Juliet Robertson is a retired education consultant specialising in outdoor learning and play and the author of two popular books, Dirty Teaching and Messy Maths. In 2024 she was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Education from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh in recognition of her pioneering work and significant contribution to education.
Juliet received an unexpected blood cancer diagnosis at the end of 2020 which altered her life trajectory. She began writing poetry in 2021 as a way of making sense of her illness, treatment and prognosis. She discovered that sharing her poetry was a gateway to necessary, but not easy, conversations with family and friends.
She has written updates on her health journey which can be read here
Juliet Robertson’s Blood Lines is a poignant exploration of her life with terminal cancer. Her resilience and positivity are evident throughout this heartwarming collection of poems and the accompanying narrative is a shining example of how to live with adversity.
Juliet intertwines notes and poems beautifully to craft a deeply layered narrative.
The book boldly confronts taboo subjects, delving into the medical intricacies of illness and the concept of death with unflinching courage.
A mix of heartache and hope, filled with an array of different poetic forms that balance humour with honesty. Robertson’s flair for writing is well-known to readers of her bestselling works, Dirty Teaching and Messy Maths.
“Blood Lines is a handbook for living and dying well, delivered with grace, fortitude and humour”. Sue Burge, Writer and Mentor.
A moving and inspiring read for anyone that has been personally affected by cancer, including patients, their family and friends and oncology professionals as well as all poetry enthusiasts.
In Messy Maths: A Playful, Outdoor Approach for Early Years, Juliet Robertson offers a rich resource of ideas that will inspire you to tap into the endless supply of patterns, textures, colours and quantities of the outdoors and deepen children’s understanding of maths through hands-on experience.
Juliet believes being outside makes maths real. In the classroom environment, maths can seem disconnected from everyday reality – but real maths is really messy. Lots of outdoor play and engaging activity along the way is a must, as being outside enables connections to be made between the hands, heart and head, and lays the foundations for more complex work as children grow, develop and learn.
Following on from the success of Dirty Teaching(ISBN 978-178135107-9), Messy Maths reimagines the outdoor space through a mathematical lens – providing a treasure trove of suggestions that will empower you to blend outdoor learning into your teaching practice. It is not a ‘how to’ guide, but rather an easy-to-use reference book replete with ready-to-use games and open-ended ideas designed to help children become confident and skilled in thinking about, using and exploring abstract mathematical concepts as they play outside. Many of these ideas and activities are also beautifully displayed in full-colour photographs throughout the book, making it even easier to jump straight into outstanding outdoor learning opportunities.
Topics covered include: general advice; exploring numbers; number functions and fractions; money; measurement; time; pattern; shape and symmetry; position, direction and movement; data handling; routines; and the mathematical garden. Each chapter features a section on topic-specific vocabulary and expressions to help you integrate terminology into each area of study, while suggestions for embedding maths into routines are also provided to assist in the development of creative, progressive and flexible approaches to everyday situations.
Messy Maths is suitable for early years educators (of ages 3–6) who want to shake up their usual classroom practice and make the most of any outdoor space – whether this be a nursery, playgroup, child-minder’s back garden or a nature kindergarten – as a context for maths.
Juliet Robertson offers tips and tricks to help any primary school teacher to kick-start or further develop their outdoor practice.
One of the keys to a happy and creative classroom is getting out of it and this book will give you the confidence to do just that. Drawing on academic research, Juliet explains why learning outdoors is so beneficial and provides plenty of tips and activities to help you to integrate outdoor learning into your teaching practice, providing a broad range of engaging outdoor experiences for your students.
There is no need for expensive tools or complicated technologies: all you need is your coat and a passion for learning – oh, and you’d better bring the kids too!
Topics covered include: forest schools, learning outside the classroom, outdoor education, nature activities, caring for the environment, play in schools, investigative play, urban outdoor activities, problem solving, creative thinking and strategies for supporting curriculum objectives.
For all primary practitioners who want to shake up their usual classroom routine and discover the benefits of teaching outdoors.
Contents:
Introduction
The Golden Principles of Teaching Outdoors
Before You Go Outside
The First Few Sessions
Thinking, Reflecting and Reviewing
Creating and Constructing
A Sense of Adventure
Exploring What’s Out There
Caring for Nature
What to do in Concrete Jungles
Keeping the Momentum Going
Nagging Doubts, Fears and Worries
Embedding Outdoor Learning
Cross Reference of Ideas to Subject Areas
Bibliography
Index
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