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It's Outdoor Classroom Day – let's make active learning a priority

I knew I had seen some hashtags floating around about outdoor-active-learning-play something or other day this week, so I googled it before I took my daughter to nursery today so I could ask her teachers if they had anything planned or would like any parent support to help make it happen.
The google results nearly made me cry as a parent, and made me rage as a public health professional. (Copied below)
Kids play less than 30 minutes outside a *week*?!?! I would have been sad if that stat said per DAY. Per week…?! That feels unforgivable as a nation.
Less time outside than prison inmates?
It’s noteworthy that children who spend time outside learn better and that a nursery – with children less than 4 years old – learn and play outside all day? Why is this newsworthy and not the norm?
This is why our community programmes include school partnerships to help ensure that kids at our local primary schools are not part of these statistics.
Our Award Winning Camden Active Spaces / Energy Club programme – I can say that now! Award Winning! It was recognised at the Sporta Awards last night! – is a great example of how easy it is to influence this statistic as well. With some support to the school staff and surprisingly little funding, we can ensure that the school playgrounds are open to the public -and well used!- after school and out of term as an opportunity for free physical outdoor play.
I hope that our gym members feel as much pride as I do that their monthly membership directly supports our partner schools in Camden and Westminster to boldly stand up to these inactivity statistics.
 
Children spend only half as much time playing outside as their parents …
https://www.theguardian.com › Environment › Wildlife
27 Jul 2016 – Children spend only half as much time playing outside as their parents did. National Trust survey also found that nine out of 10 parents would ..
 
Three-quarters of UK children spend less time outdoors than prison …
https://www.theguardian.com › Environment › Wildlife
25 Mar 2016 – Time spent playing in parks, woods and fields has shrunk … A fifth of children did notplay outside at all on an average day, the poll found. … Most of the parents polled said their childrenhave fewer opportunities to play outside than they … park, noting that only 10% currently have access to outdoor learning.
 
Are schools and parents killing children’s creativity? – The Telegraph
www.telegraph.co.uk › Travel › Family holidays
7 Feb 2017 – One in three children plays outside for 30 minutes or less each day … 
 
Children who play outside will do better at school | Daily Mail Online
www.dailymail.co.uk/…/Want-child-school-Make-play-outside-learn-set-goals.html
19 Jun 2014 – Make them play outside because ‘they will learn to set their own goals’ ….. So what happens when Mr Gove introduces 10 hour school days for …
 
Look inside the outdoor nursery where kids spend ALL DAY outside …
https://www.thesun.co.uk/…/the-outdoor-nursery-where-kids-spend-all-day-outside-and-…
17 Apr 2017 – The group spend all day outside in the elements, with the pre-school adopting the motto “there is no such thing as bad weather – only the .