‘Come outside’: Making a splash

BEST PRACTICE

Come outside: making a splash!

Ruth Richardson, an early years development officer at the Alliance, walks us through a day at a ‘beach school’

Ruth, an early years development officer, is responsible for writing and delivering CPD resources that support best practice for early years providers.

What is ‘beach school’?

Beach school is what it says on the tin, really – learning, but in a seaside environment!

It’s very similar in ethos to forest school, with both encouraging children to explore the abundance of the natural world while being mindful of protecting them. They also provide opportunities to experience different types and levels of risk and challenge, and, of course, they include many opportunities to experience awe and wonder firsthand – looking at the sparkling dew drops on spider webs or uncovering a fascinating fossil, for example.

Many children across the country – but particularly those living in city centres – have never seen the seaside in real life before, so beach school isn’t just a way to increase their knowledge of nature, but an integral way of broadening their experiences.

That’s why the Alliance’s early years development team headed out to the beach for two days, exploring the myriad ways of using the seaside for learning.

The different activities

After the all-important safety briefing, we headed straight for the beach, considering how to keep the children safe over such an expansive space before heading off to explore. We talked about these rules and the reasons why with the children before getting started.
It quickly became clear that there was a lot to see and do already on the beach, meaning that we didn’t have any equipment weighing us down and instead got to make use of the natural resources around us.
After 30 minutes of exploring, we regrouped to share our finds – ranging from shells to seaweed – where we talked about the different shapes, textures, and colours of each, comparing different finds with one another.
In the rock pools, we found even more interesting things – a lobster being the most exciting!
We also learned some new technical vocabulary, discussing coastal erosion, manmade sea defences, and rock formations.

Learning and wellbeing benefits

Beach school provides very natural learning opportunities for children, including young children. The chance to spend a whole two days at the beach and consider this experience with a group of children – including the ever-changing expanse of sea and sky, the weather patterns, and the tides – was both inspiring and motivational.

As a ‘classroom’, the setting offers lots of different types of learning opportunities to suit different learners, helping to make the knowledge more memorable for children.

In fact, it’s easy to see how the whole curriculum can be covered in just this one environment – including the benefits to children’s language and communication skills as well as their personal development, growth in confidence, and independence.

A key aspect of beach school, however, is the way in which it allows children to learn when and how much to challenge themselves, teaching them to trust their instincts and push their own limits.

The Early Years Alliance is launching a package of outdoor learning opportunities for educators, with booking slots from April 2024 onwards now open.

Courses are delivered by trained, experienced early years professionals and can be delivered either online or face to face – although some practical courses may only be available for face-to-face delivery.

Topics include:

Introduction to outdoor learning
Introduction to beach school practice Introduction to forest school practice Risky play
Delivering outdoor baby and toddler groups
Practical activity ideas for outdoor learning (delivered outdoors)
Gardening

These topics can even be bundled together to make full or half-day packages to suit your team.

To book one of our inspirational outdoor learning sessions in 2024, visit: bit.ly/Insp-outdoor-learning-training.

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