Publications

Winter Outdoor Play for Children of Families with Additional Support Needs

Inspiring Scotland’s Thrive Outdoors programme are funding a portfolio of five charity partners to deliver outdoor community play for children with additional support needs (ASN). This programme is funded the Scottish Government’s Outdoor Community Play fund. Alongside delivery, the portfolio are exploring what makes outdoor play truly inclusive. In 2022-2023 the portfolio of charities from

Q&A with Wild Child –  Childminding

This week’s guest blog is from Wild Child – Childminding Adventures. In this blog we sat down with the team to find out more on how they are bringing outdoor play into their setting! If you work within a child minding setting, this blog is for you! Can you introduce yourselves and briefly tell us

Key Results from The Scottish Outdoor Community Play Mapping Survey

Thrive Outdoors conducted a survey with the aim of creating a holistic view of organisations in the outdoor play sector including where and how they operate, as well as the key challenges that they face. Outdoor play plays a crucial role in ensuring the emotional, social, and physical wellbeing of children and young people. Following

Scotland’s Play Ranger Toolkit

Welcome to the newest edition of Scotland’s Play Ranger Toolkit. Scotland’s Play Ranger Toolkit has been developed by Thrive Outdoors, in collaboration with a number of Scottish charities who use the Play Ranger model throughout their delivery of outdoor play provision. With this in mind, this edition offers: a greater focus on skills that help

Case study- Under The Trees

This case study was created to showcase how an organisation has used Scotland’s Play Ranger Toolkit successfully and how the key learning from the toolkit has been embedded into their day to day services. We sat down with Under the trees to hear more about how they have used the toolkit and some of the successes and

Case study- PEEK

This case study was created to showcase how an organisation has used Scotland’s Play Ranger Toolkit successfully and how the key learning from the toolkit has been embedded into their day to day services. We sat down with PEEK to hear more about how they have used the toolkit and some of the successes and

Practitioner’s Guide Bite-sized tips: outdoor play and our world

  This week’s practitioner’s guide features bite-sized tips on community ownership and encouraging children and young people to care for our planet from Guest contributors Moira McCormick and Sam Skelton, The Concrete Garden.  These informative tips link in with our latest podcast episode! #TuesdayTips

Funders of Outdoor Play and Learning

Practitioners Guide: Ok to Play

  This week’s guest blog is from Susan Humble- Play Development Officer at East Lothian Play Association. In this blog she discusses how eye-catching “Ok to play” signs are popping up all over East Lothian promoting children’s right to play and East Lothian Play Association (ELPA) top tips for getting your play message out there.

A Practitioner’s Guide: Forest Kindergarten Training

  ‘When we observed a Forest Kindergarten, I saw that the children were not afraid to climb trees to get mucky, but this is all positive risk taking. When children climb trees or get muddy, they are exploring and growing in resilience and confidence, it teaches them not to be afraid’- Mairead, Glasgow Clyde College

A Practitioner’s Guide: Therapeutic Powers of Play

  ‘Birds fly, fish swim, children play’ -Garry L. Landreth, Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship In this week’s guest blog we hear from Deidre a play therapist based in Ireland who shares the therapeutic benefits of play and some handy play tips and activities for both parents and practitioners.        

Video: Outdoor ELC for Parents: Why do parents choose an outdoor nursery experience for their child?

Parents share their experiences and reasons for choosing an outdoor nursery in Scotland for their child. ‘From One Parent to Another.’

Video: Outdoor ELC for Children: What do children think of their outdoor nursery?

What better way to hear what it’s like to attend an outdoor nursery in Scotland than from the children?

Video: Outdoor ELC for Practitioners: What’s it like to work in a fully outdoor nursery?

Staff from all levels talk us through their experience of working in an outdoor nursery in Scotland. The Scottish Outdoor ELC workforce message is, ‘You have to try it!’

A Practitioner’s Guide: Bringing more play to the school day!

