Leading Liquid Learning Outside - Growing Outdoor Champions by Kathryn Solly

This blog is about you, your essential leadership and outdoors. It is a chance for you to reflect upon opportunities to be a bolder and braver leader in what you provide, to gain ideas and consider how you give the best you can outdoors. We will:

• Consider the benefits of learning outdoors.
• Look at how outdoor environments can support the whole of the EYFS.
• Learn about some of the common issues about outdoor learning. 
• Encourage aspects of challenge, adventure, risk and their links to learning.
• Gain ideas about the possibilities of play and learning outdoors.

Children have played outdoors throughout time. Now in our settings and schools, play and learning opportunities are maximised through adults who use careful observation, positive interactions based upon a sound understanding of child development by championing outdoors. Ideally your outdoor environment should value all children and families by offering stimulating resources relevant to all cultures and communities via rich, playful and sensitive leadership.

Children must be given:

• real choices
• chances to take risks and rise to appropriate challenges.
• the means to extend their independence
• genuine value for their ideas, critical thinking, problem-solving and solutions
• opportunities to concentrate for long periods on interests
• time to consolidate their skills and wellbeing.

KATHRYN SOLLY