Half Term Homework Ideas…Outside

We recently talked about taking lessons outside during this fantastic autumn we’re currently enjoying, and thought you might like to consider setting some outside homework projects for half term. Here are just a few ideas to mull over.

Bird feeding and watching

Pine cone bird feeders are fun and easy to make. Perhaps they could be made in school, ready to be taken home and hung in the children’s gardens where they can watch the birds feeding and keep a log of the types of birds that visit. You will need:

Pinecones

Peanut butter

Plastic knives

Mixed bird seed

String

Old newspapers

Take the children out for a walk to collect an assortment of pinecones. Talk about the different kinds of pinecones you find and the kinds of trees they come from. Place old newspapers on the work surface where you'll be making your bird feeders and, using a plastic knife, spread peanut butter all over each pinecone. Spread out birdseed on top of the newspapers and roll each pinecone in the birdseed until it's completely coated and no peanut butter is visible. Tie a piece of string around the top of each pinecone.

Autumn Collecting and Sorting

Ask the children to take a walk with a big carrier bag and collect as many different fallen items as they can, whether it be leaves, seeds, nuts, conkers, acorns or twigs. Then ask them to make a list of descriptive criteria, such as hard, soft, smooth, prickly, big and small, and to then sort their items into sets. Older children can be asked to draw some Venn diagrams on sheets of paper and use them to sort their items.

Leaf Identification and Measuring

For this activity, the children will need as many different sorts of leaves as they can find, some string, a ruler and some squared paper. Ask them to draw around each leaf on the squared paper, identifying each type. They can then then use the ruler to measure length and width; the string to measure the perimeter and the squared paper to estimate the surface area.

Spooky Halloween Scavenger List

During a lesson this week, make a list of items for the children to scavenge for during their break. Here are some ideas to get you started:

A twig shaped like a witches hand with long bony fingers.

A leaf skeleton

A fairy goblet (acorn cup)

A stick for stirring potions

A wisp of mist

A goblins eyeball (conker)

A leaf shaped like a bat

Pumpkin coloured leaves

Have a good break! And of course if you are looking for additional classroom space, or a dedicated area for outdoor learning then take a look to see how The Learning Escape may be able to help.