The Playful Green Planet Network – Dundee
Following the launch of the Playful Green Planet Network in 2024, find out more about this bold new initiative to roll out nature-based play and outdoor learning across the UK. In Scotland, Dundee’s Coldside is the programme’s first Scottish site. This will be transformed into nature-based play spaces inspired by [...]
Curriculum Improvement Cycle – LfS updates
Read this insightful guest blog: Curriculum Improvement Cycle - a Learning for Sustainability focus by David Dick, Peripatetic Nursery Teacher, South Lanarkshire. Find further videos and guest blog articles in the Education Scotland social media channels.
Early engineers outdoors?
This study published in the British Educational Research Journal (BERJ) identified ways in which preschool-aged children engage with Engineering Habits of Mind while at forest nursery and bush kinder. As well as demonstrating the benefits of forest nursery and bush kinder to young children's engineering learning, the examples shared can [...]
Making the invisible visible: the pedagogical affordances of outdoor learning in a nursery and a primary school.
This interesting paper (February 2025) discusses findings of a grassroots, Participatory Action Research methodology developed with pedagogues from a nursery and a primary school in England, to generate knowledge about ways of supporting children’s learning outdoors. Drawing on an ecological framework, partners video-record themselves in-action, then watched and reflected on [...]
Trips to the playground and jigsaw puzzles: five surprising ways to help children learn to write
This article in The Conversation (1 April 2025) describes how spatial awareness is a key prerequisite of handwriting development.
Outdoor preschool could be good for the mind — and the gut
The Children and Nature Network share this Seattle Times Education Lab article (9 February 2025).
Fifty Things to Do Before You’re Five
The Fifty Things to Do initiative offers a menu of fun, affordable ideas for play and learning with your 0-4 year old in Fife, and other areas. Get daily inspiration from these simple and engaging activities that preschoolers love! Many of these activity ideas can be tried out in an [...]
An evidence-based approach to supporting children in the preschool years
This Child of the North report (Powell, Lauren; Spencer, Sarah; Clegg, Judy (eds)) published 2024 is available on the internet. The report looks at UK pre-school education support for children. It applies seven principles: putting children first; addressing inequity; adopting place-based approaches; working together effectively across public services; putting education [...]
