Bringing outside inside!

Something I really like is to have a nature table in the classroom which changes with the season and gets added to when we are outdoors doing any activity - a few feathers from the playground, seeds, leaves etc.  It makes us more observant and I even get pupils bringing in things from their weekend walks etc.

In these times where our children are getting more disconnected from nature, it is, I believe, a valuable addition to the classroom.  Many pupils commented that they are not allowed to touch/pick up stones, bones, feathers etc!  Some sensible hand washing rules and disinfecting bones etc allows them to handle natural objects and hopefully make more connections with the outdoors.

At the moment we don't have much on the table - some winter twigs (from a twig hunt in the school grounds and local woods), deer antlers - red deer antler I found and a roe deer antler one of the class brought in from the local woods.  It will be great to see how it develops as we approach spring.

Importantly, the class are encouraged to handle the items and in summer a bucket full of 6 different sea weeds was a great success (if a little smelly by the end of the day)!