  ‘There is an untapped resource of highly trained play professionals within many out of school services across Scotland. Let’s build on this model of partnership and educate the “whole child” within our schools. Let’s not only strive to make Scotland the best place to grow up but a super place to be educated in

A Practitioner’s Guide: Roberta’s Outdoor Learning Story

   Roberta’s story- ‘My outdoor learning journey!’ Back in 2017, Thrive Outdoors started working with Glasgow City Council to create collaborative nursery partnerships across the city to explore outdoor play and learning. One of these partnerships was the Welly Wanderers led by the Jeely Piece Club and involving eight local nurseries in Castlemilk. We caught

A Practitioner’s Guide: Play and Wellbeing Tips

   The power of play!  This week’s blog is from us at Thrive to raise awareness of the benefits of play on a child’s mental health. As some of you may know it is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week and we thought it might be useful to offer up some handy tips and activities for

A Practitioner’s Guide: Creativity in the outdoors

  Time to embrace getting creative outdoors! This week’s guest blog is from Matt Searles -Head of Learning at Jupiter Artland. In this blog he shares his thoughts on taking a creative approach to outdoor learning and more on learning creativity in the outdoors.      

A Practitioner’s Guide: The joy of wintertime outdoor play

  Time to embrace winter weather! This week’s guest blog is from Dr Claire Warden from Mindstretchers Academy. In this blog Dr Claire shares how she believes embracing winter can bring about many new opportunities for outdoor play and learning as well as some top tips on keeping warm and dry. An interesting and informative

A Practitioner’s Guide: Home-Schooling Ideas for Outdoor Learning

  Taking home-schooling outdoors! Top Tips for Incorporating Outdoor learning into your home-schooling schedule! Once again we all find ourselves in the midst of another lockdown with the prospect of becoming ‘teacher’ as well as parent again seeming rather daunting to many of us. But fear not the Thrive Outdoors team are on hand with

A Practitioner’s Guide: Top 20 tips of 2020

  It was amazing to see how outdoor play and learning was fully embraced this year in spite of all the challenges. We all realised just how important the outdoors is- not just for our children but for the WHOLE family. As we face yet more restrictions at the start of the new year –

A Practitioner’s Guide: Play in Primary Schools

  It’s a Primary School takeover!  This week’s guest blogger is Natalie Campbell, Education and Outreach manager & Forest school manager at Earthtime who shares her top tips for incorporating Play in Primary Schools! Free play at any age or stage allows for opportunities to be creative, test and develop problem solving skills, build relationships

A Practitioner’s Guide: Getting started with Bushcraft

  Its a Scout leader takeover!  This week’s guest blogger is Ignacio Luna Borras – Scout leader and founder of Earth Nature Adventures who shares his hints and tips on getting started with Bushcraft  and how it can offer up the opportunity to experience more outdoor learning and the chance to connect more deeply with

A Practitioner’s Guide: Lets talk Cohorts

  Are you interested in learning more about what forest school nursery involves?  and how it can offer up the opportunity to experience more outdoor play and learning…then our latest blog is for you! This week’s guest blogger is Zoe Sills, Nursery Manager at Earthtime Forest School Nursery. Zoe shares all her hints and tips

A Practitioner’s Guide: Flexi-schooling Fun

  Are you a parent or carer interested in learning more about flexi-schooling and how it can offer up the opportunity to experience outdoor play and learning…then our latest blog is for you! This week’s guest blogger is Gemma Craigie-Sharland, Performance and Impact advisor here at Inspiring Scotland featuring her daughter.Gemma shares more on what

A Practitioner’s Guide: Getting Started

  Are you a nursery looking to do more outdoor play but aren’t sure where to start? This week’s guest blogger is Vicki Shiels, manager of the Waterfront Nursery in Edinburgh. The Waterfront team have recently started on an exciting new outdoor adventure and this blog shares some of their first steps and tips to

A Practitioner’s Guide: Childminder Takeover 1

  Are you a childminder looking to do more outdoor play but aren’t sure where to start? Childminder extraordinaire Emma Smith is this week’s guest blogger, revealing her secrets to embracing and enjoying every opportunity to get outside. It’s a childminder takeover!  

