More than fun and games: the serious side to outdoor education

BERA’s Nature, Outdoor Learning and Play (Nolap) special interest group provides a focus for the wealth of outdoor learning research taking place in the UK and beyond. We encourage critical debate from methodological, philosophical, political, creative and educational perspectives, by creating a forum for academics, practitioners, and students to engage critically in debates around nature, learning and play in outdoor settings. Nature, outdoor learning and play is about much more than fun and games (although these are important). There is a serious side that enables us to explore some of the most pressing problems facing the world, enabling us to find positive ways for humans to coexist with the more-than-human world in a more sustainable way. Playful, nature-based activities provide ways of learning about the outside world and understanding our place within this and enable the development of a positive relationship with nature, other people and with ourselves (Leather, Harper & Obee, 2020; Hayes, 2017; Hayes, 2016). Outdoor practice actively seeks to help make these connections with nature, in natural places, to generate an ethic of care, from the local to the global.