What is Muddy Puddle Teacher Award?
The Muddy Puddle Teacher ® is a registered trademark and was created by teacher Sarah Seaman in 2018. Sarah used her teaching background and Level 3 Forest School training to fuse an approach that could be managed in educational settings no matter the size or surface and linked to the curriculum. The approach also uses only natural and upcycled materials which is a simple but unique quality to the approach to help reduce running costs, bond children with nature and reduce the time to prep and put down to 0%.
Pre- COVID Sarah has consulted and trained thousands of educators to then become a Muddy Puddle Teacher and has spent a lot of time fast-tracking them to become more confident outdoor learning practitioners, that easily manage going outside in all weathers, with variou group sizes.
Since 2019 the Muddy Puddle Teacher Training was made online and teachers can access a subscription and gain access to all of the training as well as hundreds of resources. Making life easier for you while getting the benefits of the Outdoors.
What are the training modules?
- Setting up the Approach (2 hours of reading & 2 hours of tasks)
This unit will take you into the basics of the approach, the ethos we use and how you can prepare practically for your outdoor practice. Our approach has been practiced and developed over 2 years to ensure we have an approach that works and is not another fad. We have considered weather, class sizes, money, resources and for that reason we only use natural materials. The tasks are reflective tasks often considering thoughts and research.
2. Linking to the Curriculum (2 hours reading & 2 hours tasks)
This section is going to help you master using natural and upcycled items while linking to the curriculum. It is an essential part of our approach to be able to go out there and use natural materials creatively in order for this approach to sustain. Tasks involve lesson planning and brainstorming.
3. Muddy Mindfulness (1 hour reading & 1 hour tasks)
This section will take you on a Wellbeing journey exploring the importance of this area for your children, their families and for yourself. You will also learn some muddy ways we practice wellbeing such as muddy yoga, muddy mindfulness, the walk and talk and happ toes. Tasks involve lesson plans and reflection.
4. Muddy Management (1 hour reading & 1 hour tasks)
This area will get you to consider all the smaller areas that may be relevant to you and need to be addressed for your outdoor learning to be a success e.g SEND, parental engagement, weather, safety, staff and support.
How am I assessed?
At the end of each stage you are asked to send your tasks to us, or you can send it all as one if you’re collaborating with colleagues and are on a whole school subscription.
It is then sent to qualified teachers who are muddy puddle teachers also working in school settings, for a review and they will then reply, awarding you the status or help you to gain the status.
Remember you also get access to 100’s of resources with the one subscription and access to further levels such as the Outdoor Learning Coordinators Course.
Is the course accredited?
Yes, it is CPD-Accredited by the CPD Group
Who can do the training?
Teachers, TA’s, Nursery Nurses, Early Years Educators, Childminders, Home Educators and Parents.
The training will get you to tailor the approach to your needs. So as long as you work with an academic curriculum the approach can work for you. We are UK based but we have many muddy and merry educators throughout the world in International Schools, US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
How can you join?
You can pay monthly at £5.99
Pay Yearly at £49.99
Or get a whole school subscription with up to 40% off discounts for over 5 people. Click here to get a quote.
