When writing our January Early Years Teaching News, I tweeted a survey to ask if practitioners and leaders would like information about ICT or outside play. Sixty-nine percent voted for outside play and when seeing this, Kathryn Solly, Early Education Associate, outdoors expert, consultant and author, offered to help write something for us.

Outdoor play: pedagogic page and blog

With Kathryn’s expertise, we have gathered many resources for supporting your outside play. You can also read her guest blog Outside in all weathers.

Useful books

These books have been read or written by Kathryn. Here are her reviews

Loose Parts: Inspiring Play in Young Children by Lisa Daly and Miriam Beloglovesky

This is a coffee table book for hoarders and lovers of loose parts. It is packed full of delicious photos which provide provocations for specific collections  such as trays of sea glass or boxes of hangers. Whilst the photos may feel staged to some, the inspiration they provide is super. Care has been taken to provide a mix of natural and man-made items featured indoors and out. The text provides a good rationale for the use of loose parts in early childhood and links this to child development as well as schemas and curriculum areas with examples from children’s play. The authors’ backgrounds and early childhood education and creative arts shines through in this book.

The Little Book of Free and Found by Julie Mountain

This is a short, sweet read filled with good advice about using loose parts outside. There’s advice on safety checks, looking for further ideas on the internet and a range of practical activities which clearly emphasise that outdoor play does not need to involve spending lots of money. Rather, children’s play is often deeper and more satisfying when basic free and found resources are used. I think it’s a great complement to the “Loose Parts” book above and vice versa.

I Love Forest School by Martin Pace

I really enjoy hearing about practitioners and children’s experiences outside. I Love Forest School is the author’s perspective on the introduction and development of the Forest School approach at his award-winning nursery. Within the 64 A4 pages there are lots of colour photos of Reflections Nursery and how Forest School has become embedded into the life of the setting. Examples of observing, recording, assessing and planning child-led experiences are given. I think this is a worthwhile read for any practitioner and especially those considering whether to introduce Forest School into their own routines and ethos. This is my favourite Forest School book to-date.

Risk, Challenge and Adventure in the Early Years by Kathryn Solly

Kathryn Solly, the former head teacher of Chelsea Open Air Nursery has written a helpful book which has a very up-to-date perspective on outdoor play. It has relevant and wonderful quotes from Susan Isaacs, who founded the nursery and demonstrates that good play principles stand the test of time. In particular I liked the frequent references to the value of woodworking and use of tools as a normal part of outdoor practice. Kathyrn provides excellent evidence that risk, challenge and adventure is an entitlement for all children all year round and this need not be dependent on having Forest School training.

Outdoor Play for 1-3 Year Olds by Isabel Hopwood-Stephens

If you are a parent or outdoor professional or early years practitioner who is thinking of starting up an outdoor toddler group then this book is for you. However, it has lots of practical advice and guidance which is relevant for anyone considering setting up as a freelance provider and offering activities for older children as well. The book is accessible and helpful as Isabel advocates “All you need to start with is a yard with a patch of grass, some cheap resources and some enthusiastic play workers.”

Children’s book list

• Anthony, J. (1997) The Dandelion Seed Dawn Publications. 1-883220-67-X 
• Baylor.B. (1974) Everybody needs a Rock. New York: Atheneum, ISBN 978-0-13899-2 
• Berger, C. (2008) The Little Yellow Leaf: 978-0-06-145223-9 
• Brown, P. (2009) The Curious Garden: Little, Brown and Company, 978-0-316-01547-9 
• Bowers. J. (2014) Little Tree. Dorking: The Templar Company ISBN 978-1-84877-883-2 
• Ehlert. L. (2005) Leaf Man. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co., ISBN 978-0-152-05304-8 
• Faulks, B & Cort, B (2016) Watch Out for Muddy Puddles. 978-1-4088-6719-8 
• Farquharson. P. (2011) The Green Line. London: Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, ISBN 978-1-84780-259-0 
• French. V. (2009) Yucky Worms. London: Walker Books, ISBN 978-1-4063-2808-0 
• Hanson. F. (2014) The Wonder. Dorking: The Templar Company ISBN 978-1-78370-114-8 
• Hegley. J. (2011) Stanley’s Stick. London: Hodder Children’s Books, ISBN 978-0-340-98819-0 
• Hughes, E. (2015) The Little Gardener: Flying Eye Books, 978-1-909263-43-7 
• Hughes, E. (2013) Wild: Flying Eye Books: 978-1-909263-08-6 
• King, P. (1993) Apple Green and Runner Bean. 0-7445-4733-4 
• Lionni. L. (1961) On My Beach There Are Many Pebbles. New York: HarperCollins, ISBN978-0-13284-2 
• Metzger. M. (2005) We’re Going On A Leaf Hunt. New York: Scholastic Inc., ISBN 978-0-429-87377-2 
• Ray. M.L. (2001) Mud. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co., ISBN 978-0-152-02461-1 
• Theobalds. P. (1990) The Teddy Bears’ Great Expedition. London: Blackie and Son Ltd., ISBN 978-0-21692-993-8 
• Verde. S. (2013) The Museum. New York: Abrams Books for Young People, ISBN 978-1-4197-0594-6 
• Winslow. M. (1989) Mud Pies and Other Recipes. New York: The New York Review of Books ISBN 978-1-59017-368-8

