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I know that we don't do our job for Ofsted, but having themed outdoor adventure bags that provided meaningful literacy opportunities outside, contributed to our OUTSTANDING judgement! 

It's not enough having some laminated letters or numbers on a fence, what we need outside is for Maths and Literacy to be so irresistible to the children that they don't realise they're learning. 

Get Meaningful Maths and Literacy Outside by creating grab and go rucksacks or baskets.

That's why I created themed explorer rucksacks each with a different theme that allowed children to practice and use their skills in a wonderfully child led way. These explorer sacks may have been about going on a bug hunt and providing resources and equipment to support that interest: a map of the outdoor area, mini beast identification sheets, a sketch book, information book on bugs and a bug collector. 

Or how about a bird spotting back pack with bird identification cards, binoculars, books on birds and a tally char...

Literacy outside should look very different to what opportunities you offer inside. Think about the richness the outdoors brings and try and create learning moments in nature. We don't want to just bring out alphabet posters outside and stick them on a fence. Instead think of how literacy can be applied in the outdoors in a meaningful way. 

To get you started i've shared a few of the ideas from my Literacy Wanderlust Planning Guides (available here)

1. Nature Study: Create a  Themed Nature Backpack

What do I need?

• Spotter sheets (see my butterfly digital download here)
• Clipboards
• Rucksack
• Bug viewers
• Magnifying glasses
• Notebooks and pencils
• Camera
• Books on butterflies, mini-beasts and trees

What do I do?

Create a themed nature back pack based on your children's curiosities. It could be on butterflies and include a spotter sheet, life cycle information, identification cards, anatomy of a butterfly, butterfly life cycle story stones, fiction and non fiction books on bu...