Nursery World - Maths outdoors, part 1: Starting with counting and cardinality

In the first of a new 12-part series exploring how to provide quality maths outdoors, Julie Mountain and Felicity Robinson look at counting and cardinality

The outdoors is a learning environment for maths in its own right at Dandelion Education.

About this series

This year, we are exploring outdoors with our ‘maths champion’ hats on. Maths is embedded in every aspect of our lives, and yet a lingering fear of Pi, or complicated equations and formulas, prevents many adults from recognising themselves as the everyday mathematicians they actually are. In the early years, we have the chance to nip this fear in the bud, offering children exciting and fun foundational maths activities but also, crucially, showing them that maths is everywhere and that they use maths all day, every day.

The more we recognise this, using maths language in our normal daily routines, reinforcing concepts and highlighting where we need maths knowledge to carry out ‘non-maths’ tasks (such as filling a watering can halfway up), the more confident and competent mathematicians children will become. We will also, as always, include ‘bodyful’ ideas for outdoor learning and play, making the most of children’s physicality.

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