CURRICULUM – CHILL OUT

Cunningham Hill Independent Learning for Life

A key aspect of being ‘Future Ready’ is the ability to use initiative and work collaboratively in situations which children may not be comfortable or experienced in.  To support this development, every class has twice term CHILL OUT sessions – no matter the weather.  These whole or half day sessions involve learning in outdoor ‘classrooms’, such as local parks and woods, and the children completing activities which can not take place in the classroom.

With the ability to independently being such an important skill, the CHILL OUTS provide open-ended activities where the children can work creatively to respond to a given task.  Where possible, these link to their school topics and can be used with all subjects.  These tasks range from poetry and art to creating games which WWII evacuees could play utilising resources they find in the woods.

Another benefit of these days is that children will get the opportunity to work and play in environments which they might not have done before.  In modern society, where there is a reliance on technology, we feel that it is vital that children are given the chance to experience the freedom to explore and create in more unstructured situations.  They are able to discuss and problem solve their ideas with no wrong answers or limits through developing their skills of communication, collaboration and compromise.

By taking them out of their comfort zones; encouraging them to get muddy; allowing them to make mistakes and then the have the opportunity to learn from, we see the children succeed and develop in many areas while having lots of fun!