My Best course - Taking the lead outdoors

Zoe Walters says she was buzzing at the end of the day's outdoor training with expert Gail Ryder Richardson. The course, Leading Learning Outdoors, is one of a programme of leadership courses developed and delivered by Future Creative CIC, a social enterprise based in Deal, Kent, which incorporates a training arm and a nursery, Creative Minds.

Ms Walters' own setting, Grace's Day Nursery, also based in Kent, is an outstanding setting housed in an old manor house with a spacious garden area. She signed up for the course because she was seeking new inspiration for outdoors.

'It was a long day with a lot packed into it,' says Ms Walters. 'There were three of us in total and it was great being part of a small group, which made it possible to look in detail at each of our own situations.

'We started off by examining the importance of the outdoors in the context of current trends, where children have far less access to the outdoors than they had in previous generations.

'There was a lot for us to discuss between ourselves, from our different perspectives as deputy manager, early years teacher in a primary school and room leader, respectively, and we gained much from this.'

In addition to examining leadership issues outdoors, the day had a strong practical side to it. 'We made a den,' says Ms Walters. 'Gail brought in a lot of fascinating books, which sparked conversation about all sorts of outdoor activities, such as making a mud kitchen.'

Thinking about resourcing the outdoors was also an important part of the day as a whole. 'We moved beyond thinking in terms of taking indoor resources outside, and turned this on its head,' she says.

Ms Walters particularly enjoyed the interactive nature of the day. 'I would strongly recommend it on the basis that there was a lot of very stimulating discussion, particularly around our individual settings. I was able to take away a lot that was useful for me.'

www.future-creative.org.