Maths Outdoors and The Early Years Curriculum: A view from outdoors
Close your eyes and think of your earliest childhood memory... Where were you?
If you compare notes with others, many of these earliest memories take place out-of-doors. This is no coincidence; the outdoors is a powerful and attractive environment for us all. And one much under-used for mathematics.
About to deliver a ‘maths outdoors’ course for Early Years practitioners, I thought I would check out some recent publications. Both these books are marvellous resources for an early years practitioner considering enriching learning opportunities for his/her children. My advice is to buy them both.
Maths Outdoors
BEAM does it again! Here is an indispensable book full of practical, exciting and high quality mathematical ideas for our youngest children based in sound early years practice and written by someone who knows what works. It is attractive, full of colour photographs that often speak for themselves.
The book is divided into the following sections:
- Creating an outdoor maths environment: with suggestions such as washing lines and pegs, balloon pumps and balloons, and what to so in inclement weather (put on a mac or put up a golf umbrella - doubles as a sun-shade!)
- The early learning goals: with activities to support each, eg shape and space; ‘ Put circles if paper on large tin trays. Dip small balls into paint and roll across the tray...
- Outdoor maths games: eg ‘Hunt the wellie’ and ‘Fill the bucket’
- Maths trails: with suggestions for number, pattern and scavenger trails
- Problem solving in the outdoor environment: “How can we find out what snails eat?” “Do the longest beans have the most seeds?”
- Maths in context: with suggestions for taking art, writing, and science outdoors
- And finally, observing and resourcing children’s play outdoors: with examples of observations to be made in the outdoor area plus a maths resource list.
Although some ideas will be familiar to experienced early years’ practitioners, it is very useful to see these with the mathematical potential drawn out and many, many ideas are new (to me, anyway).
Interestingly, you don’t need to be outdoors for many of these activities! For me, the book’s main value is in getting children’s bottoms off the carpet listening to an adult and engaged in interactive mathematical activities with their whole bodies, wherever you are.
Helen Williams, Early Years Mathematics Consultant and Editor Of Mathematics Teaching
Maths Outdoors • Carole Skinner
BEAM, 2005
ISBN 1 903142 36 9
80 pages, £24.50
BEAM Orderline: 01242 267945
<< beam.co.ukThe Early Years Curriculum: A view from outdoors
This book is an inspirational description of Kernow Woodland Learning, a woodland learning project in an Education Action Zone in Cornwall based on a similar project - Bridgwater Forest school - and the Danish model of forest schools.
With lovely photographs of engaged and smiling young children all appropriately clad and sat around camp fires (“How many sticks do we need?” “Where’s that smoke going?”), toasting marshmallows (“How long will mine take to warm up?”) building camps and shelters with branches (“Will we all fit in here?”) and exploring ‘base camp’ (“What might live under these leaves?” “Is this the way back? How do you know?”) - it brings thudding home how inappropriate indoor classrooms are for deep and rich learning for these youngest children.
This book is more than maths. It is about how a group of dedicated practitioners produced and managed practical, challenging, active, creative and successful outdoor learning experiences on a weekly basis. The ideas are well researched and steeped in good early years practice and knowledge. This is not a book of ideas where you can ‘lift’ one idea to use in (or out) your classroom, but rather a whole philosophy for supporting young children’s learning using their natural inquisitiveness and zest for life. What a long, long way from the blooming carpet. A must-read.
No longer must outdoors be seen as a release from so-called ‘real work’ that takes place indoors, sitting down. And outdoor maths activities need not be restricted to one fine week in the summer term, As Danish educationists maintain: There is no such thing as bad weather – only bad clothes.
Helen Williams, Early Years Mathematics Consultant and Editor Of Mathematics Teaching
The Early Years Curriculum: A view from outdoors • Gloria Callaway
David Fulton Publishers, 2005
ISBN 1 84312 345 2
80 pages, £17