A Practitioner’s Guide: Experiences

  The third of a series exploring the Play Pedagogy shared principles;  interactions, spaces and experiences. We know that learning experiences provided in the earliest months and years in a child’s life are critical for their future success in life – here are a few key experiences that can make a big impact on the development

A Practitioner’s Guide: Spaces

Is going outdoors like stepping into the unknown? Alastair Davidson shares his approach to establishing an outdoor space for use in the early years.

A Practitioner’s Guide: Interactions

  Interactions are where the powers of nature and human nature meet. Dr Lynn McNair of Cowgate Under 5s Centre in Edinburgh talks fish faces, strong air, and enjoying the magic of discovery in this week’s guide exploring child and adult interactions in the outdoor environment.

Supporting Outdoor Childcare Provision A3 Guide

This printable A3 guide is designed to show  the range of possibilities when designing or developing high quality outdoor childcare provision. The guide includes examples of practice combined with site-specific and appropriate design and covers: site & access,  shelter,  toilets & handwashing, eating, clothing and play material . You may also find the Outdoor ELC

A Practitioner’s Guide: Foraging

Are you worried you don’t know your edible mushrooms from your less ‘savoury’ kind? Are you just not sure what it is or where to start? We asked a couple of foraging experts, Hamish from Baltic Street Adventure Playground and to Zoe at Earthtime for foraging know-how!

Loose Parts Play Toolkit

Welcome to the second edition of the Loose Parts Play Toolkit. In this edition, we have tried to reflect the changing context. Loose parts for play are a more familiar sight, but their introduction is still providing a learning and development experience for adults and organisations, as much as for children. With this in mind,

Video – Practitioner Tips: Knots and Ropes by FCDWL

Don’t get in a tangle – learn all about ropes and knots with Si the knot guy from Family & Community Development West Lothian.

Video: Connecting with Nature in ELC 2

Ever wondered how you can help out local wildlife? A budding ornithologist from Edinburgh Forest Kindergarten show us how to ‘Build a house for a Robin’

Video: Urban Outdoor Play

‘You don’t need to be in forest to be outside.’ Hamish Orr from Baltic Street Adventure Playground in Glasgow, shares ideas and enthusiasm for outdoor play in towns and cities (C19A)

Video: Connecting with Nature in ELC 1

There are lots of requests for fire building training in early years. A future Outdoor Education Officer from Craighead Country Nursery shows us his top tips.

Video: Outdoor Play, Health and Wellbeing

What happens when we spend more time outdoors? Zoe Sills from Earthtime for All in Elgin, explains the benefits of outdoor play-based learning for adults and children in Scotland. (C19A)

Working Together: Inspiring Scotland in 2019

? We support essential charities to become extraordinary charities, enabling them to support the people and communities in Scotland that experience inequality and help them to change their lives for the better. We do it because we want a healthy, happy and thriving Scotland, without poverty or disadvantage. Introducing Working Together, the 2019 Annual Review of our

Supporting Outdoor Play Provision

This guide is designed to show you the range of possibilities when designing or developing high quality outdoor childcare provision. The list provides examples of practice combined with site-specific and appropriate design.

Loose Parts Play Toolkit 2019 edition

We are pleased to announce the publication of the revised edition of the Loose Parts Play Toolkit. The updated Toolkit provides a greater focus on helping adults develop the skills to support inclusive, all-weather outdoor play in Scotland and encourage them to allow children to play in a less structured and more imaginative manner. Since

Out to Play – creating outdoor play experiences for children: practical guidance

This document is a step-by-step guide providing practical advice on how to access outdoors spaces, including land or forest areas owned by local authorities, private landowners or national bodies (such as the Forestry Commission and Scottish Natural Heritage) to create safe, nurturing and inspiring outdoor learning experiences.

