Outdoor Learning & Nature-Based Activities for Primary Schools
Dive into the wonders of the ocean through hands-on Forest School learning. Forest School: Seas & Oceans is a practical, ready-to-use pack of outdoor learning ideas designed to help primary school teachers explore ocean themes through creativity, investigation and play in woodland or outdoor spaces.
Created by The Muddy Puddle Teacher®, this resource helps teachers bring the Seas and Oceans topic outdoors, transforming school grounds, forests and fields into immersive environments where children explore marine life, sustainability and coastal environments through active learning.
Instead of simply reading about oceans, children build, investigate, create and problem-solve outdoors, developing curiosity and a deeper connection with nature.
🌿 What’s Inside the Pack
This Forest School pack includes structured outdoor activities and child-led exploration ideas, including:
🔥 Fire Circle Activities
Campfire discussions about explorers, ocean survival and the science of heat and light. Activities encourage reflection, storytelling and safe fire routines.
🛠 Tool-Based Learning
Children practise safe tool use while creating driftwood boats, carving sea creatures and building lighthouse structures using natural materials.
🌿 Child-Led Exploration
Ocean-themed play environments where pupils create underwater worlds, rescue missions and coastal settlements using loose parts.
🌊 Environmental Learning
Activities exploring marine ecosystems, ocean food chains and the impact of plastic pollution.
🌱 The Muddy Puddle Teacher® Outdoor Toolkit
The pack uses simple sustainable outdoor resources to create engaging learning environments:
🌈 Coloured ropes to create oceans, maps and marine diagrams on the ground
🎋 Bamboo grids for storytelling, mapping and investigations
🪵 Clay to model sea creatures and underwater habitats
🟢 Hoop method for sorting marine animals and food chains
🔺 Cones and chalk pens for labelling discoveries and ideas
These tools transform playgrounds and woodland spaces into interactive ocean classrooms.
⭐ Why Teachers Love This Pack
✔ Encourages curiosity and environmental awareness
✔ Builds teamwork, resilience and creativity
✔ Supports inclusive learning and SEND engagement
✔ Reduces planning time with ready-to-use ideas
✔ Links science, geography and PSHE through outdoor learning
✔ Perfect for Forest School sessions and topic-based learning
👩🏫 Perfect For
Forest School leaders
Primary school teachers
Outdoor learning coordinators
Schools teaching Seas and Oceans topics
Nature-based and experiential learning environments
🌊 Explore the Ocean Without Leaving the Forest
With this Forest School: Seas & Oceans activity pack, children discover the mysteries of the sea while surrounded by nature. Through storytelling, building, investigating and imaginative play, pupils develop a deeper understanding of marine environments and their responsibility to protect them.
Because sometimes the best way to learn about the ocean…
is to start by stepping outside.
