The sun may be getting a little lower on the horizon this Autumn, but that’s no worry for Beach Schools South West! What’s a little wind and drizzle between friends when you are having fun on the shoreline? Read on for top ideas to get kids outdoors and having fun, and just what a difference a few hours of outdoor play can make to your child's health and happiness.
We are delighted to be working in partnership with Muddy Puddles and share their philosophy that getting outdoors drives 'Amazing memories, better concentration, better imaginations and healthier bodies'. We’d love you to come on some sessions with us to see for yourselves how amazing Beach Schools are. But if you can’t make it with us then here are some fun games to play with your own little ones when you take them down to the shoreline.
- Draw giant animals in the sand. With slight drizzle in the air, the sand is the perfect texture to draw in at this of year.
- Make some beach art with found shells and stones. Maybe a mermaid, dragon, giant crab or a shark?
- Beach-comb for old nets, wood and debris and make a pirate ship to sail away on.
- Take a favourite toy down to the beach and make them a palace (see this lovely picture of ‘Nellie’s Castle’!)
- Collect sea creatures such as washed up crabs and see how the sizes and creatures vary.
- See how big you can make a giant tower of stones before it topples over.
The Muddy Puddles Get Outdoors campaign not only encourages children and parents to do just that, but also to encourage this culture to spread through nurseries and schools in the form of outdoor education. We know that there is nowhere better to get to grips with science, nature, maths, geography, geology, art, health and safety, team building and history than on the beach! We would like to see every child have access to learning on the shoreline. Children who find it difficult to engage in the classroom benefit from learning in the outdoors. As environmentalist Erin Kenny points out: “children cannot bounce off the walls if we take away the walls.” Hundreds of children are still enjoying our Teach on the Beach sessions where they have fun learning curriculum-linked subjects, bringing them to life in a practical hands-on way while getting wet and blown, sandy and soggy in the wild. There are loads more things that you can do on the beach, the only limit is your imagination. Each session we do is led by a fully qualified practitioner and made up just for that family or school - the fire building and marshmallow toasting on the beach and dunes is particularly popular. These children are getting a priceless education outdoors which will transform their lives. Here at Beach Schools South West inspiration is the name of the game and our quote of the month sums it up: "
Children cannot learn by textbooks and computers alone. They need to experience the real world for themselves if they are truly to understand their role within it and the part they can play in the future " - Real World Learning. Have fun out there and come and see us when you can, there’s nothing we like more than to teach on the beach!
For more outdoor learning and ideas to get your kids outdoors see our Cooking & Craft section here.
See our resident Muddy photographer Roy's stunning pictures of his trip to the Lake District, featuring our Muddy base layers here.
