela Hanscom | TEDxPortsmouth

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With almost 70 percent of the world's student population impacted by school closures according to UNESCO, the long-term impact on individuals, the education system, the global workforce, and tools and technology, can only be speculated about and hypothesized. What we do know is that building resilience among students is more important than ever.

The need for resilience isn't new. For years, educators have been challenged with preparing students for jobs and technology that don't even exist yet. The global pandemic will accelerate and influence many of these changes as schools and businesses integrate remote practices; demand grows for science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) careers, especially in health care and automation; and societies navigate the role and value of human interaction and collaboration. What was already an ambitious task for the global education system has been amplified, and the uncertainty today's students face is even greater.

Like any experiment or challenge we ask students to solve, the goal isn't finding one right answer and being done. True innovation comes from the iterative process of trying something, understanding why it did or didn't work, and learning what to do differently or better. This process develops problem-solving, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking skills that build the resilience kids will need as students and as future employees, inventors and leaders.

It's easy to see why resilience is a critical skill, but how can we foster it? The answer might be more fun than you think: learning through play.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND PLAY
To many, play and learning are opposites. Based on research by the LEGO Foundation, we know that that doesn't have to be true. An evaluation of more than 50 educational approaches found many similarities with the learning through play model, which can be highly effective in building academic skills and engagement. Play provides an opportunity to build social (communication and collaboration), emotional (resilience and self-regulation) and physical (fine and gross motor) skills, as well as cognitive ones. This combination is critical to the holistic development of a child, with each skill domain bearing equal importance.

When successfully implemented in schools, learning through play becomes integral to everything from instructional design to administrative support to teacher skills training and professional development. Playful learning is intended to be part of the curriculum, which is different from free play, which is what kids might do at recess or with toys at home. Students learning through play are simultaneously achieving educational outcomes that align with local, state and federal standards and guidelines. You can readily see the merits of a playful approach in STEAM, where students benefit from collaboratively learning by doing and connecting concepts and content with real-world applications.

Consider learning about engineering design principles by listening to a lecture and completing a worksheet on how a factory conveyor belt works. Now imagine designing, building, and programming a robotic system to create that conveyor belt and move a ball on a path that includes a 90-degree turn. The academic objectives are the same in both scenarios, but with the hands-on activity, students work together, troubleshoot, and physically manipulate the motors and sensors. It is academically meaningful, socially interactive, actively engaging, iterative, and joyful - all of which are key characteristics of learning through play.

Academic performance is an important learning outcome, but it isn't the only one. Soft skills are harder to quantify but have been shown to help build resilience in children. The LEGO Foundation found that the inherent joy and affective nature of play, along with its stimulation of multiple brain networks, make play particularly effective in maintaining and developing the social and emotional skills needed to deal with challenging and changing circumstances, as well as the resilience and creativity to adapt. Play can help students reduce anxiety, take control of their own situations, strengthen social relationships, reduce complexity and imagine positive scenarios. All of these are the underpinnings of the kind of resilience needed in 2020 and beyond.
DEVELOPING CONFIDENCE AND RESILIENCE
According to a Harris Interactive survey, 95 percent of teachers believe hands-on learning builds students' confidence. And with confidence comes resilience. The survey found that students who are confident learners often are more prepared to face adversity head-on. Hands-on activities typically involve trial-and-error, which gives students a safe environment to work through frustrations and "bounce back" if they don't get it right on their first attempt. Students build resilience through meaningful failure. A recent article from the New York Times articulates this well, sharing ideas for how to talk to children about failure in an approachable way. The author outlines a 2016 study from Kyla Haimovitz, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, in which Haimovitz finds children are more easily derailed by their mistakes when their parents indicate that failure is shameful. In other words, when children are taught mistakes are okay, they can learn how to work through them instead of giving up or getting hung up on them.
INTEGRATING PLAYFUL LEARNING AT HOME
The classroom is an ideal setting for playful, hands-on learning, but students don't have to miss out on its benefits when they're at home or on summer break. There is an extensive assortment of free resources for ideas and activity starters online. Whether it's building with LEGO, learning the science behind gardening, or storytelling with math, there's an activity to accommodate every type of learner, topic or interest, grade level and material or environment available.

Hands-on activities are also a great tool for teachers and parents concerned about screen time or struggling to keep students engaged and motivated. Teaching STEAM concepts doesn't have to be intimidating since adding play makes it more accessible for parent and child. It can be as simple as building airplanes or race cars from craft supplies to teach motion, friction and aerodynamics. Kids can test different theories to see which of their designs successfully fly or drive. A LEGO Education Master Educator teaches computational and algorithmic thinking by making a PB&J sandwich. This fun and tasty activity is easy to do at home. Have your child tell you how to make this iconic dish, but only do it exactly as they instruct you. This is the same way your child would program a robot to complete a task. You'll both get a laugh when the direction isn't discrete and you smear jelly on the table, not the bread. The more children experience these small failures, through trial and error, and eventually succeed, the more they develop the elasticity to bounce back.
THE FUTURE IS STEAM
The way we live and work has been changing in light of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In a 2017 report, McKinsey estimated that by 2030 up to 375 million people may need to switch occupational categories and learn new skills. The pace of change isn't slowing down, and many predict the pandemic will only accelerate the adoption of automation. As a result, the demand for skilled workers will continue to grow, but will the pipeline of talent be there to support it?

Closing that growing skills gap starts in the classroom as we prepare students with the skills they need. Students need to learn technical STEAM skills like engineering, coding and programming, as well as soft skills. In fact, problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity top the list of skills needed to thrive according to the World Economic Forum. These are also the skills that are uniquely human and differentiate our role in an increasingly digital world.

These past few months have shown how rapidly our world can change and how valuable resilience and confidence continue to be. Through all this uncertainty, we have seen students, educators and parents rise to the occasion and embrace a growth mindset. These moments of resilience-big and small-will help lead the way forward, but our work doesn't stop there. Whether in living rooms and backyards or in physical or virtual classrooms, students need to continue building this resilience. With it, they will view challenges as opportunities, tap into their creativity and confidence to find solutions, and ultimately be better prepared to rebuild and reimagine the world around them.

Looking for ideas and inspiration for hands-on at-home learning? Check out https://www.lego.com/en-us/letsbuildtogether and https://education.lego.com/en-us/homeschool for playful building challenges, activity starters, lessons and more.

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Building Kids’ Resilience through Play Is More Crucial Than Ever

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It helps with social, emotional, physical and cognitive skills-and with schools closed, it’s more important than ever