Childhood Living The Natural Life

Using natural materials outside is fabulous you can use them to create items from mobiles and clay heads to shelters/ Consider the properties of different natural material and help children learn to recognise some of their key features.

This can be anything from using mud to make : mud gingerbread in connection with the " Gingerbread story"

To making mud troll faces due the "Three Billy Goat Gruff "

Use your garden or your school grounds or a local park etc to discover and identify a range of trees and plats. Activities will vary slightly depending on age? ability, but will include the role of plants, leaves, roots and stems and an introduction to photosynthesis ( the requirement for light, water and air why leaves are green and the leaf being a powerhouse for the plant)


And as I was doing the other day with a group of reception tying in with the subject of Spring looking for signs of new life in nature : Looking for buds, daffodils, bird nests etc ...

Why not go kite flying ? It's a perfect way to see nature all around you.

In the words of Mary Poppins "Lets go fly a kite "

History in the making :Hero or villain ?

There are times when a reputation will stick whether its warranted or not such in the case of King Richard.
Was he a hero or was he a villain?
Who knows?

Wandering old Leicester takes me back to my architectural inspection days my eye is always trained for seventeenth brickwork or a sash window after 1850. If my family lose me I am usually to be found by diaper brickwork or a cruck A frame . If we are in a church well that's it I have to hold myself back from giving a full health inspection ...

Childhood explored: How to learn in play

The weather you have to admit has been bizarre snow in March , I know its not unheard of but when the skies are blue you do began to wonder somewhat. Spring is such a joyous theme for crafting and for  children's learning.

• You can aid a child's learning so much much! but avoid going into closed questing ( How many ? What colour What size ?)
• Take some time to observe and find out what your children are playing and what their roles and intentions are.
• Think if you need to enter the play and for what purposes ( such as offering suggestions, introducing new ideas or vocabulary , noise or behaviour management, extending the play or negotiating entry for another child.
• Try and play on the children's terms by taking on a role that they suggest, and following the children's instructions. With younger children . just participating and imitating the children's actions with the same type of materials will signal that you are in tune and start a playful interaction.
• Offer your own ideas when you are sure that they are consistent with the flow of play.
• Always be aware of the qualities of play, and to the knowledge and skills that children are using and applying.

Having a Natural Childhood.

There is much to be said for a natural childhood , but what is a natural childhood these days ? In a fast pace media world?

You can can argue that you can not have a natural childhood if you live in a concrete jungle this is not true there are ways that you can encourage and support a natural childhood.

Outdoor learning

To step out of the classroom is to step into an adventure , we need to remind ourselves that going outside is fun- an adventure for us , it as much fun for us as it is for our children. You don't have to go far, you don't even have to get on a bus.

Don't worry what you haven't got , make the most what is there.

You need to start with excitement we live in a world worth celebrating. We have to remind ourselves that although we need to work safely, meet the curriculum targets, satisfy our expectations as parents etc.

We need to step back, think and plan, and be ready to accept the unexpected.

Encourage exploration this can be as simple as going outside when it's frosty ( make sure you wrap up warm!) going outside when it's frosty you and your children can see footprints in frosted grass.


We need to encourage exploration / investigation and listen to our children and respect their discoveries. We need to trust our children and let go of our own worries. Meeting things is a challenge being creative can simply mean encouraging children to use their imaginations and even ourselves !

Give them a postcard and pencil and let them take themselves off.

Percy the park keeper is a good tool for younger children in expanding the activity.

If outside is a barrier sort it out as best as you can.

Go outside and build a natural childhood.

Going outside and building a natural childhood is all about building emotional intelligence.



It seems there is some debate about the modern childhood being over by the age of 12 hence the compilation of potty lists and things to do before the age of 12.



Encourage children to get on their knees as they can explore close up .. you don't need expensive kneelers , old mouse mats will do.

Make up your own story book, have a story walk a simple leaf can have a grand adventure plan a route for it : have a secret huddle ! always provide opportunities for the story to finish most things in life reach a natural conclusion.

Make a story out of your journey "Where does this path go to  ? is it a magical land of giants ?"

So get out there GO NUTS and explore :The world is ours is we just need to claim it back.

GO NUTS about going outside and exploring !

I recently went to a Forest school day as part of my role as A SEN teaching assistant.

One door shuts

It's been a hectic week ..

Man flu has hit the household twice ...

It's been a busy week at school ..

Just busy .. I need to relax and rewind.

I didn't get out as much as I wanted I had problems with my blog .

I had problems with a delivery ..

I had problems with the flowers being delivered to my Mother for Mother's Day ...

Argh but there are people with worse problems ..