Outdoor Learning
Additional lockdown outdoor learning opportunities
The children can search for sights, sounds and smells during their daily walk. Older children could use this a-to-z-for-journey and younger children might like this treasure hunt.
The temperature has dropped and there are no berries on the trees. You can help the birds by making a bird feeder.
Watch the birds which come to eat the seeds and see if you can spot different breeds with this birdy-surveys
Come and pick up a tête-à-tête (small multi-headed daffodil) bulb and a couple of buttercup, honesty or forget-me-not seedlings from school as part of your daily walk. We aim to provide more seedlings over the coming weeks.
Here is an idea for names-and-labels for your plant pot seedlings.
Ideas for activities and links to websites can be found here
Outdoor Learning at Heathbrook
We are the lead school in Lambeth for outdoor learning with all year groups following the Natural Thinkers Curriculum. We follow an outdoor curriculum based on ‘Forest School’ principles and gardening which was developed by staff and pupils at Heathbrook and adapted for all Lambeth children.
Pupils in Early Years have free-flow access to their own gardens while Year 1 and 2 pupils have their own ‘Oasis’ garden immediately accessible from classrooms. All pupils have regular lessons in the Wildlife Garden where they learn to use tools, develop gardening skills and nurture the flora and fauna. We have a pond and a bog that are homes to our frogs and newts.
The school community has been involved in developing all of our outdoor learning spaces through projects such as Growing Together and Big Digs. Nursery pupils sell their produce to parents at the ‘Nursery Market’ whilst older pupils sell our produce at the Venn Street Farmers’ Market. Read even more about our Outdoor Learning provision…
Recent Outdoor Learning News
Coffee Collectors
Our parents have been supporting our outdoor learning by collecting coffee grounds from local coffee shops. As you'll see below, they end up in our compost bins. Coffee grounds are very rich in nitrogen and [...]
Spring is coming!
It's February and our plants around the school grounds must know it! Please enjoy some of these photos from our Wildlife Garden, playground and main entrance. Snowdrops are a clear sign of Spring and look [...]
Planting bulbs at home
As part of our lockdown gardening together opportunities, we are providing small daffodil bulbs for everyone to grow at home. Just drop in to the office on one of your daily exercise outings and select [...]
Lockdown Growing at Home – again!
Following the incredible success of our growing at home project during the last school lockdown, we are providing bulbs and seedlings for you to care for at home together. At the end of last term, [...]
Christmas tree bases
This January we are again encouraging families to collect and bring in Christmas tree bases for the children to use in school. As well as providing everyone with delicious pizzas from our pizza oven at [...]
Winding down in the Wildlife garden
After a busy week preparing and performing Magical Moments in Narnia, the Starlings had some relaxing in the garden and learned how to prepare and feed the fire in the Kelly kettle. What [...]