Getting Outside In November

My Wanderlust: A Nature Study Programme is an online programme that challenges the way we live our lives and encourages us to get outside more! Encouraging our next generation of scientists, explorers and adventurers.

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I know that November can be a less appealing time of the year to get outside with the gloomy damp weather but actually it’s a great time to learn and have fun!

First of all you just have to have the right clothing to prevent anyone getting miserable and cold (that includes you and your team!). I provide my children with a set of waterproof overalls that they need to wear if they are learning outdoors. I prefer the seperate waterproof over trousers with braces so these can still be worn in the warmer months with a t-shirt underneath or layered up over the winter. We also invest a part of our budget each year in supplying water proof gloves, wooly hats and waterproof boots and liners. This includes having a bank of clothing for our staff to borrow too. A clothes airer is also made available in the cloakroom area to make sure we have space to dry all of the soggy clothing!

There is a big expectation that our team are working in the outside area all year round so we build this into their job contract.

For outdoor provision to work successfully and be given the same priority as the learning that happens inside it’s good practice to have continuous access to this. To prevent your indoor classroom getting cold consider insulated PVC door curtains.

 Here are some ideas for getting outside this November

 I’m Singing in the Rain

Get outside and sing and dance in the rain!

 Leaf Parachute

Parachute games are always great for gross motor activities. Why not head on a nature walk and collect some fallen leaves with your children. Then get your parachute out and stretch it so its out flat on the ground with the children around the edges. Put the leaves in the middle of the parachute and see what happens when you lift it up and the wind blows!

 Investigating Cloud Formation

How do the clouds get there? This is a questions that young children are often curious about. A cloud is formed when water vapor condenses into water droplets that attach to particles (of dust, pollen, smoke, etc.) in the air. When billions of these water droplets join together, they form a cloud. Here is a simple experiment that you can do with your children outside. All you need is a clear mason jar with a lid, a hand full of ice cubes, a jug of warm water (not boiling) and some hair spray.

1. Fill your mason jar ¾ full with warm water and swish it around the sides of the jar. When you add this warm water to the jar, some of it turns into water vapor that rises to the top of the jar.

2. Turn the lid for the jar upside down and place your ice cubes on top for 20seconds. This is going to act as the cold air. The water vapour condenses when it cools down.

3. Quickly remove part of the lid from the jar and squirt in some hairspray. The hair spray acts as the particles to condense onto. Really this would be dust, pollution, volcanic ash.

4. Quickly replace the top and watch the ‘cloud form’

5. Remove the lid and watch the cloud escape!

 Nature Walk

Get outside with a waterproof camera and take photos of nature in the rain. Talk about the way the rain makes you feel and capture the beautiful rain drops on the leaves.

 Colour Mixing in Puddles

Add different coloured powder paint into your puddles and explore what happens. With supervision add some vegetable oil to the puddles too and watch what happens to the colours.

 Make a Waterproof Den

Explore the properties of materials and see which will be good to keep us dry in the rain. Include shower curtains and clear PVC tarpaulin sheets (These are great for den building so you can watch the rain drops while sat inside)

 Collect Rain Drops

Measure how much rain you get by collecting up rain drops in a measuring jug. Why not make a chart to compare how much it’s rained over a series of days? You might even decide to make a rain journal.

 Mud Pies

Make some mud pies in the rain and decorate these with Autumn Foliage

Rainy Art

Draw on paper with washable markers and take your art work out into the rain to see what happens to your picture. Do the colours mix together and make new colours? This is a wonderful way of predicting what might happen.

 Petrichor

Is the smell of the rain and science shows us that when we take the time to smell the earth after the rain it lowers our stress hormones.

 Create a Dam

Find out about beavers and their clever engineering skills to build dams using stones, rocks, mud, sand and twigs.

Create your own canal system

Use the drainpipes outside and create your own canal to float your boats along.

 Make Music

Explore the way the rain makes a sound and see if you can re-create this with every day items like pots and pans. How about making your own rain maker instruments too? All you need is a container and some dried rice.

 Some great books to support learning;

Flood-  by Alvaro F. Villa 

Hurricane by James Hirsch

The Rhythm of the Rain by Grahame Baker-Smith 

 Once Upon a Raindrop: The Story of Water by James Carter

For more information on Nature Based Play take a look at my training here https://www.hyggeintheearlyyears.co.uk/nature-study