Letting the Outside in: Developing Teaching and Learning Beyond the Early Years Classroom

Children learn best when what they are learning makes sense to them. This book is for early years practitioners who want to provide opportunities for children to learn in ways which make relevant and rich connections to their lives, experiences and interests outside the classroom. Each chapter explores a different aspect of the outside that can be brought into children's experiences in schools, whether 'Forest school' or inner city spaces. The principles underpinning the importance of the outside environment in children's learning and development are related to ways of using spaces outside the classroom for learning. But the book is also about allowing children's daily lives into the classroom so that their families and communities contribute to school life and so that what children learn and experience outside school is recognised and valued within it. Richard Bailey, Johnathan Barnes, Gina Donaldson, Gill Hope, Sue Hammond, Trisha Maynard, Ian Pickup, Ian Shirley, Helen Taylor, Rosemary Walters, Terry Whyte and Jane Williams - Siegfredsen are the contributors who, with Rebecca Austin, show how to let the outside in. This book is for all early years practitioners who seek to know and understand the children and communities they are working with and want to make learning as exciting and relevant as possible for children. It will be of interest also to trainers in the early years and to all who work with young children.