Outdoor learning and play has been a part of school life in St. Patrick's N.S. for the last few years. We have a school garden, polytunnel, hens, pond and an outdoor play area. Recently we have been involved in an Erasmus project with a number of other countries about outdoor learning and risky play. Risky play involves heights, speed, hiding out of sight, rough and tumble, using tools and nature. You can read more about risky play here https://www.aistearsiolta.ie/en/introduction/new-resources/risky-play-birth-6-years-.pdf . The project has been a big success with pupils and parents alike, based on survey data collected by Dublin City University, who are studying the impact of the outdoor learning and risky play in our school.Infants have wet gear and wellies on their school uniform list which are worn outdoors during play all year round. Outdoor play has now been extended to all classes at lunch break on a rota basis. Below you can see a short clip of our infant pupils enjoying their outdoor play area.[video width="848" height="480" mp4="https://www.slanens.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Outdoor-Play.mp4"][/video]