How learning in the great outdoors evolves into a sense of responsibility for nature

How learning in the great outdoors evolves into a sense of responsibility

The importance of playing and learning outdoors

Many schools are keen to get their pupils playing and learning outdoors and Naomi Bartholomew, Headmistress of St Catherine’s Prep School Bramley, believes that it is never the ‘wrong weather’, only the ‘wrong clothes’. “At our school, we encourage the children to wrap up, get their wellies on and be outside playing and learning whenever possible. Playtime should be fun and the great outdoors offers the freedom to be truly creative in play. I have spent many a happy hour outdoors watching children exchanging leaves for conkers at their ‘nature shops’ or discovering freely within the outdoor space. At St Catherine’s, we are also able to take learning outside for activities such as exploring the journey ‘from seed to plate’, where the children grow vegetables and use them in cookery. Gardening clubs can also provide opportunities for those who are keen and green fingered - planting, weeding and looking after our raised beds and pots. Like us, many schools now have outdoor classrooms or eco-cabins.”

Is this all too idyllic? I think not. What is important is that children have a childhood and a school life that is happy and fulsome. It is crucial that children have the opportunity to look beyond their immediate surroundings to local, national and global concerns. A rich curriculum and supporting charitable works, I cannot think of a better start for children than this.

Caroline Willis and Nabila Gordon, Eco Committee Co-ordinators of St Catherine’s Senior School believe an appreciation of nature nurtured in Prep School translates into a sense of responsibility for our natural world in the Senior School. “We have a very active Eco Committee which is part of the exciting new local school network ‘Surrey Environmental Action in Schools’. Last year the girls orchestrated a schoolwide food waste survey asking for feedback from staff and girls on ways to reduce food waste and have worked with our Caterers to implement change. This Spring they have helped to re-plant a wildflower meadow in the grounds of our 25-acre site to attract more natural flora and fauna. Their next initiative is to introduce an air pollution monitor to assess air quality levels and see what action can be taken to create an even greener environment for St Catherine’s girls.”

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