Scotland’s Coalition for Outdoor Play and Learning Position Statement

  In 2018, we brought together a broad group of academics and organisations from education, childcare, healthcare, environment and government to create Scotland’s Outdoor Play and Learning Coalition. The Coalition created a bold position statement which committed signatories to working together to embed playing and learning outdoors as an everyday activity and a fundamental part

Funders of Play 2018

This guide contains eligibility, priority and contact details of organisations funding not-for-profit and charitable organisations in Scotland. It has been complied for Inspiring Scotland’s Thrive Outdoors programme and therefore focusses on potential funders of play activities. Funders have been selected through a review of SCVO’s ‘Scottish Directory of Funding for Third Sector Organisations’ and a

Inspiring Scotland – What we do

We strive for a Scotland without poverty or disadvantage. Through our thematic funds, covering issues from youth employment to childhood health and wellbeing to community development, we work with and fund the organisations and people who can have the greatest impact. We want to make Scotland a better place and everyone at Inspiring Scotland, and

Free to Play: A guide to creating accessible and inclusive public play spaces

Free to Play: A guide to creating accessible and inclusive public play spaces is designed to ensure that all children and young people, including those with additional support needs, can exercise their right to play in their local communities. Written by play, children’s rights and inclusive play space experts, Theresa Casey and Harry Harbottle, the guide has

Active Play: Evaluation Report April 2016

Through our Go2Play Fund, we have invested in four play organisations to deliver an Active Play Programme targeting children in the more deprived areas of Scotland. The Active Play Programme uses play as a means to engage children in physical activity, and to build their skills, confidence and motivation to introduce greater physical activity into their

“It’s safer outdoors than in indoors.”

Dr. Mark Tremblay of Canada’s HALO Research talks to Prof. John Reilly of the University of Strathclyde and Rachel Cowper of Inspiring Scotland about how, counter to to popular belief, it is safer for children to be outdoors than indoors. This video is part of a series on the health crisis faced by young children

Play Champions Toolkit

This Play Champion Toolkit is designed to support partners working with Primary schools to engage in more activity that is playful within their school day. It outlines a programme, which play workers can use to support primary school children to become ‘leaders’ of play. It is designed for play charities working with schools, school staff

“Physical activity levels are far too low” – children’s health & well-being in Canada & Scotland

Dr. Mark Tremblay of HALO Research and Prof. John Reilly of the University of Strathclyde discuss childhood inactivity levels in Canada and Scotland from the Active Healthy Kids Report Card 2016 – one of the reasons we strive for physically active outdoor play for all of Scotland’s children.

Active Play Evaluation Summary

Active Play: Physical Activity by Stealth. Download a summary of independent evaluations & research into Active Play.

Go2Play Outcome and Evaluation Framework

Download the original Go Play Outcome and Evaluation Framework, set out in 2011, which established the principles of Inspiring Scotland’s play programme.  The guide identifies ways that play organisations can realistically demonstrate their difference though the use of evidence and helps the play sector to identify common ground to assess how play organisations can have the

Play Ranger Toolkit

Welcome to the newest edition of Scotland’s Play Ranger Toolkit. Scotland’s Play Ranger Toolkit has been developed by Thrive Outdoors, in collaboration with a number of Scottish charities who use the Play Ranger model throughout their delivery of outdoor play provision. With this in mind, this edition offers: a greater focus on skills that help

Active Play Literature Review April 2016

This brief literature review by the University of Strathclyde PhD student Avril Johnstone provides the background literature to the evaluation of Inspiring Scotland’s Active Play Programme. The evaluation has the following research question: does the implementation of an active play programme improve physical activity levels and fundamental movement skills competency in children?

Evaluation of Active Play in Glasgow by Blake Stevenson – Dec 2016

Read the independent evaluation by Blake Stevenson into the impact of Active Play in Glasgow. This report covers the first cohort of pupils to take part in the programme from August 2016 and was completed in December 2016.