Inside/Outside: A Nature-Themed Resource Book for Embedding Emotional Literacy
Inside/Outside is a unique educational resource for those working with young people of secondary school age, providing a variety of tried-and-tested indoor and outdoor lessons and activities to promote and embed emotional literacy.
The book is divided into three accessible sections: emotions and feelings; self and situation; and mental health and wellbeing; which each cover a variety of themes, from anxiety and depression, to happiness, communication, and confidence. For each theme, ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ activities are offered, with inside activities inspiring students to self-reflect and develop empathy for others, and those outside drawing heavily on nature and learning outside the classroom. The ‘outside’ activities are adaptable and have been designed to work in any available outdoor space, and all activities can be used either in standalone lessons or sequentially, with introductory tasks, group activities, and circle time discussions.
With a focus on equipping students with meaningful and tangible skills to support them in the recognition, identification, and expression of their emotions, Inside/Outside will be a valuable resource for teachers, youth workers, home-educators and anyone else looking to facilitate nature connection and introspection in children aged eleven to sixteen.
Joe Harkness is a naturalist and SEND teacher from Norfolk, England, where he runs an autism base in a mainstream secondary school. In 2019, he wrote Bird Therapy (Unbound) which was longlisted for the Wainwright Prize the following year.