Welcome to the APOLE project, where the focus is on Adventurous Play & Outdoor Learning in primary education.

Step outside the classroom and into a world where learning comes alive!

At the APOLE project, we believe that adventurous play and outdoor exploration ignite children’s natural curiosity, creativity, confidence and eagerness to learn.

Imagine a space where every child thrives through hands-on discovery, where real-life experiences complement passive worksheets, and learning becomes an exciting adventure.

Enjoy the resources on our website, and if you have any questions please contact us.

About APOLE project

One of APOLE’s priorities is to enhance the learning capacities and wellbeing of primary school children.

Children learn best through ‘active learning’ which involves all senses, not just listening and reading.

Once children reach primary school, they move into a system where passive listening and worksheets are the norm. This traditional teaching style works for some children, but it leaves behind many others who absorb knowledge and skills in a different manner.

‘Active learning’ engages and challenges children’s thinking using real-life and imaginary situations such as spontaneous play, investigating and exploring.

It calls for spaces for children to learn through social, sensory, creative, constructive and dramatic activities, and for learning opportunities to be appropriately paced and challenging in order to meet the needs of individuals.

Outdoor learning through adventurous or risky play provides the unique opportunity for experiential, active learning. It also meets the needs of all children by accommodating different learning styles, making education more inclusive for all children.

The outdoor environment offers a wealth of learning experiences, supporting the curriculum in many ways such as learning through discovery and investigation, developing creativity and language skills, as well as mathematics, planning and negotiating skills.

In addition, children from socio-economically disadvantaged communities have less access to natural environments. By offering risky play in natural environments in primary schools and by integrating it within the curriculum, all children, including those from disadvantaged communities, will be able to reap the benefits to their development, health and wellbeing.

Outdoor learning is not limited to green spaces. The APOLE project also recognizes the importance of connecting teachers and children to the urban neighbourhoods in which schools are often located. This enhances the sense of belonging to the area, and supports the connection to the wider community.

Project APOLE team members

Adventurous or risky play refers to play that involves thrilling, exciting, physically challenging activities like climbing, jumping, balancing, or rough and tumble play, as well as hiding or using tools, etc. These activities provide a sense of fun, exhilaration, opportunities for challenge, testing limits and exploring boundaries.

Get to know us

The APOLE project aims at promoting and integrating the practice of outdoor learning through weekly risky or adventurous play activities in primary schools.

Main objectives

Developing materials for teachers to aid their professional development and incorporate outdoor learning and risky play as part of their professional toolkit.

Developing and improving pedagogical competences of primary school teachers, teaching assistants and other staff (such as caregivers) in outdoor learning and risky or adventurous play.

Identifying the key competencies for outdoor learning and (unstructured) risky play that students of teacher training (and other relevant curricula) need to acquire; and integrating the developed materials into the core curricula at universities.

Enhancing the well-being of primary school children (including children with different learning abilities and barriers to learning, etc.) through supporting independent exploration and risky play in the outdoor environment which allow for active (experiential) learning as a way of engaging children.

A P O L E

Adventurous Play and Outdoor Learning