Books for adults about outdoor play, risk, challenge and adventure

Outdoor Play

• Bilton, H. (2002) Outdoor Play in the Early Years. London: David Fulton Ltd. 
• Danks, F. and Schofield, J. (2005) Nature’s Playground. London: Frances Lincoln Ltd.
• Danks, F. and Schofield, J. (2012) The Stick Book. London: Frances Lincoln Ltd. 
• Danks, F. and Schofield, J. (2013) The Wild Weather Book. Frances Lincoln Ltd: China.
• Danks, F. and Schofield, J. (2014) The Wild City Book. Frances Lincoln Ltd: China.
• Danks, F. and Schofield, J. (2015) The Beach Book. China: Frances Lincoln Ltd.
• Guldberg, H. (2009) Reclaiming Childhood: Freedom and Play in an Age of Fear. Abingdon: Routledge. 
• Holland, C. (2009) I Love My World- Mentoring Play in Nature, For Our Sustainable Future. Otterton: Wholeland Press. 
• Hewitt, J. and Cross, C. (2016) Den Building. Carmarthen: Crown House Publishing. 
• Stone, M.K. and Barlow, Z. (2005) Ecological Literacy. San Francisco: University of California Press.
• Watts, A. (2011) Every Nursery Needs a Garden. Abingdon: David Fulton Books. 
• White, J. (2008) Playing and Learning Outdoors. Abingdon: Routledge.
• Wilson Smith, A. (2008) Nature’s Playthings. Ludlow: Merlin Unwin Books.

Nature, Risk, Adventure and Challenge

• Ball, D. (2001) Playgrounds, Risks, Benefits and Choices.  Health and Safety Executive  HMSO. 
• Ball, D., Gill, T., and Spiegal, B. (2008) Managing Risk in Play Provision. Implementation Guide. London: DCSF.
• Beck, U. (1993) Risk Society: Towards a New Modernity. London: Sage Publications.
• Cornell, J.B. (1984) Sharing Nature with Children. Watford: Exley Publication
• Csikszentmihayli, M. (1997). Finding Flow. New York: Basic Books.
• De Benedet, A. and Cohen, L. (2010) The Art of Roughhousing. Philadelphia: Quirk Books.
• Furedi, F (1997) Culture of Fear. London: Continuum 
• Gill, T. (2007) No fear: Growing Up in a Risk Averse Society. London Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
• Hopwood-Stephens, I. (2015) Outdoor Play for 1-3 Year Olds. Abingdon: Rouledge.
• Kraul, W. (1984) Earth, Water, Fire and Air- Playful Explorations in the Four Elements. Stuttgart: Floris Books.
• Louv, R. (2005) Last Child in the Woods. North Carolina: Algonquin Books.
• Louv, R. (2016) Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature Rich Life. North Carolina: Algonquin Books.
• Lyng, S. (2005) Edgework: The Sociology of Risk taking. Abingdon: Routledge
• Solly, K. (2015) Risk, Challenge and Adventure in the Early Years. Abingdon: Routledge.
• Thom, B., Sales, R, and Pearce, J. (2007) Growing Up with Risk.  Bristol: Policy Press.
• Tovey, H. (2007) Playing Outdoors, Spaces and Places, Risk and Challenge. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Other books to support your practice

• Movement environment rating scale (MOVERS) for 2-6 year olds provision by Carol Archer and Iram Siraj – this book and scale supports you to measure the quality of environment and pedagogy in which young children are encouraged to move and be physically active
• Encouraging physical development through movement-play by Carol Archer and Iram Siraj (you can access Chapter One online free from Sage publishing, using this link)
• Exercising muscles and minds: outdoor play and the early years curriculum by Marjorie Ouvry

Useful journal articles

• Put the pencil down and go outside by Kathryn Solly, Community Playthings blog
• The nature of education by Kathryn Solly, in Early Years Educator 2 October 2018 Volume 20 issue 6 (you will need an EYE member’s log in for this article)

Further information

The following information is taken from our Early Years Teaching News, January 2019 edition.

Useful blogs

• Creative star (Juliet Robertson)
• No such thing as bad weather (Kierna Corr)
• Interaction Imagination (Suzanne Axellson)
• Child and nature alliance of Canada
• Technology rich Inquiry based research(Diane Kashin)
• Jan White natural play (on this link Jan shares a list of bloggers she follows)
• The blog from Hampden Way Nursery School and Children’s Centre shares lovely photographic examples of children being outside in all weathers – updated weekly. (See Jan blogs for icy outside action.)

Links supporting outside play and learning

• Early Education’s principles show how valuing young children and the attention to the learning environment is fundamental to high quality child-centred learning. 
• Put the pencil down and go outside Community Playthings blog by Kathryn Solly
• 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do (9min watch) TED talk by Gever Tulley (2014)
• The great outdoors by Margaret Edgington (revised 2014)
• Every child a mover by Jan White (2015)
• New report calls for action on EYFS children’s entitlement to outdoor play in Nursery World (2016)
• The historical context of outdoor learning and the role of the practitioner Early Years Foundation Stage Forum blog by Michaela Machan (2016)
• Jan White natural play blogs, including ‘Embracing life with enthusiasm’ which is an invaluable read. 
• Young children need to be active. See the government’s recommendations for at least 3 hours of physical activity a day for 0-5 year olds in their Start active, stay active infographics.
• The Froebel Trust pamphlet Outdoor play by Helen Tovey

Useful websites for outside learning

• Creative Star Learning website and blog (as listed previously)
• Learning through landscapes, UK
• Learning through Landscapes Scotland (previously Grounds for learning)
• Muddy faces
• Learning outside the classroom (LoTC)

Page created February 2019, updated July 2019 by Cathy Gunning