Welly Wednesdays and the Outdoors

We access our outdoor provision every day and we provide a range of stimulating activities and resources as part of our EYFS curriculum. On Wednesdays we provide additional enhanced, fun and messy outdoor activities involving mud, water and other natural resources- we call these days Welly Wednesdays.  

We visit our school pet chickens and help to look after them.  

Each class has their own vegetable patch, we love to grow our own potatoes and make our own home cooked chips for snack.  Gardening is part our learning and we all have jobs to look after our plants and trees. 
 

We believe the outdoor area provides our children with one of the best possible environments in which to learn.  It is our aim that our children experience joy and excitement as they learn new skills and make fresh discoveries.

We have staff trained in 'Forest Schools' who help us to plan outdoor learning.  Staff have accompanied us to our local woodland area where we made a fire and the most delicious 'S'mores!' 
 

Some of the benefits of enjoying the outdoor provision include:

• Improves health and well-being
• Improves social skills when working together.
• Promotes independence. 
• Encourages children to take risks, explore and get creative.
• The sensory experience of listening to and feeling different weather conditions such as the wind, rain, and snow. 
• Discovering about seasons and the changes that happen in the environment such as crunchy leaves falling off the trees
• Holistic development
• Learning to manage the new risks that come with different weathers such as drinking lots of water and sun cream when it’s hot, or being careful of ice when it’s cold

• Discovering about living things in the environment when the weather changes, E.g. snails may come out when it rains!

• New EYFS learning experiences such as painting with wet mud when it’s raining or catching rain in containers and talking about quantities and numbers
• Plus many fun activities such as den building to keep dry or to provide shelter from the sun, splashing in puddles, crunching leaves, mini beast hunting and much more. 

Have a look at our photo gallery to see some of the fun we have had!