What do you actually need to begin outdoor learning in a primary school?
The answer is much less than you might think.
You do not need a forest, an expensive outdoor classroom, specialist equipment or an entirely new curriculum. To get started, you need:
- A clear learning objective
- A safe outdoor space
- Simple routines and expectations
- Suitable clothing
- A small collection of flexible resources
- Adults who feel confident enough to begin
At The Muddy Puddle Teacher®, we help schools take the curriculum they already teach and deliver parts of it outdoors through movement, talk, investigation and practical experience.
If you are completely new to teaching outside, begin with our Beginner’s Guide to Outdoor Learning.
What Is Outdoor Learning in a Primary School?
Outdoor learning is not an additional subject or a reward for finishing the “real work”.
It is a way of teaching existing curriculum objectives outside.
Children might:
- Build a large multiplication grid using bamboo canes
- Jump along a chalk number line
- Explore story questions written on cones
- Sort natural objects inside hoops
- Create characters from clay
- Step through a rope story portal
- Construct a timeline across the playground
- Investigate habitats, shadows, weather or materials
The curriculum objective remains important. We are simply changing how children experience it.
Read more about the approach in our complete guide: What Is Outdoor Learning?
1. A Clear Learning Objective
Successful outdoor learning begins with the learning—not the activity.
Before choosing your resources, ask:
What do I want the children to know, understand or be able to do?
You can then consider whether the outdoors could help children:
- See the concept more clearly
- Build or physically represent it
- Move while learning
- Talk and collaborate
- Investigate something real
- Rehearse ideas before writing
- Demonstrate understanding in a different way
Outdoor learning is most effective when the space and resources have been chosen because they improve the learning.
2. A Simple Outdoor Space
Primary schools do not need woodland to teach outdoors.
Outdoor learning can happen on:
- A concrete playground
- A small courtyard
- A school field
- A pathway
- A garden
- A quiet corner of the grounds
- A covered outdoor area
- A local park
A concrete playground can be particularly useful for chalk number lines, story maps, large shapes, spelling trails, physical graphs and practical maths.
It is not the size or beauty of the space that matters. It is how purposefully you use it.
3. Clear Outdoor Routines
Children need to understand that outdoor learning is still learning.
Before beginning, establish:
- The area children may use
- A clear stop and listening signal
- A gathering point
- How equipment should be carried
- How children will move between activities
- What to do when they need help
- How resources will be collected and returned
Start with short, structured lessons while children learn the routines. Confidence and independence will build through regular practice.
For further guidance, explore our 50 Outdoor Learning Safety Tips for Schools.
4. Suitable Outdoor Clothing
Children learn better when they are comfortable.
Depending on the season, schools may need:
- Waterproof coats
- Suitable outdoor shoes or wellies
- Warm layers
- Hats and gloves
- Sun hats
- Water bottles
- Spare socks or clothing
Outdoor learning does not have to stop whenever the weather changes. However, sessions should always be adapted, postponed or brought indoors if conditions become unsafe.
5. A Small, Flexible Outdoor Learning Kit
You do not need a different set of equipment for every subject.
At The Muddy Puddle Teacher®, we repeatedly use the same simple resources across EYFS, KS1 and KS2.
Bamboo Canes
Bamboo canes can be used to create:
- 2D shapes and 3D shape nets
- Multiplication grids and arrays
- Number and phoneme frames
- Timelines
- Classification grids
- Large diagrams
- Maps and routes
- Skeletons and animal outlines
In maths, children could arrange bamboo canes to make the net of a square-based pyramid. In history, the same canes could form a large chronological timeline.
Cones and Chalk Pens
Write directly onto reusable plastic cones using liquid chalk pens.
Use them for:
- Who, what, where, when, why and how questions
- Phonics and spelling trails
- Vocabulary stations
- Sentence-building activities
- Maths answer points
- Place-value challenges
- Instructions and directional language
- Story sequencing
- Retrieval questions
Children can move between the cones, discuss each prompt and build an answer together. This creates a genuine reason to talk, explain and listen.
Chunky Chalk
Chalk turns an ordinary playground into a large-scale learning space.
Use it to create:
- Number lines
- Hundred squares
- Arrays
- Graphs
- Maps
- Story journeys
- Phoneme frames
- Sentence-building activities
- Life-size diagrams
- Labels and annotations
- Symmetry challenges
The work can be much larger than anything children could produce in a book. They can move through it, change it and explain it before recording their learning indoors.
Natural Modelling Clay
Clay is tactile, reusable and effective across the curriculum.
