How Nature in Winter Can Be Used for Learning

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How Nature in Winter Can Be Used for Learning

Winter is a fantastic time for outdoor learning, and even though it’s colder, it can still be a wonderful time of year to get outside. If you have an outside canopy to teach lessons under, it can help prevent your lessons from being disrupted by adverse weather. Outside learning can be enhanced by having a sheltered place to teach under.

Much of the curriculum can be taught outside, so here are some fun ideas.

Design and Technology

Design and technology is a great lesson to teach outside. During winter, with Christmas around the corner, you’ve got some great opportunities for woodwork lessons. You could try making simple picture frames, clocks, or Christmas decorations for gifts. You could then decorate these with natural items.

You could also combine your woodwork lessons with biology and make some bug houses to place around the school field. If you hold your woodwork lessons under your school canopy, you’ll be out of the wind and rain.

Plants

You can still get ready to grow plants as a project in the autumn. Especially if you have a greenhouse where you can grow salad or herbs. This is a great way to learn about the anatomy of plants, and gardening is a great skill to develop that many children might not have the opportunity to experience at home.

Mindfulness

Connecting with nature outside is an important aspect of wellbeing, and you can teach this as a skill in PSHE lessons. Make being outdoors fun, such as winter nature hunts, and encourage the children to connect with their senses. This can have a positive effect on the children’s learning for the rest of the day and help them learn some important life skills.

Nature in Literature

You could encourage your class to use nature in their writing, and they will be inspired by writing outside. An ideal lesson for this would be learning to write poetry about nature. When they are immersed in nature they will find it much easier to describe. They could also decorate their poems with natural materials or artwork inspired by what they see.

Conclusion

Learning outside can enhance your pupils’ ability to retain information and support their wellbeing. If you have a canopy it can be easier to teach outside as you won’t be disrupted by adverse weather and can learn outside throughout the year, especially in winter. What ideas do you have for learning about nature in winter? Let us know in the comments.

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How Nature in Winter Can Be Used for Learning

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