Learning Through Exploration, Movement & Wonder
Minibeasts KS1: Outdoor Learning Ideas is a practical, outdoor-first resource designed to help teachers deliver a rich minibeasts topic through hands-on, child-led learning. Using the Muddy Puddle Teacher approach, this pack supports meaningful learning across the KS1 curriculum through exploration, movement, talk, and curiosity — without worksheets, tables, or pressure to produce perfect outcomes.
All activities are designed to take place outdoors and use simple, reusable resources such as hoops, bamboo, chalk and chalk pens, cones, ropes, clay, and natural materials including sticks, leaves, soil, stones, and water. Children learn by noticing, investigating, building, moving, and asking questions about the natural world.
What’s Included
-
Outdoor minibeasts activities organised by KS1 curriculum subject areas
-
Detailed ideas for:
-
Maths
-
Science
-
English
-
Art & Design
-
Computing (unplugged)
-
Design & Technology
-
Geography
-
History
-
Music
-
PE
-
RE
-
PSHE / RSE
-
Languages (KS2 extension)
-
-
Clear guidance to support child-led exploration and talk
-
Activities suitable for Year 1 and Year 2, with flexibility for mixed abilities
Why This Pack Works
-
Fully aligned with KS1 curriculum expectations, taught outdoors
-
Encourages curiosity, observation, movement, and collaboration
-
Inclusive and suitable for SEN-friendly practice
-
Low-prep and low-cost, using resources schools already have
-
Ideal for outdoor learning, forest school, and nature-based provision
Learning Through Minibeasts
This resource supports children’s development in:
-
Scientific enquiry and observation
-
Spoken language and vocabulary
-
Early maths and problem-solving
-
Creativity, design, and imagination
-
Physical development and coordination
-
Emotional wellbeing, confidence, and teamwork
Perfect For
-
KS1 classrooms
-
Minibeasts topics and science units
-
Outdoor learning and forest school sessions
-
Inclusive and SEND-friendly settings
-
Teachers seeking meaningful, pressure-free learning outdoors
Minibeasts KS1: Outdoor Learning Ideas gives teachers permission to step back and gives children the space to explore, move, investigate, and wonder — turning outdoor play into powerful, curriculum-linked learning.
