Benefits of Outdoor Education

       

“Must we always teach our children with books? Let them look at the mountains and the stars up above. Let them look at the beauty of the waters and the trees and flowers on earth. They will then begin to think, and to think is the beginning of a real education.” – David Polis

‘Experiential outdoor education is an educational approach to outdoor play and learning.’ The philosophy, similar to that of Forest Schools, is to encourage and inspire individuals of any age and ability to learn through positive outdoor experiences.

Participants engage in motivating and achievable tasks and activities in an outdoor environment. It supports each participant to have the opportunity to develop intrinsic motivation, sound physical, emotional and social skills and develop creative thinking. The programmes are aimed at developing and reaching personal potential.

Learning in an active manner helps individuals to use their own initiative to solve problems and co-operate with others increasing confidence and self esteem, through a wide range of activities which include:

• Working with natural objects
• Learning about fire; fire building skills
• Outdoor cooking
• Learning about making objects from wood with tools
• Exploring the natural environment
• Working with and from the animals that live here: chickens, ducks, sheep and pigs.

Our programme incorporates cross-curricular areas of learning, for example, to focus on developing interest and learning in science, history, geography, environmental issues, art, literacy etc.

Experiential Outdoor Learning

Our philosophy of learning at Core is that we all learn best when we are actively involved in the process of discovery. For the most part this involves a hands-on, practical element that teaches the whole body. For this reason as much as is practical our learning takes place outside without the constraints of the physical boundaries of a classroom. By learning through doing the learner has the opportunity to fully understand the processes from start to finish, appreciating the physical skills as well as the theoretical knowledge needed to achieve a goal.

Teaching is listening, learning is talking. This wonderful rule of thumb, from the educator and writer, Deborah Meier, reminds us that real learning comes, in large part, from being actively involved in the educational moment.