Creative P.E.

Woodland Learning is active and practical. In creative P.E., pupils make their own obstacle courses and circuit training sessions using the logs, branches and trees in the woodland. Sessions begin with a structured teaching period when children will be introduced to the type of exercise they will take part in. Balancing along logs, stepping from log to log, pull ups on a tree branch, scrambling under, over and through the vegetation are all part of the exercise. The children will be given safety tips and they will also learn to judge risk for themselves. 

Exercise in a natural setting requires a wide range of physical abilities such as speed, strength, agility, stamina and balance. This means it suits children with all kinds of physical abilities. Children are then encouraged to work in groups and create their own circuit for their friends to try out. They can use timers or introduce an element of competition; they can test their strength in different activities and discuss which activities need the most speed, strength, stamina or balance. They can then create courses that focus on one aspect of physical ability and challenge their friends.  At the end of the session the children will be more able to judge their own skills, create similar physical challenges in their school grounds and be more confident in moving through an area of natural vegetation.