Why take learning outdoors?
Being outdoors and active is a vital part of growing up and living a healthy and fulfilled life. Outdoor learning benefits children, young people and adults alike. It engages our hearts through what we feel and the emotions we experience; our heads through what we think, see and say; and our hands through our physical experiences including how we move through the space the outdoors provides. Outdoor learning can happen anywhere – from the school grounds to local greenspace, from the high street to national parks; from outside your front door to the rest of the world.
Outdoor learning resources
To see a full range of online curriculum resources for outdoor learning please visit our Outdoor Learning /Learning for Sustainability Wakelet. This bank of resources has been collated in partnership with a wide range of outdoor learning and Learning for Sustainability organisations to meet the needs of practitioners across a wide range of sectors.
Key outdoor learning policies and documents
- Curriculum for Excellence through Outdoor Learning (2010)
- Curriculum for Excellence through Outdoor Learning - Gaelic version (2010)
- Outdoor Learning: Practical guidance, ideas and support for teachers and practitioners in Scotland (Education Scotland, 2009)
- Learning for Sustainability: the Report of the One Planet Schools Working Group (2012)
- Vision 2030+ Report and Learning for Sustainability Action Plan
- Scotland’s Coalition for Outdoor Play and Learning Position Statement
- Out to Play: practical guidance on creating outdoor play experiences for children (2020)
- Space to Grow: Design guidance for early learning and childcare services and out of care services (2017)
- Suitability Core Fact: Building Better Schools (School estate guidance, 2017)
- Policy Scotland - Outdoor Learning Briefing Paper (June 2020)
- Managing Risk in Outdoor Learning
- PDF file: Building your curriculum: Outside and In
- PDF file: Building Your Curriculum: Outside and In - Reflection Tool
- Successful Approaches to Learning Outdoors: A Thematic Review by Education Scotland (Feb 2022)
COVID-related guidance
- Scottish Government Advice for Schools: Visits and Trips Autumn Term 2020 (August 2020)
- Outdoor Education Centres: Fit for the future (August 2020)
- Education recovery and support from outdoor education centres
- COVID-19 Outdoor Education Recovery Fund Report (Feb 2022)
Further resources and support
- A summary of Learning for Sustainability resources
- Outdoor Learning Directory (Scotland) - a one stop shop to outdoor learning services provided by Scottish public bodies for environment, forestry, heritage and education
- National Network of Outdoor Learning (Scotland): Map of Outdoor Learning and Play Providers – interactive map
- Going Out There - Scottish framework for safe practice in off-site visits
- Playtime revolution – a resource from Grounds for Learning
- Forest Kindergarten approach – learning outdoors with confidence
- PDF file: Religious and moral education through outdoor learning (1.1 MB)
Professional learning
- Support for professional development in outdoor learning
- Coming up! Education Scotland outdoor learning webinar programme
- Teaching Learning Outdoors - online professional learning course from SAPOE and Education Scotland
- Supporting Learning Outdoors - online professional learning course from SAPOE
- Recorded outdoor learning webinars on YouTube
- How awards can help you take learning outdoors (April 2021)
- Social studies and outdoor learning (May 2021)
- A Headteacher’s journey (Aug 2020)
- Four contexts and outdoor learning (Sept 2020)
- Using digital tools to capture, create and share outdoor learning (Sept 2020)
- Learning outdoors - Numeracy and Mathematics (Sept 2020)
- Outdoor learning with a focus on additional support needs (Nov 2020)
- Literacy in the outdoors (Nov 2020)
- RME in the outdoors (Nov 2020)
- Gender differences in the outdoors (Nov 2020)
- Outdoor learning - what can we learn from research
- Outdoor learning and early level
Research
- Policy briefings: Learning for Sustainability and outdoor learning
- Brilliant residentials (Learning Away): The use of residential experiences and their impact on attainment
- Transforming outdoor learning in schools: lessons from the natural connections project
- Natural Connections Demonstration Project, 2012-2016: Final report and analysis of the key evaluation questions
- More than just a ski trip. The importance of relationships in the development of positive characteristics: a study analysing the efficacy of a school expedition as a context for, and a driver of, character development
- Outdoor learning in Scottish education
- NatureScot: Learning in local greenspace – an evaluation report (2022)
Case studies
Early Learning and Childcare
- Learning outdoors with confidence: Newmains Family Learning Centre, North Lanarkshire
- Get the bairns oot! An outdoor kindergarten in Norway
Primary
- All about the bees! Logan Primary School, East Ayrshire
- 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
CLD