Sarah Watkins – författare

This essential resource is designed to help busy early years practitioners to support the mental health of young children through outdoor play.

Promoting social and emotional wellbeing in childhood has never been more important, and outdoor play is a crucial tool to build resilience, develop healthy relationships, and boost self-esteem. Using relatable case studies that demonstrate achievable change, the book is full of practical advice and strategies for exploring nature in both natural and man-made landscapes, and includes guidance on how to co-create inviting play spheres with children.

Each chapter provides:

Outdoor play allows young children to explore who they are and what they can do. It supports them as they learn to think critically, take risks, and form a true sense of belonging with their peers and with the wider community. This is an indispensable resource for practising and trainee early years practitioners, Reception teachers, and childminders as they facilitate outdoor play in their early years setting.

This essential resource is designed to help busy early years practitioners to support the mental health of young children through outdoor play.

Promoting social and emotional wellbeing in childhood has never been more important, and outdoor play is a crucial tool to build resilience, develop healthy relationships, and boost self-esteem. Using relatable case studies that demonstrate achievable change, the book is full of practical advice and strategies for exploring nature in both natural and man-made landscapes, and includes guidance on how to co-create inviting play spheres with children.

Each chapter provides:

Outdoor play allows young children to explore who they are and what they can do. It supports them as they learn to think critically, take risks, and form a true sense of belonging with their peers and with the wider community. This is an indispensable resource for practising and trainee early years practitioners, Reception teachers, and childminders as they facilitate outdoor play in their early years setting.

This book is packed with bright ideas and practical projects for children aged 4-11 to raise environmental awareness and prompt discussion about climate change.

Encouraging children to take charge right from the start, the activities range from creating recycled kites, windsocks, and garden decorations, to upcycling old t-shirts, building minibeast hotels and designing campaigns to eliminate single-use plastics from school. Some can be completed outdoors and some indoors, with each page including photos of the activity in action, plus details of the resources required and steps needed. As well as the main activity, extension ideas are provided, so there is plenty to fill each session. The tried-and-tested activities are themed in three main areas:

• Eco-friendly practice

• Recycling and upcycling

• Connecting with the natural world

Whether you run an eco-club, a craft club or you simply want to facilitate activities on a sustainability theme with children in your class, this fantastic book will raise awareness of environmental issues in an engaging way – and many of the activities will save your school or setting money too.

This book is packed with bright ideas and practical projects for children aged 4-11 to raise environmental awareness and prompt discussion about climate change.

Encouraging children to take charge right from the start, the activities range from creating recycled kites, windsocks, and garden decorations, to upcycling old t-shirts, building minibeast hotels and designing campaigns to eliminate single-use plastics from school. Some can be completed outdoors and some indoors, with each page including photos of the activity in action, plus details of the resources required and steps needed. As well as the main activity, extension ideas are provided, so there is plenty to fill each session. The tried-and-tested activities are themed in three main areas:

• Eco-friendly practice

• Recycling and upcycling

• Connecting with the natural world

Whether you run an eco-club, a craft club or you simply want to facilitate activities on a sustainability theme with children in your class, this fantastic book will raise awareness of environmental issues in an engaging way – and many of the activities will save your school or setting money too.