Education outdoors – in the school grounds or further afield – is widely recognised as making a valuable contribution to children’s development in all areas of the curriculum, including ‘areas of learning’ at Foundation Stage, and ‘subjects’ at Key Stage 1 and beyond.

Based on an account of Cornwall’s Education Action Zone project, ‘Kernow Woodland Learning’, this book provides an in-depth exploration of how to plan, implement and assess a rigorous and thorough outdoor early years curriculum that complements classroom-based learning and meets the Early Learning Goals through its:

specific emphasis on planning, based on the Foundation Stage’s six areas of learning

detailed accounts of children’s woodland-based sessions, which illustrate how they meet the requirements of the statutory curriculum

inclusion of plans, formative and summative records to demonstrate how particular sessions address specific learning intentions

consideration of the adult’s role, in terms of training, preparation and administration as well as in supporting learning

coverage of issues such as risk assessment and health and safety.

Practical and accessible, this is ideal for early years practitioners looking to develop a specific outdoor learning curriculum plan and as a model for those working with Key Stage 2 and beyond.