“The best classroom and the richest cupboard is roofed only by the sky”.      Margaret McMillan (1919)

Spending time outside offers young children a range of important benefits. Outdoor play supports physical development by encouraging movement, balance, and coordination. It also boosts mental well-being, helping to reduce stress and improve mood. Being in nature stimulates curiosity and imagination, which enhances learning and creativity. Social skills are strengthened too, as children interact, share, and cooperate with others during outdoor activities.

The children who attend Hungerford Nursery School spend a lot of time outside, and we are very proud of our outdoor environments.  Each class has a dedicated space where children can run, dig, climb, jump, dance, roll and enjoy the fresh air.

Boxford Woods

In addition to our own outdoor spaces, we have an established link with Boxford Woods, which is a private woodland that all our pre-school children have the opportunity to visit several times during their final year with us.  

What happens on a visit to the woods?

Children spend an extended period of time in the woods enjoying the following opportunities:

• Explore using their senses
• Look at different mini-beasts and plants
• Listen to the different sounds
• See what the world looks like from the top of a hill
• Notice the change in the seasons
• Feel the different surfaces and materials
• Stretch their imagination using objects such as pine cones, trees etc
• Go on a bear hunt, climb, use the rope swings
• Work with their friends to make a den
• Find natural treasures
• Use simple tools like magnifying glasses, find out where ants live

       The list is endless and will depend on the children.