B.O.L.E. – Binfield Outdoor Learning Environment

The Binfield Outdoor Learning Experience (‘BOLE’)

At Binfield, we are fortunate to have a fabulous outdoor learning environment –the BOLE (Binfield Outdoor Learning Environment) . Together, with assistance from FOBS, parents, staff, and a Community team from Waitrose the BOLE has grown from strength to strength to become an exciting and inspiring place to visit and enjoy.

Outdoor learning provides many opportunities for exploration, experimentation and contextual learning. As well as particularly supporting the Science curriculum, the BOLE is also used to enhance other areas of the curriculum. Whether exploring place value in Maths by counting groups of natural objects, or choosing words inspired by nature to develop an English lesson, the BOLE is a place to enrich and extend learning.

The BOLE is also a place full of awe and wonder and allows all our children and staff to observe and enjoy the beauty of our natural world. It is also a place to wonder, think, imagine and create or to take a moment to find peace in the reflection area.

During spring 2020, Binfield became a ‘tree and flower nursery’ to over 50 saplings and rare wild flowers! Some of the trees will leave our ‘nursery’ after a few years to find new homes around our local community. These plants and trees were kindly donated to our school by 3M through Earth Restoration Services, a nationwide scheme to help look after and extend our green spaces. The donated trees and flowers will help to develop a wildflower meadow which we hope will encourage a variety of mini beasts, small animals and of course children to visit and enjoy for many years to come.

Regular BOLE ‘tidy-ups’ and ‘working parties.’

Our lovely FOBS friends and Binfield Gardening Club regularly organise BOLE tidy-ups throughout the year. If you have green fingers, a Bracknell Forest DBS certificate and can spare some time to help with the clear up, please sign up! Dates for this year are Friday 1st March and Friday 5th July between 9.00 and 11.30am. Jobs will depend on the season, but as a guide will include clearing leaves, removing weeds, cutting back shrubs and a general tidy up of the space. Contact fobs@friendsofbinfieldschool.co.uk for more information.

The BOLE is co-ordinated by Maria Gogarty.