Health and Wellbeing outdoors
The FSA National Forest School Festival at the beginning of October was open to families this year so, with my small tribe, I headed off to a wonderful wood in Norfolk for the weekend. We arrived in the dark - amazing structures and decorated tents caught our eyes, it felt enchanted, all lit up with lanterns, a fire surrounded by figures, and a tree illuminated with thousands of lights. The theme was Recognise, Reciprocate & Regenerate - a holistic journey to nature connection. A highlight for me was attending a very thought-provoking workshop run by Marina Robb, founder of Circle of Life Rediscovery, where we explored the foundations of nature connection. Marina is co-author of Learning with Nature.
With Health and Wellbeing high on the agenda in schools, a deeper understanding of our connection to nature is vital. We have been adding lots of new information to the Health and Wellbeing section of our Outdoor Hub - if you have anything you would like to contribute to help this free resource grow please do contact us.
There are a number of related events on our Outdoor Hub, one in particular is the Health, Wellbeing and Learning Outdoors on 18th October in Buckinghamshire.
10 October was World Mental Health Day, with a focus on young people. MHFA England launched a new set of resources for young people’s wellbeing: the free #HandsUp4HealthyMinds toolkit.
Thanks for reading, wishing you an autumn full of rosy cheeks and scrunching leaves.
Liz Edwards
founder of Muddy Faces
Our one-stop-shop has a diverse selection of practical, educational and inspiring products for all your forest school, outdoor play and learning requirements.
Our Outdoor Hub has a wealth of inspiring activities, events and information. Each section has been designed to encourage engagement in the outdoors, connection with nature and to help spark imaginative play and creativity.
Health & wellbeing
The heartiest section of our Outdoor Hub - with research & reports, videos, guides and articles on the benefits to wellbeing of spending time outside; plus focused sections on mental health, nature connection and practicalities of health, hygiene and comfort while you're outside.
With an introduction from Coralie Hopwood of the John Muir Trust (at time of writing).
Read More about Health & wellbeingYou'll find films like this one on our Hub too!
Voting for this year’s CLOtC Awards for Outstanding Contribution to learning outside the classroom is now open - celebrating the many fantastic people involved in creating inspiring play and learning opportunities outdoors. Read all about the shortlisted nominees and cast your vote by 26 October here.