This lesson plan is a comprehensive lesson plan for how to use your senses in the Great Outdoors. I have used this as a stand-alone lesson with a group of 8 & 9-year-olds. It can be adapted to suit any age group and of course can be changed to suit the needs of the group. I used a variety of learning strategies to develop curiosity and overall interest. It seemed to work! More information can be found on www.garethmate.com

Plan for your adventures in the Great Outdoors with this basic Lesson Plan template. This Lesson Plan is suitable for activities in both KS1 and KS2. More information can be found on my website www.garethmate.com

Here is a Behaviour Plan that was designed and used for interventions during playtime football activities. It has been used several times before and agreed with the children beforehand. It can be adapted for any age group and this document is produced on MSWord.

This Outdoor Exploration Trail is an activity I have used many times before for school insets and workshops. It is open-ended and builds on enthusiasm and creativity in the outdoors. It has a cross-curricular approach and supports all different subject areas, and can easily be adapted to suit the needs of your group. I have added a list of resources that might help to support this activity. For more information please get in touch!

A lesson starter activity that gets all children talking and thinking about the questions posed. Questions more suitable for Upper KS2 children.

This a simple and enjoyable activity based around going for a walk in the school grounds or further afield. It is a walk with a twist and a curricular focus that can have a wonderful educational impact on learning back in the classroom.

This particular lesson builds on the Senses lesson, and it is a great lesson that builds upon Forest Schools skills. It focuses on colour and texture and encourages young learners to be more aware of their outdoor environment by paying more attention to the finer details of the natural world all around The lesson is structured to suit the needs of the individual, enables children to work in groups and has suggested links to other areas of the curriculum.

Experience the wonders of the Great Outdoors with this simple Observation Alphabet resource. For use in the outdoors and also back in the classroom. This resource is suitable for both KS1 and KS2 levels. It can be used as a stand-alone resource within a Forest Schools or Outdoor Learning context and can also support extended Literacy-based activities. The resources develops great self-awareness and further interest about the wider world around us. It also helps to develop simple Literacy skills through descriptive sentence work and poetry. More information can be found on my website www.garethmate.com

Here is a selection of thinking tasks that will support the History topic of Ancient Egyptians. There are 8 different thinking tasks that can be used in any History lesson. They can be delivered as a stand-alone activity or further developed into a mini topic, to support other ideas. These tasks are ideal for developing Creative Thinking and Speaking and Listening within your class. They can be used across both KS1 and KS2.

Outdoor Learning - A selection of Outdoor Learning Games for children of Primary School and Elementary age. I have provide 3 games here, which are easy to implement in the outdoors and are a great deal of fun for all children involved. They can be adapted and added to and I hope to have more to come soon.

Leaves are pretty fantastic, all different shapes, sizes and colours. They can be easily used as the ideal resource, which can help with Speaking and Listening activities, as well as Creative Writing tasks. I feel the possibilities are endless. I have compiled a simple activity that helps promote Creative Writing in your class. It can be adapted to suit the needs of the audience or age group. I have even added suitable suggestions for integrating ICT and the use of the iPad or Tablet. This task has been ideal for my class of 8 & 9 year olds, but can be easily adapted and used in all age ranges.

Weather Diary for any age range in KS1 or KS2. This simple resource allows the children to record the daily weather on a record sheet. They can match the weather to the specific day and record the results through writing and also pictures.

Outdoor Learning - Nature Walk resource. Nature Walk resource that can be implemented at both KS1 and KS2 levels. It can be used as a stand-alone resource within Forest Schools lessons and can also support Literacy-based activities in the classroom. Resources develop the use of our sense together with Literacy skills. More Outdoor resources will follow.

This is my second practical outdoor learning guide, and it forms part of my Explore, Learn, Create series. It is made up from practical notes and advice for you to use in both the classroom and the outdoors. This addition mainly focuses on fire lighting, how to build a campfire and learning opportunities within the outdoor setting.

Here is a selection of interesting writing prompts for you to use and enjoy. Let’s find a cool way of writing about the outdoors and sharing our interesting ideas with others. My website (http://www.garethmate.com) will eventually have more information about this.

Here is the first list of ideas in my series of Creative Writing prompts. The purpose of these writing prompts is to encourage both children and adults to get outside, be inspired by their natural surroundings and start writing. These prompts focus on Trees.

Basic Homework Template suitable for both KS1 and KS2. This resource is in Pdf format, but it can also be available in MSWord. You can find more information on my website www.garethmate.com

This is a Geography resource that focuses on World Rivers. It provides appropriate information about the world’s major rivers. Asks questions and allows children to study a river of choice and provide a suitable presenation that focuses on what they have found out. This resource is more suitable for KS2 children. More information can be found on my website www.garethmate.com

This is a MS Word document that is easily adaptable to suit your needs. It focuses on a local river study and also includes opportunities to develop feedback and evaluate your progress. It is ideal to support the topic of rivers and can also be used as Homework research topic. I have used this with my Year 4 Class and they were really positive about it. It was completed independently and then discussed as small groups.

Noughts and Crosses Game. A very simple game to be played in the Outdoors, using a variety of different natural materials and based on the traditional game. Simple to set up and implement, loved by children of all ages. www.garethmate.com