Children can make:
- Characters for storytelling
- Models of minibeasts
- Animal adaptations
- Landforms
- Fossils
- Historical artefacts
- Habitats
- Faces showing different emotions
- Story settings using clay and natural materials
Clay can be combined with bark, leaves, sticks, stones, feathers and seed heads to create detailed models without relying on plastic craft materials.
Hoops
Hoops are useful for far more than PE.
Try using them for:
- Sorting and classifying
- Venn diagrams
- Grouping numbers
- Exploring fractions
- Comparing characters
- Sequencing a story
- Organising natural collections
- Identifying similarities and differences
- Creating discussion stations
In science, overlapping hoops can become a large Venn diagram for sorting leaves according to their observable properties.
Colourful Rope
Rope can define a space, show a shape or lead children through an idea.
Use rope to make:
- Large 2D shapes
- Number lines
- Graphs
- Maps and rivers
- Character outlines
- Animal diagrams
- Story pathways
- Habitats
- Discussion circles
- Imaginative story portals
For creative writing, children can form a spiral or doorway from rope. They step inside, imagine where the portal has taken them and orally rehearse the adventure before writing.
Natural and Upcycled Resources
Nature provides many of the resources schools need for free.
Collect and use:
- Leaves
- Sticks
- Stones
- Conkers
- Acorns
- Bark
- Pine cones
- Seed heads
- Shells
- Feathers
- Reclaimed cardboard
- Clean containers
- Fabric
- Crates and tubes
Always check natural objects for hazards and collect responsibly.
Discover more inspiration in our guide to 100 Loose Parts Play Ideas.
Do Children Need Worksheets Outdoors?
No.
At MPT, we want children’s heads up—not continually looking down at paper or carrying clipboards around the playground.
Outdoor learning should give children opportunities to:
- Make it
- Play it or experience it
- Say it
- Explain it
- Then write or record it when appropriate
Children can build a concept, move through it, act it out and rehearse their ideas orally. They can then return indoors to record their learning once they have something meaningful to say.
The outdoors does not have to copy the classroom. It should offer children something different.
How Should Outdoor Learning Resources Be Stored?
Keep the core resources together and close to the door so teachers can use them without lengthy preparation.
You could:
- Stack cones together
- Store chalk and chalk pens in a small sealed box
- Keep clay in an airtight tub
- Coil ropes inside lidded storage containers
- Hang hoops securely on outdoor hooks
- Store bamboo canes in a secure upright rack or supported tyre holder
- Keep natural collections in small open baskets or trays
Check equipment regularly, dry wet resources before storing them and remove anything that has cracked, splintered or become unsafe.
View the complete Muddy Puddle Outdoor Learning Kit List.
The Muddy Puddle Outdoor Learning Kit List (For Schools & Forest Schools)
How Can Primary Teachers Start Outdoor Learning?
Start with one lesson you are already planning.
- Choose one clear curriculum objective.
- Select one simple resource.
- Explain the outdoor boundaries and stop signal.
- Teach a short, active activity for ten to twenty minutes.
- Give children time to talk and demonstrate their understanding.
- Return indoors to record the learning if needed.
- Reflect on what worked before planning the next session.
You do not need to take every subject outside or move the whole timetable outdoors. Little and often is far more manageable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do primary schools need a forest for outdoor learning?
No. Outdoor learning can happen successfully on a playground, field, courtyard, pathway or any safe outdoor space.
Do teachers need a Forest School qualification?
You do not need to be a qualified Forest School leader to teach ordinary curriculum lessons outdoors. Forest School is a distinct educational approach with its own principles and training.
Is outdoor learning suitable for KS1 and KS2?
Yes. Outdoor learning can support EYFS, KS1 and KS2. Activities should become increasingly purposeful and curriculum-focused as children move through school.
Can outdoor learning support children with SEND?
Outdoor learning can offer additional movement, sensory experience, practical resources, visual support and alternative ways for children to demonstrate their understanding. The objective does not need to become easier; the route into it can become more accessible.
Does outdoor learning require expensive equipment?
No. A small shared kit of bamboo canes, cones, chalk pens, chalk, clay, hoops and rope can support hundreds of different lessons. Natural and upcycled resources can provide even more possibilities at very little cost.
Ready to Take Your Primary Curriculum Outdoors?
The Muddy Puddle Teacher® provides outdoor lesson ideas, resources and training for EYFS, KS1, KS2 and SEND.
- Browse outdoor learning resources and lesson plans
- Start your 60-day free trial
- Explore outdoor learning training for schools
- Sign up for the free weekly Outdoor Learning Magazine
You do not need to transform your entire school overnight.
Choose one objective, take one simple resource outside and make a start.
