Page 7 - eBook

Twelve Activities

The concept behind this twelve week programme is
simple: each week, you are meant to focus on one
specific activity with your child to introduce them to
forest school learning. The activities have each been
selected so that they can be done in the garden or in
the park, regardless of the amount of space you may
have.

Week One:

Outdoor Maths Cards

The first week’s activity is outdoor maths cards. The
goal behind this activity is to engage their mathemati-
cal comprehension, meanwhile also inviting your kids
to connect numbers and math concepts to things
they see every day. Each card should have a specific
number accompanied by an item that your child could
find in nature. For example, you could have a card
that says “find two stones”, or “make a triangle from
twigs”. The idea is to incorporate nature and all that it
has to offer in your day-to-day activities. Children are
more likely to enjoy the process of learning if they can
do so by also being active in the areas that they enjoy,
such as being outside. Combining mathematics and
play creates a positive association in their mind that
mathematics is fun!

You have various options for these cards. Some web-
sites provide sets of cards for free, although they may
not be adapted to your child’s specific needs based
on his or her age and cognitive skills. Therefore, you
could always trust your parental instincts and choose
to create your own cards in order for them to be
geared towards what you have in your own garden or
in a park near you.

This activity also engages your child’s areas of learn-
ing as outlined by the EYFS, including communica-
tion and language as they have to comprehend and
communicate what they find with you, literacy as they
must decipher the card, as well as mathematics, of
course.

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