Lots and lots of families tell us they would like to go camping, but they are worried, don't have the right kit, don't know where to go... well Outdoor People is here to help you. It's basically the point of the whole social enterprise.
We give advice and moral support. We have a library of books about camping. We share information about where to go, how to set up tents and what sort of kit will work. At festivals we put up tents and lend out sleeping bags. Families can hire the kit from us. We lend out all our kit to organisations taking families and kids.
But the bit we love most is taking small groups of families camping ourselves.
Outdoor Family Camping is one of our core projects, giving families the skills, resources and confidence to go on their own adventures Find out more here.
]]>We created Hackney Wild Walks - now renamed Family Wild Walks - in 2014 as a set of easy-to-read maps, so children could take their families and friends on a local adventure. Download the maps here: Link
Since then these have evolved to regular guided adventures for children t take families on and an active online community encouraging each other to get outdoors more...
The project started as part of the Get Hackney Healthy campaign, supported by the Council and its partners. The maps themselves were inspired by Rocky Rambler's Wild Walks, courtesy of Colin Shelbourn.
We then did training with many of Hackney's children's centres and services that support parents to promote these adventures, and to challenge some of the barriers that educators in the borough have about local wild spaces.
In the last couple of years as well as handing out the maps at the sho[ and events we've also done some public walks, and are hoping to do lots more!
Why is this important?
Every child in London lives within 15 minutes walk of a park and yet one in seven of London's children NEVER go to a green space. In Woodberry Down in North Hackney 48% of children in Y6 are overwright or obese - and yet local green spaces are rarely enjoyed by the 7-14 year olds of the area.
Take a look at the Hackney Wild Walks Project to download the maps, see photos of the training sessions we did, and read about the public Wild Walks we have done.
With funding from Arc'teryx Picadilly we are now running Family Wild Walks every month, keep an eye on the Events page or Facebook page to see if there are any coming up....
]]>London National Park City Schools* is co-ordinated by Outdoor People and supported by a growing number of organisations that work to help connect schools to the outdoors across London (and beyond) to learn, play and explore.
The National Park City brings together grassroots, community and statutory organisations from across the capital to completely change the way we think about living, working and learning in the city. The vision is to inspire ‘the widespread and significant commitment of residents, visitors and decision-makers to allow natural processes to provide a foundation for a better quality of life.’
The London National Park City Schools Network will inspire, catalyse, support, join-up and spread best practice through knowledge sharing. It will connect educators across the sector with grassroots initiatives and local organisations as we open up and enhance the green spaces in our communities.
Through the London National Park City Schools network, you can keep up to date with developments as the National Park City grows; learn, share, and get inspired by other schools; and connect with organisations that will help you make your school greener, healthier and wilder for children.
]]>Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) is an award-winning mentor-supported school improvement programme, addressing all the areas schools must plan for if they want to strategically and sustainably improve the quality of their play opportunities.
OPAL is the only programme of its kind that has been independently proven to sustainably improve the quality of play in British primary schools.
Its success comes from a series of interrelated actions undertaken with the specialist support from an OPAL mentor. This embeds play into school’s policies and practices and establishes clear guiding principles and strategies for initiating changes at playtimes. The results can be transformational in even the more challenging school environments. Read the full programme outline here.
In London and the South-east, the OPAL programme is delivered by Outdoor People. Meet the team.
Most schools report more teaching time per teacher with happier, more creative, and well-exercised children who settle to classes much more quickly.
OPAL schools report up to an 80% decrease in use of behaviour policies and a 90% drop in senior leadership time spent in resolving playtime issues.
Children at OPAL schools rapidly develop creativity, imagination, cooperation, resilience, stamina and confidence. Inclusion OPAL's approach makes play better for every child, every day...no exceptions!
Play is a human need and a human right. Children and staff at OPAL's schools report feeling less stressed, happier, and more excited about learning.
The OPAL Primary programme has been independently evaluated by Dr Wendy Russell and Dr Stuart Lester from Gloucester University and Dr Owain Jones from the University of West of England. Read their summary of OPAL benefits here.
The standard OPAL Primary Programme costs £4750 (ex. VAT) plus travel fees. The Outdoor People team is able to offer additional support through our related programmes. Click here for the full pricing structure and programme outputs.
Contact opal@outdoorpeople.org.uk for more information or call 07813 879 179.
The difference that OPAL’s success is recognised not just by children, teachers and headteachers, but by Ofsted:
‘The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. The playground is a hive of activities and no one is left out. Pupils support one another when someone is hurt and the high level of integration cuts across age group and ethnicity. Pupils are extremely proud of their OPAL (outdoor play and learning), which they contributed to developing. They see the OPAL as an integral part of their school, a development that was justly given a platinum award for inventiveness.’
Kender Primary OFSTED
‘We have a strategy and a plan. OPAL has provided our children with really high-quality and they love it. Teachers love it because they are getting 10-15 minutes more teaching time a day. The TA’s love it because their working conditions are far improved. We have had numerous comments from parents saying. ‘thank you...my child enjoys playtimes so much more now.''
Dan Rodeck, Head, Filton Avenue Primary Bristol 2020
Recommendations: ‘Training in play to become a part of standard teacher training, including a baseline gap assessment tool such as that provided by OPAL.’
All Party Parliamentary Group on Fit and Healthy Childhood 2015
Photo credit: Learning Through Landscapes.
]]>Outdoor People has conducted original research, and collaborated with top researchers to better understand the effect being outdoors has on children's mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.
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