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Playful Approaches to Outdoor Learning: Boggarts, Bears, and Bunny Rabbits

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Play and Recreation, Health and Wellbeing

Part of the book series: Geographies of Children and Young People ((GCYP,volume 9))

Abstract

This chapter adopts a playful approach to explore outdoor learning for young people, utilizing a fictional story to engage the reader’s attention. It outlines the core concepts of youth work and considers the importance of emotions within outdoor learning. These concepts are then applied to outdoor learning experiences, through an interpretive, hermeneutic process of asking questions and suggesting possible answers. The reader is also encouraged to consider their own interpretations of the story and to consider its potential application within their own practice. The chapter starts and ends with a gentle challenge to readers from one of the characters within the story, aiming to make reading this an interactive, thought-provoking experience, whereby the reader reflects on their own experiences and begins to engage in the wider debate of how to support others to develop an awareness and appreciation of the world around them. It encourages the use of creative, playful activities within outdoor learning and the value of storytelling as a method of engagement. Arguably one of the most dominant underlying assumptions in outdoor learning is the need to be challenged to “step out of your comfort zone.” This chapter offers an alternative perspective and invites the reader to come into a comfortable, safe discursive place and join in a playful exploration of outdoor learning.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health, Psychology and Social Science, University of Cumbria, Fusehill Street, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA1 2HH, UK

    Tracy Hayes

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  1. Tracy Hayes
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Correspondence to Tracy Hayes .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Planning, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom

    Bethan Evans

  2. Centre of Children and Youth, The University of Northampton, Northampton, United Kingdom

    John Horton

  3. Department of Geography, National University of Singapore Department of Geography, Singapore, Singapore

    Tracey Skelton

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Hayes, T. (2016). Playful Approaches to Outdoor Learning: Boggarts, Bears, and Bunny Rabbits. In: Evans, B., Horton, J., Skelton, T. (eds) Play and Recreation, Health and Wellbeing. Geographies of Children and Young People, vol 9. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4585-51-4_12

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